This is the name of the holiday celebrated by Filipinos during the month of August, usually around the 19th which is the birthday of their previous president, Manuel L Quezon.
In the Philippines, before the 1930s, British colonies had deemed that the national language was to be English. Those who still spoke only Philippine languages were viewed as commoners who must be uneducated and living in squalor and poverty. This whole view changed when President Manuel L Quezon promoted and argued that the national language should be one of the country's originals: Tagalog.
This came into passing in 1937 and two years later, the Philippine dictionaries had all been adjusted and the education systems were now teaching Tagalog as the official national language.
Consequently, the holiday was initially named 'Linggo Ng Wiki' and celebrated the week of the Philippine language. It promoted the traditional aspects of the language and instilled a feeling of pride into those citizens who originally thought Tagalog was the language of the poor. Festivals are held and schools across the nation perform plays to celebrate the origins of their language and their country.
The President served for just over nine years and is one of the popular and well recognized presidents in Philippine history and is regarded as their second favorite. He made radical changes with regards to military defense, trade and commerce, land reform and health epidemics.
For this reason, he is not only remembered through Buwan Ng Wika as there are many Philippine monuments named after him, such as a university, a bridge, numerous streets, a city and a province. He even appears on the Philippine currency, such as the twenty peso bill and various commemorative coins alongside Roosevelt.
- Origins of the holiday
In the Philippines, before the 1930s, British colonies had deemed that the national language was to be English. Those who still spoke only Philippine languages were viewed as commoners who must be uneducated and living in squalor and poverty. This whole view changed when President Manuel L Quezon promoted and argued that the national language should be one of the country's originals: Tagalog.
This came into passing in 1937 and two years later, the Philippine dictionaries had all been adjusted and the education systems were now teaching Tagalog as the official national language.
Consequently, the holiday was initially named 'Linggo Ng Wiki' and celebrated the week of the Philippine language. It promoted the traditional aspects of the language and instilled a feeling of pride into those citizens who originally thought Tagalog was the language of the poor. Festivals are held and schools across the nation perform plays to celebrate the origins of their language and their country.
- Manuel L Quezon
The President served for just over nine years and is one of the popular and well recognized presidents in Philippine history and is regarded as their second favorite. He made radical changes with regards to military defense, trade and commerce, land reform and health epidemics.
For this reason, he is not only remembered through Buwan Ng Wika as there are many Philippine monuments named after him, such as a university, a bridge, numerous streets, a city and a province. He even appears on the Philippine currency, such as the twenty peso bill and various commemorative coins alongside Roosevelt.