Glen Contrarian
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If Tagalog is anything like Bahasa (the official language of Indonesia) it is a simple language because the nation is primarily comprised of islands each with their own language.
Bahasa is the common language of Indonesia but most of Indonesia's hundreds of islands developed their own language. When a common language was adopted it was important that it was fairly straightforward so that it could be picked up easily. Most people in Indonesia speak Bahasa as their second language and I suspect that may be the same for Tagalog in the Phillipines.
Like Indonesia, the Philippines has a plethora of other languages, with all the other islands and geographical boundaries. It was Marcos that began to enforce the teaching of Tagalog and English in public schools nationwide. As a result, outside of the majority-Tagalog areas, most people speak three languages - the local language, and Tagalog and English with varying levels of fluency.