Tension between "Tagalogs- and "Bisayans- cannot be said as purely imagined. This is also true amongst "Muslims-, "Ilonggos-, "Boholeños- or other regional ethnic groups. .
This leads me to believe that our perception of language is not far away from our perception of culture where it originates. In fact, we attribute good or bad language to how good or bad a culture is. Think about it.
Effects on Development.
We can examine the effects of our language use in three different levels: international, national, and local. .
In the global arena, Filipinos certainly are at par when it comes to facility for use of English in business, or casual setting. Visiting foreigners would not as much trouble themselves to study at great lengths (or study at all) "Filipino- since almost everyone understands English and can speak just enough to get a message across. This brings two favorable effects. One is (or was) the boost of tourism industry. Another is that this makes Filipinos particularly unique and sought after since they can easily blend in an English-speaking nation. In terms of standard, Filipinos provide a high and marketable labor. Overseas Filipino Workers make a palpable example of this distinctive trait. Their contributions to development are equated with the volume of dollars they send to our motherland. Small shacks and shelters turned two-story houses are welcome sightings. We see more children going to schools now that their parents can afford to. It might be premature to say all these were because we know more English vocabulary. However, I believe, directly or indirectly, our strength in English increase the probability of our citizens working abroad. But this is not to say, that it provided real development. Impact may be considered minimal at best considering the majority are still below the poverty line. I'm also a bit worried about the transfer of labor power knowing that we are loosing some of the best in our country because of the promise of money.