You’re probably right that the fact that there are more good books written in English than in Filipino, but this is unlikely ever to change. There are about 8 times as many native English speakers as Filipino speakers, and the native English speakers are mostly in wealthier countries which can more easily afford to have some of their citizens working in fields like literature which produce only intangible benefits.

Additionally, my (admittedly limited) experience with Filipinos is that a lot of them are fascinated by American culture, to the extent that many of them would prefer to read a Filipino language translation of an American book over an original Filipino book.

Most people like reading English books because:

1. there are so many of them to choose from

2. They are printed on nice paper

3. They have glossy front covers

4. English is seen as a valuable thing to know and use in the Philippines.

A lot of Filipinos don’t like reading Tagalog books because:

1. The choice of themes and subjects is more limited

2. Most of them are not printed on nice paper (it’s usually grey and not smooth in texture.)

3. They don’t have glossy covers – they look like school books from the 1950s

4. Tagalog is NOT easy to read. Who wants to read ‘pananampalataya’ when you could read ‘faith’?

I used to teach English in the Philippines and I asked my students why I never saw them reading Tagalog books and that’s what they told me.

Add to this the fact that Tagalog is not known and understood well by the whole population whereas English is quite widely understood by most Ilocanos, Cebuanos etc. and you can see that the government would have a hard time persuading people to read or write a lot of Tagalog literature.

I don’t think this is necessarily right. The Philippines is a country full of cultural diversity and unique beauty that could potentially produce a lot of fine literature.

BUT it is not an easy habit to create – reading and writing in Tagalog SHOULD be encouraged but it is HARD to encourage it as long as Filipinos keep an “American is better” way of thinking.

Just one opinion.

I hear its corrupt ya?