Filipino is Not Only Tagalog

The national language of the Philippines has come a long way. From being Tagalog-only, to Tagalog-based, and to what we now know as Filipino, our national language is truly a developing one.

Rappler’s article “What the PH constitutions say about the national language” (from https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/65477-national-language-philippine-constitutions) discusses the evolution of our national language and I can say that I agree with the author when they said that “Tagalog-based national language sparked a still ongoing debate on the basis of the national language of the country.”

Although it is not explicitly stated in the current constitution, our national language still draws most of its vocabulary and grammar largely from Tagalog. It is in this observation that Urosa grounds its campaign.

What really is stated in the constitution is, “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages.” It is from this statement that we push for the decentralization of the national language from Tagalog since our national language should be comprised of all our Philippine languages according to our constitution.