THE Philippines is one of those countries that apparently sees language as a symbol of nationhood and national identity. The implementing 1987 Constitution identifies Filipino not only as an official language but as a national language, which carries a functional burden of playing a symbolic role of making manifest the Filipino national identity.

A language carrying the Filipino national identity was an idea thought to be appropriate by then-president Manuel Quezon as he was preparing the country for eventual independence from the United States. As such, he formed the National Language Institute, which was tasked to 'make a study of the Philippine dialects in general for the purpose of evolving and adopting a common national language based on one of the existing native tongues.'