Daraga Albay, Aug. 4 -- If you're one of the many who often say "Tagalog" when you actually mean "Filipino" when asked about the national language of the Philippines, you are not alone.

In fact, according to Filipino teacher Melanie Golosinda, a recurring question in her classroom every semester is whether Filipino and Tagalog are the same.

In a country where many Filipinos use the two terms interchangeably, Beverly Siy, book author and officer-in-charge of the Intertextual Division of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, said clearing up the long-standing confusion necessitates understanding the history of the country's national language.

Retired professor and textbook author Paz Belvez wrote that as early as 1935, during the presi...