Hello Kenneth. Thank you for being with us today and sharing your vision on the Tagalog language. From my own knowledge, being partly Filipino myself, I do know that the Philippines is rich in a myriad number of regional languages. Whilst English and Tagalog (in the form of Filipino) are the two official languages of the Philippines, I am curious to get to know your personal linguistic background.

I predominantly speak English, but when growing up from the age of eight, I also studied Tagalog. Filipino classes have always been a part of my curriculum one way or another. So, from grade school all the way up to college, I always had some sort of Filipino (History) class. I do get a decent grasp of the fundamentals of the written Tagalog language. In comparison to my friends, I do feel that I get to use some words that they don’t know. However, it’s just that I am not the best speaker. 

Back in middle and high school, way before attending university, we had these declamation contests. In my school we had this month-long celebration called ‘buwan ng wika’, which translates to ‘language month’ or basically “Tagalog month”. As part of the whole celebration, all classes were required to decorate the entire classroom according to a certain theme or topic, for example like a traditional fiesta in one of the regions. One of these contests is where you basically have the speaker from the class recite a poem or story in front of the entire class. Like a class representative. I used to do that in both English and Tagalog. So back then, I loved (and still do!) public speaking. I simply guess that it was during these times that my Tagalog was maintained by school activities.

Prior to the interview you mentioned to me that music might be the best way for you to get more in touch with the language. Do you have any examples of Tagalog songs that amplify your perspective on this? 

Yes, and I actually prepared that! Are you familiar with OPM?

Not at all. What does that abbreviation stand for?

OPM or ‘Original Pinoy Music’ is a music genre referring to Philippine pop songs, particularly ballads that are considered popular from the seventies to the present. Personally, I am more into the mellow/lo-fi/chill vibe of music. 

I would like to share and highlight two bands that I like the most from this specific genre. Apart from the beat and the music itself, they are both able to transfer a very visually striking image when they sing through their lyrics. 

The first band is called Ben&Ben (formerly known as The Benjamins). The indie-folk/folk-pop band consists of many band members, but the two lead singers are twin brothers: Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin. They have these really beautiful love songs. Their sound is so pure and I want to share a snippet of one of their songs named ‘Pagtingin’:

It’s these kinds of songs that I believe represent my connection to the language. It’s through songs like this. I may not know the details and all the words, but whenever they share or sing these types of songs it actually helps me to put the missing pieces together. There are some really deep Tagalog words that I don’t understand. However, if they are put into context, they share the story so vividly. For me, this really represents Tagalog. It helps to capture a certain feeling and emotion. Their words do that.

Once when I was in the United States, I was talking to one of my cousins in Tagalog. Then a random passerby goes ‘Ehm. I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard you guys talking. What language are you using?’ We swiftly mentioned it was Tagalog and he then followed by stating ‘what a beautiful language’ it was. At this moment, I realised that we do have that influence of showcasing how beautiful the Tagalog language is.

If you reflect on your time at school. Is there anything you wished you could have done differently? Especially, now that you realise the influential power you have by speaking Tagalog.

If there is one way that I could go back to school and actually learn more about the Tagalog language, for instance improving my writing skills, I would definitely do it. Now, I have a better understanding and appreciation of how this language can be perceived by others. 

The sad thing is that Tagalog is not really being prioritised. A few years back, there was a senator who said we could do with less Tagalog in our school curriculum. There is no sense of nationalism at all. And honestly speaking, part of the political situation that we are in right now, also contributes to this. 

I am not exactly proud that I speak so-called ‘Taglish’. But somehow it is also just the way I was raised and moulded by our school systems. I think I can speak for most young Filipino’s. I am not speaking Taglish intentionally. If I could do better, then I would. 

Yeah. If you were given the opportunity to do so. 

Exactly.

Do you see any bands or artists pushing this on the agenda? For instance, promoting the Tagalog language by releasing more songs in Tagalog? 

The whole essence of OPM is that they are all Tagalog songs. Some of these mainstream artists, like Ben&Ben also have English songs, which are just as beautiful. I think they do that because they also get the international appeal. So I get that, you know, on one end they are representing the country on a global scale, but on the other hand they still reach out to our community with the beautiful Tagalog songs. Artists won’t shove the Tagalog language in your face, but I believe that this division in Tagalog and English songs is due to a natural flow, caused by the artist’s mind speaking. 

You mentioned that you have a second band you would like to share with us.

Ah yes. The other band is called Up Dharma Down. 

I have heard of them!

Ah, you have heard of them! They are a much older band. Definitely at least twice the age of Ben&Ben. They kind of remind me of those lo-fi and chill Japanese music styles. When you see and think of them, you might find them a bit weird and quirky, but then their songs are still pretty mainstream. Here is one song that I really like from them. It is called ‘Oo’, which means ‘Yes’.

As you can see, I really appreciate artists and bands like this. Like Ben&Ben, Up Dharma Down makes use of the Tagalog language so well. I really picture myself in the setting of this song. When you close your eyes, you hear that the music just sits right. The melody, the beat and all that: it really soothes you. Especially when you are going through a tough day or even a really happy day. You just hear the right song. It is so… I don’t know, lifting? Comforting? A mix of all of those?

Thank you for sharing these songs and what they mean to you on a personal level. Also, showing the use of the Tagalog language in a beautiful way that touches you. In that sense you can get very close to language. 

Yes, exactly. Moreover, it celebrates the language! 

Is there any other knowledge you would like to share with our readers?

I guess if there is one thing that I wish people would also know more about, it would be the unique Filipino aesthetics and designs. They are pretty low key. If you think about Japan or Korea, it is very clear what kind of visual aesthetic they carry out, for instance in their fashion trends. 

In the Philippines the culture isn’t as clear here in the cities. Generally speaking, we are still a melting pot of different dialects, different ways of formulating and expressing ourselves. It allows us to actually speak the way that is most comfortable for us. In Japanese, for instance, there is a formal way of speaking which is well-known. In Tagalog it is predominantly a casual way of using the language. Nobody will really say. ‘Hey, why are you mixing the words.’ Of course, there are extremes within people's mindsets, but in general it is very acceptable to use the language in your own preferred way. 

Jeepneys are a good example because you can do whatever you want with your jeepney. This also translates to the aesthetics of objects and buildings. There is such a mixture of design languages, but every type of home still succeeds in merging different designs into a very Filipino vibe or aesthetic. Mixing things up is not only a linguistic phenomenon, but also in everyday life it can be detected. 

A friend of mine is an architect. I remember him telling me about the United States. Their main language is solely English. If you go to their environment, you will rarely get to see things that are so unique or personalised. At the end of the day, they all have to work with this baseline. They all speak the same language. Apart from these very diverse cities. Let’s say New York, Los Angeles, San Diego or what else. These cities obviously represent a lot more cultures. However, in many other (smaller) cities and rural areas you will find this commonality in language. In the Philippines, people have been confronted with different ways of living, different influences of people and regions (think of Spanish, American and Japanese influences) which formed this multitude of different dialects and ways of speaking. All these influences are just left there for everyone to make sense of it all. Consequently, this might also be a hint to the carefree attitude of using Tagalog in our daily life and conversation.