Gov’t agency under fire for giving language honors to own officials

Six of the eight Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino commissioners named among this year’s ‘Kampeon ng Wika’ awardees.

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino is facing backlash after six of its own commissioners were named among this year’s “Kampeon ng Wika” awardees, an honor previously given to national artists, respected academics, and cultural groups. The decision immediately prompted accusations that it was self-serving.

The six commissioners were announced as recipients on August 18 and are set to formally receive the award at the KWF Gabi ng Parangal on August 27.

The Kampeon ng Wika is awarded annually as part of the agency’s Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa celebration, which recognizes individuals or groups who have made significant contributions to the promotion, development, and/or preservation of Filipino languages.

Awardees are typically based on nominations from the public, but no nomination form was announced or opened for this year. The KWF only opened nominations for the Gawad Dangal ng Wika last May, a separate honor from the Kampeon ng Wika.

Previous Kampeon ng Wika awardees include two national artists, actress Nora Aunor and historian Resil Mojares, as well as actor John Arcilla and respected educators, academics, and advocacy groups.

The Kampeon ng Wika had no honorees in 2025, with the KWF only awarding the Selyo ng Kahusayan sa Wika at Kultura to six academic institutions.

Jerry Gracio, writer and former KWF commissioner, criticized the move as “self-serving.”

“Kaibigan ko ang ilang mga current commissioners sa KWF. At alam kong wala naman sa rules na hindi puwedeng bigyan ng award ang mga Komisyoner. Pero ano ‘yun, bibigyan nila ng gawad ang kanilang mga sarili? Hindi ba self-serving ‘yun, buhat ng sariling bangko?” he said in a Facebook post.

Gracio also alleged that the other nominated KWF commissioners had already turned down the award, and that some of the other commissioners may not have been aware that they were awarded.

While the sitting KWF commissioners are themselves academics and educators, netizens described the move as vain and out of touch, with the decision also drawing backlash amid the agency’s previously announced adoption of artificial intelligence in language preservation.

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