Kwentong Kapuso: On reviving the name 'Filipinas'—fixing something that's 'broken'

The Philippines’ Komisyon sa Wikang Pilipino (“KWF”), the nation’s language institution, came out with a proposition recently for Filipinos to revive and use the name “Filipinas,” instead of using Philippines or Pilipinas when they refer to their native land.       

 

The KWF wants to revive the name in order to promote one official name for the Philippines--- both locally and internationally.

 

When I first came to the U.S. 30 years ago, many Filipinos advocated for the use of the letter “P” instead of the letter “F” when they write and spell the name of their native land (“Pilipinas”) and the word that symbolizes and identifies them as a people (“Pilipino”). 

 

The Filipino community advocates and activists that I spoke to explained to me that the word “Pilipino” should be used instead of “Filipino,” since the people of the Philippines do not have the letter “F” in their native alphabet.  

 

They also argued that the use of the letter “P” instead of the letter “F” is our way of veering away from the shackles of colonization and indigenization that our ancestors experienced in the past.

 

It was time to go back and return to our roots, they said, by getting rid of the western and colonial influences that have stunted our growth as a people and as a nation.   

 

The proposal of the KWF to revive and use “Filipinas” is in for a tough road.  KWF’s proposed change, if implemented by the Philippine government, will be a big adjustment for everyone, including government agencies, private institutions, schools, and the corporate and business sector.      

 

The change will also make many wonder aloud why there’s a need to revive “Filipinas.”  As they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

 

I do agree though with the logic behind KWF’s proposition to change the name of the Philippines to “Filipinas.” 

Something is broken and it needs repair.  

 

Contrary to globally accepted standards and protocol, the Philippines continues to use three different “confusing” names to identify itself (“Pilipinas”); its language (“Filipino”); and its people (“Pilipino”).

 

Because of the use of the name Philippines or Pilipinas, non-Filipinos in many instances err whenever they spell-out the name that identifies us as a people.  How many times have we seen the word “Philippino” here in the United States? 

 

They are confused because our native country is referred to and known as the Philippines or Pilipinas, and because of this, it’s easier for them to assume that they can refer to us as “Philippinos” or “Philippinians.” 

 

The original name of the Philippines was actually given by Spanish explorers and the name that they used then was “Las Islas Filipinas,” after King Philip II of Spain. 

 

The decision earlier to change the letter “F” to “P” might not be the smartest and most practical way for us to veer away from our colonial past.  

 

Our history tells us that it was only after the Americans renamed the country “The Philippine Islands” that the name “Filipinas” was dropped and replaced by the name “Philippines,” and the purpose was mainly to “Anglicize” it.  

 

But even after the country’s name was changed to Philippines, the people of the Philippines were still being referred to as “Filipinos.”

 

And unlike before, the letter “F” is no longer “foreign” and “colonial” in our alphabet these days since the Filipino language and alphabet underwent “modernization” in 1987.  This paved the way for the addition of the letter “F” in the Filipino language and alphabet.

 

Because of this, as early as 1987, the proposition to revive the name “Filipinas” was already started. 

 

Reviving the use of “Filipinas” will end the confusion of using “Filipino” to refer to the national language, “Pilipinas” to the country, and “Pilipino” to refer to the citizens and inhabitants of the country. 

 

By using the name “Filipinas” to refer to their country, then it becomes automatic and practical for Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike to use the word “Filipino” to describe both the people and the language of the Filipino nation. — Philippine News

 

Jojo Liangco is an attorney with the Law Offices of Amancio M. Liangco Jr. in San Francisco, California.  His practice is in the areas of immigration, family law, personal injury, civil litigation, business law, bankruptcy, DUI cases, criminal defense and traffic court cases.