The national language of the Philippines is Filipino, formerly called Pilipino. Filipino language is based in Tagalog. 60 percent of the Filipinos is is using the language as medium of communication. Pilipino was change to Filipino in 1989 by the act of the Philippine congress.

Among 111 distinct indigenous languages and dialects of the Philippines, Filipino or Tagalog is widely used Especially in Luzon. People in the province used their own dialect. Some of the major languages or dialect in the Philippines are Cebuano (Bisaya), Ilocano (Ilokano), Bicolano (Bikolano), Kapampangan, Pangasinan, and Ilonggo/Hiligaynon.

But in spite that Filipino is the national and official language, English is still used in schools as the medium of instruction. English is widely use for educational, government and commercial purposes. Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world.

Here in the Philippines, it is common to hear the mixture of English and Filipino words. This combination is called taglish. A minimal percent of people in the Philippines speaks Spanish and Chinese because it is not often used.

Philippines has no national language in the early period. Instead, the different regions of the Philippines used different languages. History shows that the native Filipinos mostly spoke the Austronasian Language.

Philippine Information