Question: I am new at this site. If I use this site to learn the

@languageLearner Nah. Tagalog and Filipino, as a foreigner learning the language, are pretty much the same. Filipino is supposed to be a language based on Tagalog that has influences from other languages in the Philippines...but that never really panned out. In practical terms, Filipino and Tagalog are the same. That's a simplified answer...you can Google "Tagalog vs Filipino" to read more details and about the politics around the issue if you like, though.A lot of people in those areas can also speak Tagalog, but it won't be their first language. According to the year 2000 Social Weather Survey in the Philippines, they have this info for perspective:(FYI, they refer to NCR, which is the Metro Manila area. Luzon is the giant Northern island that Manila is also on. Visayas would be the Cebu, Negros, Bohol, Samar, Panay areas. )"- The 2000 survey found 85 percent nationwide saying they could understand spoken Filipino. This capability, the key to effective public communication, varies widely: 97 percent in the Balance of Luzon, 91 percent in the National Capital Region (NCR), 78 percent in the Visayas, and 63 percent in Mindanao.- The 2000 survey found 85 percent nationwide saying they could read Filipino-98 percent in the Balance of Luzon, 95 percent in NCR, 82 percent in the Visayas, and 58 percent in Mindanao.- 79 percent said they could write in Filipino-96 percent in the Balance of Luzon, 89 percent in NCR, 70 percent in the Visayas, and 48 percent in Mindanao. - 79 percent said they could speak Filipino-96 percent in the Balance of Luzon, 91 percent in NCR, 61 percent in the Visayas, and 48 percent in Mindanao.- Only 45 percent said they made full use of Filipino, whereas 36 percent made fair use, and 19 percent made partial/very little use, of it. The full users were 87 percent in NCR, 60 percent in the Balance of Luzon, 16 percent in the Visayas, and 9 percent in Mindanao."Source: opinion.inquirer.net /97210/numbers-on-fi lipino-cebuano-and-e nglish

On December 30, President Quezon issued Executive Order No. 134, s. 1937, approving the adoption of Tagalog as the language of the Philippines, and declared and proclaimed the national language so based on the Tagalog dialect as the national language of the Philippines.

@Watsup
Although, that was later revised several times... In 1959 the language name was changed to "Pilipino," to differentiate it from the regionally-focused "Tagalog" language. And then in 1973 and again in 1987 the language name was officially and finally changed to "Filipino" and was supposed to include influences from other regional languages in the Philippines.

@jkos I vaguely remember being in Manila maybe 1976
Marcos declared, as from today Tagalog is our national language, which obviously upset Visayas and many others.