Efforts to safeguard the Philippines’ linguistic heritage are gaining momentum through Enduring Tongues, a community-based initiative focused on early childhood education. In partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NICP), the program has developed children’s picture books for 16 communities in Aklan, benefitting more than 7,000 members across distinct ethnolinguistic groups.
Positioned as a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the commission, Enduring Tongues, introduces a scalable, child-centered approach to language preservation by integrating cultural knowledge into accessible, community-driven learning materials.
The initiative aligns with the broader goals of the United Nations’ International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032), which calls for strengthened efforts to protect and revitalize endangered languages globally.
Addressing the Language Transmission Gap
At its core, Enduring Tongues addresses a critical gap in language transmission: early exposure. By embedding native languages into children’s daily learning experiences, the program shifts preservation from documentation to active usage–ensuring that language remains relevant, visible, and generationally sustained.
The initiative is led by 17-year-old founder Maddi Sy, whose personal experience with language loss shaped the project’s direction. Growing up with fluency in her ancestral language, Lannang. She recognized the urgency of introducing heritage languages at a formative stage.
Maddi Sy, founder of Enduring Tongues.
“Language loss often occurs not through sudden disappearance, but through gradual disguise within a single generation, “said Sy. “Enduring Tongues is designated to address this gap by integrating language exposure at an early stage—where familiarity, usage, and cultural connection can be established and sustained.”
Commitment to Language Accessibility and Preservation
Beyond its Aklan rollout, Sy has also developed a separate series of children’s rhyme books in Lannang, reinforcing her long-term commitment to language accessibility and preservation through education.
NCIP Regional Director Atty. Princess May Alcarde-Oral highlighted the initiative’s significance, underscoring its role in strengthening cultural continuity at the community level. The Commission formally recognized Enduring Tongues as a key partner in advancing the preservation of Indigenous languages in the Philippines.
Enduring Tongues demonstrates how language preservation can be strengthened through early childhood education and community-based materials,” said Atty. Princess May Alcarde-Oral, NCIP Regional Director. “By creating children’s picture books for communities in the Aklan area, the initiative supports not only language learning, but also cultural memory, dignity, and belonging. It is in this spirit that NCIP proudly extends its highest commendation to Enduring Tongues as a pioneering and indispensable partner in the preservation of Indigenous languages in the Philippines.
As language attrition continues to impact communities nationwide, Maddi Sy sticks to her goal that Enduring Tongues presents a replicable model—leveraging education, localized content, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure that heritage languages are not only preserved, but actively passed on to future generations.
For more information on Enduring Tongues’ programs and initiatives, visit the official website at https://enduringtongues.org/.
