Senator Loren Legarda calls for indigenous participation in documenting PH languages

Senator Loren Legarda has underscored the critical need for rigorous research, reliable data, and meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities to ensure the accurate identification, documentation, and preservation of Philippine languages.

In her message for the launch of the Atlas at Mapa ng mga Wika ng Pilipinas by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) on October 29, 2026, Legarda emphasized that language documentation must be grounded in scientific research and validated information—with the active participation of the native speaking communities themselves.

Legarda highlighted the ongoing Balidasyon ng mga Wika ng Pilipinas project, supported by her office, which aims to reconcile varying estimates of the number of languages spoken across the country. The validation process examines several key linguistic factors, including community identity, mutual intelligibility among speakers, lexical similarities, and grammatical structures.

“At para maisagawa ito, kailangan ng karagdagang pananaliksik at balidasyon ng mga datos sa pagsusuri ng pagkakaiba ng wika at wikain,” Legarda said.

The Senator noted that KWF initiated additional research in 2020 and coordinated with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in 2021 to secure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) from Indigenous communities before conducting fieldwork and language validation.

These efforts increased the official tally of documented Philippine languages from 130 in 2016 to 135 following extensive data collection and analysis conducted between 2022 and the second quarter of 2024.

Legarda clarified that the revised figure does not necessarily indicate the emergence of new languages. Rather, the updated count reflects previously unmapped languages brought to light through further research, dialects reclassified as distinct languages, and languages once listed separately but later discovered to share identical linguistic markers with those spoken in neighboring areas.

“Kailangang maunawaan na mahalaga ang wasto at nabalidang mga datos hinggil sa mga wika dahil magagamit ito na batayan ng KWF para sa pagpaplano ng mga programa at proyekto, at pagbuo ng mga patakarang pangwika,” she explained.

Legarda tied the initiative directly to her longstanding legislative advocacy for cultural heritage protection. She pointed to Republic Act No. 11961 (Cultural Mapping Law), which strengthens heritage preservation through local cultural mapping and enhanced education—a measure she authored and sponsored. She also cited Republic Act No. 10066 (National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009), which she co-sponsored. Both laws champion the documentation and safeguard of the nation's tangible and intangible cultural assets, reinforcing the rights and recognition of Indigenous peoples.

With KWF's validation work still underway, Legarda noted that the official count of Philippine languages remains dynamic and may evolve as field researchers gather additional empirical evidence and local communities contribute further insights.

She called for sustained coordination among the KWF, NCIP, local government units, and academic partners to fortify scientific language documentation and establish reliable data baselines, particularly for critically endangered languages.

Legarda concluded her message by reiterating the profound connection between language preservation and national identity.

“Ang mga wika ay hindi lámang behikulo ng komunikasyon kundi representasyon at ingklusyon ng bawat pamayang pangwika at pangkultura,” she stated.