Enduring Tongues brings Indigenous language learning to Aklan

Insider Spotlight

• Program reaches over 7,000 community members in Aklan
• Partnership with NCIP delivers children’s books to 16 communities
• Focus on early childhood to sustain language transmission
• Initiative aligns with UN Indigenous Languages decade
  
  
  

Enduring Tongues, a community-based initiative focused on preserving indigenous languages through early childhood education, is expanding access to learning materials in Aklan, reaching more than 7,000 individuals across ethnolinguistic communities.

Why it matters

Language loss in the Philippines continues to accelerate, often within a single generation. By targeting early childhood education, the initiative shifts preservation efforts from passive documentation to everyday use, embedding native languages into formative learning experiences.

The big pictureIn partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Enduring Tongues developed culturally grounded picture books for 16 communities, positioning the effort as a scalable model for grassroots language revitalization, based on a company release. 

The approach integrates storytelling, identity, and accessibility to keep heritage languages relevant among younger generations.

Driving the initiative

The project is led by 17-year-old founder Maddi Sy, whose personal experience with language erosion shaped its direction. Growing up with fluency in her ancestral language, Lannang, she identified early exposure as critical to sustaining linguistic continuity.

“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.”

Zoom in

Beyond Aklan, Sy has also created rhyme books in Lannang, reinforcing long-term efforts to make indigenous languages accessible through child-focused materials.

What they’re saying

“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.”

What’s next

As language attrition persists nationwide, the initiative presents a replicable framework combining education, localized content, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure indigenous languages are not only preserved, but actively passed on to future generations. —Princess Daisy C. Ominga | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma