Filipino is not Tagalog and vice versa. This is where the source of the problem lies when one attributes the oneness of Filipino and Tagalog.

First, let it be corrected that Filipino is the national language of the Philippines while Tagalog is the vernacular language spoken by those in the Tagalog region of Luzon. Filipino also is an academic language spoken in schools while Tagalog is the mother tongue of those speaking the language. However, the problem is when you will be hearing this, “Ano nga ang Tagalog sa apple?” This is a clear erroneous attribution of speakers which for a long is deemed as acceptable.

You know there is politics in language. Accordingly, there is a sense of imperialism in the use of Filipino even if it is a mixture of other Filipino languages. This is because Tagalog is the spoken language in Metro Manila and the seat of government power and business is in the capital.

There is really ethnolinguistic divide among the people. In a country that is multilinguistic because of the archaeological feature of the land, having a national language in the real sense is very difficult to achieve. However, with what we have right now, we are in the right track. What is important is that interlocutors understand each other.

While many are criticizing that Filipino is just a newly created language and there are some of our fellow Filipinos with bad language attitude towards it, we should be happy that we have one which we can be proud of.