Why is English a national language in the Philippines?

English was introduced into the Philippines during the US colonial occupation and civil regime in the early 1900s and has now become the second official language. In fact, Tagalog and English compete in the various domains of Filipino society such as business, government, broadcast media, publications, and education.

Was the Philippines colonized by the Spanish?

The Spanish colonial period of the Philippines began when explorer Ferdinand Magellan came to the islands in 1521 and claimed it as a colony for the Spanish Empire. The period lasted until the Philippine Revolution in 1898.

When did Spanish become the official language of the Philippines?

Spanish was the official language of the Philippines from the beginning of Spanish rule in the late 16th century, through the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in 1898 and remained co-official, along with English, until 1987. It was at first removed in 1973 by a constitutional change,…

Why don’t Filipinos speak Spanish?

Why don’t Filipinos speak Spanish? T he Philippines were under Spanish rule for 300 years — over 10 generations; not too dissimilar to much of Latin America. Manila and Cebu were centres of colonial administration, and in fact, rolled up into the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Why are there Spanish words in Tagalog and Cebuano?

This explains the predominance of Spanish words in Tagalog and Cebuano. By the late 1800s as the days of Spanish rule in the Philippines waned, the Spanish Crown authorized for the teaching of Spanish to ALL peoples of the Philippines, rich or poor. In 1898, the Americans wrestled control of the Philippines from Spain.

How many Spanish loanwords are there in the Philippines?

There are thousands of Spanish loanwords in 170 native Philippine languages, and Spanish orthography has influenced the spelling system used for writing most of these languages.