Filipino: Here’s What it Really Means

Back in high school, one of my favorite books to read was the dictionary. Odd as that may seem, I enjoyed it. It was always fun to learn new, unique, or interesting words I’d never heard before and use them later on in life. If you search for the word “Filipino,” you’ll see that it may be defined as two things: either natives or inhabitants in the Philippines or the native tongue of Filipinos. These two definitions are important as they both correlate to one’s identity as a Filipino. But why is it so important for Filipinos to learn Filipino? Learning Filipino helps Filipino youth connect with other Filipinos, preserve Philippine culture, and represent our true identity.

According to Bonifacio Sibayan, throughout the years, education in Philippine schools has mainly used and implemented two foreign languages: mainly Spanish during the 17th-19th century and English in the 20th century. It was only after World War II that the urgency of using Filipino as a language to educate Filipinos rose. Despite this urgency, Filipinos still looked at English with superiority since it could only be acquired in higher education back then. People thought that there must be one language to unite the Filipino people, and that language is Filipino.

With Filipino as the primary language used in households, the Filipino language has allowed youths to connect with their Filipino family members and relatives. Learning how to speak Filipino well also helps them mingle well with their Filipino friends, classmates in school, and everyday people they encounter daily. Filipino youth who are not well-versed in the language have expressed their desire to be able to express themselves completely and effectively to avoid miscommunication with others.

According to the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of The Philippines – Article XIV, Section 6, the national language of the Philippines is Filipino. In Section 7, it provides that “for the purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.

Though our country has two official languages for communication, Filipino youth from our study have expressed that they still feel a stronger love for their native tongue, Filipino. According to them, to love the Philippines and to be Filipino means to also love Philippine culture or our mother tongue, Filipino. Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal once said, “He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish” and “The youth is the hope of our future.” Dr. Jose Rizal strongly believes in the power of the youth because they are the future men and women of this country, and it is up to them to ensure that the Philippine language is still being used to preserve it for future generations. In preserving the Filipino language, Filipino youths have also expressed that they want to improve their skills in reading and writing stories, poems, formal papers, copywriting, and many more.

Back then, Filipinos were subjected to Western ideals of liberty, socialism, and democracy, imposed on them through colonial schools. Ernest Gellner and Benedict Anderson posit that this is why the current surge of nationalism is heavily influenced by capitalist development, Western education, and the spread of colonial language, courtesy of the Vernacular Press Act. These would well explain why Filipinos wanted to be liberated from colonial rule and given their own national identity.

I like how one of the respondents from our study put it; they said, “it is what identifies us and separates us from the world.” Some Filipino youth have admittedly felt a sense of guilt or shame and have even been discriminated against for not being able to speak the Filipino language well. This motivated some respondents to learn the Filipino language better because they believe that if you are Filipino, it is essential to know how to speak Filipino. And a reason reiterated by most: many Filipino youth have said that they want to improve their mastery of the Filipino language so they can further embrace their Filipino identity. This is in love, honor, and respect for their nation and native language, as they have a strong desire to feel more authentic as Filipinos.

Wherever we go, knowledge of our national language is one of the easiest things we can carry. As we carry it with us, we don’t just carry a bunch of words or phrases; we carry pride in who we are as Filipinos. Because knowing how to speak Filipino creates more meaning and value in being a true Filipino.