<P> There are some 120 to 187 languages and dialects in the Philippines, depending on the method of classification . Almost all are Malayo - Polynesian languages . A number of Spanish - influenced creole varieties generally called Chavacano are also spoken in certain communities . The 1987 constitution designates Filipino as the national language and an official language along with English . While Filipino is used for communication across the country's diverse linguistic groups and is used in popular culture, the government operates mostly using English . Including second - language speakers, there are more speakers of Tagalog than English in the Philippines . The other regional languages are given official auxiliary status in their respective places according to the constitution but does not specify any language in particular . Some of these regional languages are also used in education . </P> <P> The indigenous scripts of the Philippines (such as the Kulitan, Tagbanwa and others) are used very little; instead, Filipino languages are today written in the Latin script because of the Spanish and American colonial experience . Baybayin, though generally not understood, is one of the most well - known of the indigenous Filipino scripts and is used mainly in artistic applications such as on the Philippine banknotes, where the word "Pilipino" is inscribed using the writing system . Additionally, the Arabic script is used in the Muslim areas in the southern Philippines . </P> <P> The 1987 Constitution declares Filipino as the national language of the country . Filipino and English are the official languages, with the recognition of the regional languages as auxiliary official in their respective regions (though not specifying any particular languages). Spanish and Arabic are to be promoted on an optional and voluntary basis . </P> <P> Spanish was the official language of the country for more than three centuries under Spanish colonial rule, and became the lingua franca of the Philippines in the 19th and early 20th centuries . In 1863, a Spanish decree introduced universal education, creating free public schooling in Spanish . It was also the language of the Philippine Revolution, and the 1899 Malolos Constitution effectively proclaimed it as the official language of the First Philippine Republic . National hero José Rizal wrote most of his works in Spanish . Luciano de la Rosa established that Spanish was spoken by a total of 60% of the population in the early 20th century as a first, second or third language . Following the American occupation of the Philippines and the imposition of English, the use of Spanish declined gradually, especially after the 1940s . </P>

What are the major languages of the philippines