In 1997, then President Fidel Ramos declared the entire month of August to be the country’s National Language month, also known as Buwan ng Wika. This appears to be the time when we can show not just our love, but also honor and show appreciation for our languages. However, for some reason, we have been focusing just on the national language, Filipino, when we should be educated on the different languages that thrive around us.
First and foremost, Filipino is our national language. Second, we have eight primary languages: Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Waray, Bicolano, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon (Ilonggo). Third, there are around 185 languages and dialects spoken in the country. Lastly, Filipino and English are the official languages, or as Peter Wallace put it, the “language unifier.”
President Sergio Osmena announced a week-long celebration of the national language from March 27 to April 2 each year, with the last day being the birthday of Filipino writer Francisco Baltazar, creator of the Tagalog epic titled “Florante at Laura,” in 1946 through Proclamation No. 35 of March 26.
On September 23, 1955, President Ramon Magsaysay then signed the Proclamation No. 186 renaming it Linggo Ng Wika. Finally, President Ramos signed another Proclamation to extend the festival to a month, giving it the name Buwan ng Wika.
It was also timed to coincide with President Manuel Quezon’s birthday, as he is known as the “Father of the Philippine Language,” or Ama ng Wikang Pambansa. He believed that our countrymen needed to unite through the use of a single national language (Tagalog, later changed to Filipino) while maintaining their ethnic languages and dialects.
What does Buwan ng Wika mean, exactly? Since our archipelagic nature and colonial background, we commemorate Buwan ng Wika to recognize and fix the linguistic problem. The constitution has said that we have a national language that should represent us as a people and a country since our declaration of independence.
The Philippine National Language has been problematic, if not outright disputed in terms of what it is, how to improve it, and how to spread its use. After more than three decades of ratification of the freedom constitution, which clearly states Filipino as the current national lingua franca and therefore the logical choice to employ as the official language and medium of instruction, recent developments have harmed the language as an academic discipline.
For this year’s theme for Buwan ng Wika is “Filipino at mga Wikang Katutubo sa Dekolonisasyon ng Pag-iisip ng mga Pilipino.”
The Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa event in 2021 will focus on the importance of Filipino and the indigenous languages in the country as a means of decolonizing Filipinos’ awareness or being mentally free of the influence of other countries, particularly the former colonial conqueror.
What exactly does this imply? As a living language, Filipino should represent the social and cultural issues that our country faces. Our language expresses our culture, heritage, and collective identity. Recognizing this month as Buwan ng Wika also entails valuing the diverse cultures and ethnolinguistic communities that make up the country.
In the same way, we should recognize and interpret Filipino as the embodiment of our national language when it is spoken in these many circumstances. We must not forget to honor the people who make our nation and who communicate with one another to achieve the common aim of establishing a better country while we commemorate our national language.
Furthermore, we rejoice to demonstrate to our audience how far our country has come in its quest for freedom and democracy. The battle of the Filipino people against colonization, according to historian Renato Constantino, is the uniting thread of Philippine history, and it is something that our ideal audience, the Filipino youth – must never forget.
The youth must understand that Filipino is the heart of our culture and that our nation’s development is dependent on it. They must never forget that the Filipino language was utilized to end colonialism and that this tragic chapter in our history must never be repeated. They must think that those who fight for freedom are the ones who win, that they understand their own identity and that the Filipino people own our country’s future.
This celebration highlights the significance of the Filipino language and the unity it has given to the country. They must believe in all of this, as well as the fact that they are the future.
Story by Erin Chloe Mapanao and Mikaela Alyn Motol