Columnist's note: Since it is Philippine Independence Day on June 12, I am taking a break from my series of columns on migration linguistics and invited a scholar I respect to write on the Filipino language: Kenichiro Kurusu. He is not Filipino but, undoubtedly, a Filipino at heart, sometimes more Filipino than I am. He also happens to be one of my most admired students, one I am truly proud of.
At present, 15 to 20 students are admitted to the program annually in both universities, and they are required to take five Filipino language classes a week for the first two years in their programs. Other universities, namely the University of Shizuoka and Takushoku University , have also been offering Filipino language courses as electives regularly, while at least six more universities have offered it occasionally.