(Lopez is a former Batasan Pambansa Member, 1985 to 1986, and a Manila Mayor, 1986-1992.)

The existence of a national language in one country promotes national unity and geographic and political solidarity. It is for this reason that a search for a national linguistic symbol began in the Philippines.

The issue of our national language has been in our history for the past 100 years. Indeed, the inhabitants of an archipelago like ours – with over a hundred languages – need a common language with which they can communicate with each other and express themselves as a people of one nation.

The national language issues has been an emotional one. Actually, our country had already succeeded in choosing Tagalog as its national language – only to reject it later after its cultivation and propagation, in order to renew the search for a national language and its development once more.

Thankfully, the adoption of our national language has been achieved peacefully, unlike in some other countries like Sri Lanka, Belgium, and Canada, where the language issue has provoked civil wars. Indeed, we have succeeded where other countries have not.

For instance, India never had a national language. Neither the Constitution of India nor Indian law specifies a national language. Article 343 of the Indian Constitution simply states that the official language of the Union shall be Hindi Devanagari script.

And so, while India may boast of being home to many major languages of the world, this abode of languages, ironically, it does not have a national language of its own.

Even in the United States, English is the national language only in an informal sense, by numbers and by historical and contemporary association.

The US Constitution does not explicitly declare any national or official language. On May 8, 2008, Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma intoduced Senate Bill 1335, which sought to declare English as the official language of the government of the Unites States. Several bills relating to English as a national language have also since been pending in the US House of Representatives.

In China, plenty of spoken variants exist in different parts of the country. In order to promote a sense of national unity and enhance the efficiency of communications within the nation, the Beijing dialect was chosen as the national language sometime in 1911. In the beginning, there were attempts to introduce elements from other Chinese spoken variants into the national language, in addition to those existing in the Beijing dialect. But this was deemed too difficult and was abandoned in 1924.

President Sergio Osmeña, on March 26, 1946, issued Proclmation No. 35 designating the period from March 27 to April 2 of each year “National Language Week.” This period ends on the birthday celebration of Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar, known as the “Prince of Tagalog Literature.”

President Ramon Magsaysay on Sept. 23, 1955, issued Procalamation No. 186 declaring August 13-19 of every year as the “National Language Week.” The end of the week coincided with the birth anniversary of President Manuel Quezon known as the “Father of our National Language.” President Magsaysay changed from March 27-April 2 to Aug. 13-19 of every year the period of celebration because March 27-April 2 was outside of the school year, thereby precluding the participation of schools in its celebration.

President Corazon Aquino on Aug. 12, 1988, after the EDSA Revolution, issued Proclamation No. 19 reiterating the proclamation of National Language Week on Aug. 13-19 of every year.

To give more importance to our national language, President Fidel V. Ramos on Jan. 15, 1997, issued Procalmation No. 1041 declaring August of every year as “National Language Month,” instead of only one week.

It has been said that the choice of a national language is a product of historical circumstances and, to a great extent, is dictated by social and political considerations.

The evolution of the Wikang Pambansa, now known as Filipino, has not been monotonous – attended, as it has been with one reversal after the other.

For instance, the Biak-ma-Bato Constitution at the initial stage of the Philippine Revolution provided that “Tagalog should be the official language of the Republic.”

However, the Malolos Constitution of the First Philippine Republic made a reversal, when it mandated that the Spanish language be the official language of the emerging national community, without any provisions as to the adoption of a national langauge.

However, the Malolos Constitution of the First Philippine Republic made a reversal, when it mandated that the Spanish language be the official language of the emerging national community, without any provisions as to the adoption of a national language.

From 1935 onwards, to the present 1990s, we have seen the evolution of the national language, first as Tagalog-based – a clear victory of Manuel L. Quezon and the espousal of the Tagaligtas over the Bisayan hopes of Sotto and his Ang Suga advocates.

After the ratification of the 1935 Constitution, President Quezon lost no time, and on Nov. 30, 1937, proclaimed the national language based on Tagalog as the national language of the Philippines.

During the Japanese occupation, the Philippine government, pursuant to the 1943 Constitution under President Jose P. Laurel, went even further by categorically and explicitly recognizing Tagalog as the common national language.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly for the development and propagation of Tagalog, until the convening of the 1971 Constitutional Convention, which became a forum for a reexamination and discussion of our national language.

Two main schools of thought prevailed during the 1971 Constitutional Convention. The first promoted Quezon’s mono-based language; the second pushed for a multi-based language. This second school of thought found its most ardent promoter in Wenceslao Vinzon of Camarines Norte.

From history, we know that proponents of the mono-based language won under the 1935 Constitution. But the multi-based language got the upper hand and was subsequently adopted under the 1973 Constitution.

The 1973 Constitution mandated the Batasan Pambansa to take steps towards the development and formal adoption of a common national language, to be known as Filipino, based not only on one, but on all of our native languages and dialects.

For emphasis, I would like to repeat our national language is called Filipino, and not Tagalog. Filipino will eventually consists of selected words coming from various existing native languages, as well as most commonly used words, originating from foreign languages.

The heart of the language provision of the 1973 Constitution appears in Article XV, Section 3 (2) which provides: “The Batasan Pambansa shall take steps towards the development and formal adoption of a common national language to be known as Filipino.”

Pursuant to this particular 1973 Constitutional provision, former Assemblyman Gemiliano C. Lopez Jr. in 1985 filed Batas Pambansa Blg. 6543 which mandates the establishment of a national language commission composed of various regions and disciplines to undertake, coordinate, and promote researchers for the development, propagation, and preservation of Filipino and other languages.

He was joined in his effort to initiate the development of our national language called “Filipino” by other Batasan Pambansa members, notably Blas Ople and Francisco Sumulong. Unfortunately, this crusade of Lopez was overtaken by the EDSA Revolution.

When the EDSA Revolution succeeded in early 1986 and a new Constitution was formed in February, 1986, his brother Jaime C. Lopez, who was elected under the new Cory Aquino Constitution continued the effort of Batas Pambansa member Gemiliano C. Lopez Jr. He filed his bill which became Republic Act No. 7104 on August 14, 1991, creating the “Commission on the Filipino Language.” Republic Act No. 7104 was enacted pursuant to the 1986 Constitution which provides: “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino.” With such very clear language the Constitution of 1986 settled with finality the national language issue which has beleaguered the nation and its people for more than a century.

According to the late Senator Blas F. Ople in his book "Nation Building Through Language," by February 1989, 92 percent of all Filipinos throughout the country, regardless of the distance from Manila, could speak the national language, according to a survey of the Ateneo de Manila University.

And yet, those who said they could speak English remained an impressive 51 percent, while those able to communicate in Visayan stood at 41 percent.

The late Brother Andrew Gonzales, former president of De La Salle University and a leading linguist, wrote that by the end of this century, 98 percent of Filipinos will be able to communicate in the national language.