Manuel L. Quezon: Ama ng Wikang Pambansa

CEBU, Philippines - His name is often mentioned during the month of August, not only because he was born in August but more so because he is considered the “Father of the National Language” or the “Ama ng Wikang Pambansa.”

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina was born on August 19, 1878 in Baler, Tayabas, now known as Aurora. His father, Lucio, was a primary grade school teacher and was a retired Sergeant in the Spanish colonial army. His mother, Maria Dolores, was also a primary grade school teacher in their hometown.

The young Manuel received his primary education from his mother and tutors from his hometown. He completed secondary school at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He studied law at the University of Santo Tomas but had to cut his studies short in 1899 because he joined the Philippine-American War as Emilio Aguinaldo’s ayuda-de-campo or aide de camp.

When Aguinaldo surrendered in 1901, Quezon resumed his studies and was the fourth placer in the Bar exams in 1903.

Quezon handled several appointive and elective government positions such as fiscal for Mindoro, councilor and later on governor of Tayabas. He was also elected to the first Philippine Assembly and served as the majority floor leader. He was later elected into the Senate and became the Senate President. In 1922, he became the leader of the Nacionalista Party.

In 1935, Manuel Quezon won the country’s first national presidential election, obtaining 68 percent of the votes against his main rivals, Emilio Aguinaldo and Gregorio Aglipay. Recognized as the second President of the Philippines, among Quezon’s achievements was appointing the first all-Filipino Supreme Court in 1935. He was also the one who initiated the moves to allow women to vote, and he established the Institute of National Language in 1936, with Visayan Jaime E. de Veyra, as director. After a year’s study, the institute recommended that Tagalog be adopted as the basis for the country’s National Language. On December 1937, President Quezon issued a proclamation declaring the adoption of a national language. The Institute of National Language then started to work on the grammar and a dictionary of the language.

It was during President Corazon Aquino’s time when the Linggo ng Wika was celebrated in August, to coincide with President Quezon’s birthday. President Aquino issued Proclamation No. 19, declaring the celebration of Linggo ng Wika every August 13- 19. To further put importance on the national language, President Fidel V. Ramos issued a proclamation declaring the month of August as the Pambansang Buwan ng Wika.