1935 Constitution Provision sa Wikang Filipino

Under the Americans, the Philippine Assembly launched numerous attempts to lobby for Philippine
independence. Their efforts culminated in 1934 with the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which led to the foundation
of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1935.
When the constitution of the Commonwealth was being drafted, Camarines Norte Representative
Wenceslao Vinzons proposed the inclusion of an article on adopting a national language.
His proposal bore fruit in Article XIII, Section 3 of the 1935 Constitution, which directed the National
Assembly to take steps toward the development and adoption of a common national language based on
one of the existing native languages. It also states that until otherwise provided by law, English and
Spanish shall remain as the official languages of the Philippines.
Pursuant to this, Commonwealth Act 184 established the Institute of National Language (INL) in 1936, to
study existing Philippine native languages and dialects and select one of them to be the basis of the
development of a Filipino national language.
In November 1937, following studies and numerous debates among experts and proponents of various
regional languages, the INL recommended Tagalog to be the basis for the national language of the
country. This is based on expert opinion that Tagalog was found to be widely used and accepted by the
greatest number of Filipinos, and that it already has a large literary tradition.
Based on this recommendation, President Manuel Quezon issued Executive Order 134 in December
1937, which proclaimed that Tagalog shall be the basis of the country's national language.
In 1959, the Department of Education officially called Tagalog Pilipino to appease non-native Tagalog
speakers. However, the label stuck to refer to a Tagalog-centric Philippine national language.
Due to the fact that a large majority of the Filipino population spoke other native Philippine languages, the
choice of a Tagalog-based national language sparked a still ongoing debate on the basis of the national
language of the country.
Nang malikha ang 1935 Constitution, inatasan na ang Kongreso na gumawa ng hakbang para sa
pagkakaroon ng wikang pambansa ng Pilipinas. Gayunman, nang panahong iyon, patuloy na gagamitin
ang wikang Ingles at Spanish bilang opisyal na wika ng bansa.
Nakasaad sa Section 3, Article XIV sa General Provision ng 1935 Constitution na: "The Congress shall
take steps toward the development and adoption of a common national language based on one of the
existing native languages. Until otherwise provided by law, English and Spanish shall continue as official
languages." - See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/373636/news/ulatfilipino/angpagbabago-ng-wikang-pambansa-sa-ating-mga-saligang-batas#sthash.kBSsafy5.dpuf

1973 Constitution Provision sa Wikang Filipino

In 1971, a year before President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law, a Constitutional Convention
began crafing a new constitution.
One of the contentious issues during the convention was the definition of the national language. Tagalog
advocates remained firm on a Tagalog-based national language, while a great majority of delegates voted
in favor of scrapping the notion of having a national language altogether.
The arguments came to a point that even the language used for the debates and the language of the
1973 Constitution became points of contention, with many voting for the use of the English language as a
compromise.
The 1973 Constitution ended up with a carefully-worded Article XV, Section 3, which states: (2) The
Batasang Pambansa shall take steps towards the development and formal adoption of a common
national language to be known asFilipino. (3) Until otherwise provided by law, English and Pilipino shall
be the official languages.
It was a compromise as it did not explicitly mention that Filipino was not to be based on Tagalog, nor did it
state that a Tagalog-based national language was to be abandoned. Instead, it proposes the development
of a language that shall be called Filipino.
Since the 1950s, Pilipino referred to the national language based on Tagalog alone. By ordering the
Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) to take steps to develop a national language to be known as
Filipino, the 1973 Constitution introduced the idea that the Filipino national language, though still with
Tagalog as its nucleus, is a work in progress subject to further development.
The compromise however was met with criticism, as detractors of Filipino stated that the eventual
language to be developed would be artificial, lacking in both native speakers and literary tradition.
Itinatakda sa Section 3 (1), Article XV sa General Provision na: "This Constitution shall be officially
promulgated in English and in Pilipino, and translated into each dialect spoken by over fifty thousand
people, and into Spanish and Arabic. In case of conflict, the English text shall prevail.
Inatasan din ang National Assembly na kumilos para sa pormal na paggamit ng "common national
language" na tatawaging "Filipino." - See more at:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/373636/news/ulatfilipino/ang-pagbabago-ng-wikang-pambansasa-ating-mga-saligang-batas#sthash.kBSsafy5.dpuf

1987 Constitution Provision sa Wikang Filipino

The current working definition of the Philippines national language is found in Sections 6 and 7 of Article
XIV of the 1987 Constitution, which was created following the ouster of Marcos.
Section 6 states: 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.
Section 7, says: For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines
are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.
The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary
media of instruction therein.
Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis.
Section 8: This Constitution shall be promulgated in Filipino and English and shall be translated into major
regional languages, Arabic, and Spanish.

The 1987 Constitutions definition of the national language takes the notion of Filipino from the 1973
Constitution even further by explicitly recognizing that the national language is subject to change
through influence from local and foreign languages over time.
The definition also gives due consideration to the role of the other Philippine languages in shaping the
national language. It also replaced Pilipino with Filipino as an official language.
In addition, Section 9 orders the establishment of a national language commission, which will enhance the
language-formation role of regional languages through the representation of various regions and
disciplines in the body. The task of this commission is to undertake, promote, and coordinate researches
for the development, propagation, and preservation of Filipino and other languages.
The commission came to be known as the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino(Commission on the Filipino
Language), which was established in August 14,1991.
Source: http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/65477-national-language-philippine-constitutions