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Languages in the Philippines
More than 100 Philippine languages and dialects are spoken in the Philippines. These Philippine languages and dialects are derived from many sources.
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Most of them are basically Austronesian or Malayo-Polynesian in origin. Many words in the Philippine language have also been adapted from Sankrit, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and English languages sources.
The principal Philippine native languages in the Philippines include Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray-Waray, Bicolano, Pampango, Pangasinan, Maguindanao, Maranao and Tausug.
In 1946, Tagalog became the only Philippine language to be recognized as the official language of the Philippines. The other two official languages were English and Spanish. In 1962, a language based on Tagalog, called Pilipino, became the national language. Pilipino is not yet spoken by most Filipinos, but it is being taught in the schools as the nation's future commonly-shared language.
The issue on what would be the national language of the Philippines remained even then as many pros and cons have been forwarded by different proponents if Tagalog is to be considered as the nation's official language. There was a great need for this issue to be resolved as there was a compelling desire to unite the Filipino people faced with the dilemma of sharing over a hundred languages. A strong nation needs to have a single official language known and commonly expressed by all.
This issue has then been resolved by a mandate of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines which provides that, "the national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis oe existing Philippine and other languages." The Filipino/Pilipino language thus has been the Wikang Pambansa of the Philippines.