August is Buwan ng Wika, a month dedicated to celebrating and preserving our national language. And if you’ve been hanging out in online spaces with Pinoys from the US, you might have seen the word “Filipinx” — a gender-neutral alternative to “Filipino” or “Filipina.”
Photo: Unsplash
But according to the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino Commissioner Benjamin Mendillo, it’s a no-go for the Filipino language.
In a DZMM interview, Mendillo said “Filipinx” doesn’t follow Filipino language rules. He called it “morphing” — changing the word by removing the “o” and “a,” which in Filipino indicate masculine and feminine forms.
“‘O’ is generally masculine, while ‘a’ is feminine,” he explained. “For example, ‘doktor’ is gender-neutral, but ‘doktora’ refers to a woman. Same with ‘senador’ and ‘senadora.’”
He pointed out that the Filipino language already has plenty of gender-neutral terms, such as “manggagawa” (worker) or “manghuhula” (fortune-teller).
The bigger concern is losing our cultural identity when we continue to adopt foreign terms.
“Language is also a battlefield — and we can be conquered through it,” he said.
Despite this, “Filipinx” has been gaining international traction.
Dictionary.com defines it as a gender-neutral term for people born in the Philippines and even lists “Pinxy” as an informal version used by Filipino Americans.
ALSO READ: “Filipinx” and “Pinxy” among new terms added to Dictionary.com
Supporters view it as a means to encompass all genders and align with global inclusivity trends. Critics counter that it imposes foreign grammar rules on a language with its unique structure and history.
For now, the KWF isn’t budging. Mendillo believes Filipino already has the tools to be inclusive without dropping their traditional forms.
Are you in favor of adopting “FilipinX” in our language? This month, one thing’s for sure — our language is alive, evolving, and worth talking about.
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com’s Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com community at WIM Squad, and join our Viber group to stay updated with the latest around the Philippines and beyond!
