ABSTRACT
After more than half a century, this chapter rehashes the old tired arguments to get excited about the future of Philippine literature in English. In 1940 writers in English were concerned about the known views of Manuel L. Quezon, which the charismatic president reaffirmed in his speech during the conference itself, about the relationship of English to Tagalog. Salvador P. Lopez was one of those listening to Quezon. From the point of view of literary criticism, English can be seen as easier to manipulate because of its “inherent” musical superiority to Tagalog. During the first Philippine revolution, Tagalog was seen as an affirmation of nationhood, a kind of symbol, like a flag, of separating from the colonial power. Quezon’s advocacy of Tagalog was more pragmatic: as he said in his speech to the writers, he could not be an effective president of a people who could not understand his words.
