What if language classes were less about lectures and more about playing a game?

This thought inspired Dr. Mariyel Hiyas C. Liwanag, a faculty member at the UPLB Department of Humanities, to create Isabuhay: Isang Larong Disenyo para sa Diskurso ng mga Wikang Filipino, her Ph.D. dissertation, which earned her the Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda 2025 and a Php100,000 cash prize.

The Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda is a recognition given by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) for outstanding thesis and dissertations in various fields written in Filipino.

Building on research and her experience as a teacher, learner, and gaming enthusiast, Liwanag developed Isabuhay, a tabletop game aimed to make discussions on Filipino languages more interesting and even compelling for students.

In an interview, she revealed that the game, which began as a passion project in 2017, was continuously polished through test runs with her students.

Isabuhay is played by four players with unique roles: guro (teacher), mananaliksik (researcher), tagapagtaguyod ng wika (language promoter), and ahensya (agency).

Each player, with their unique set of skills, takes a turn every after the gamemaster draws an event card, which is based on historical and contemporary events and issues affecting language vitality.

Liwanag emphasized that the players do not play against each other—their goal is to work together to keep around 180 Philippine languages alive and establish bahay-wika, or language centers, across the map by the end of the game.

Through the game, Liwanag wants to highlight the importance of collective effort in advancing linguistic human rights, underscoring the need to preserve the diverse languages of the Philippines.

Liwanag’s vision for the game goes beyond fun—she also aims to raise awareness of the current state of Philippine languages. “Mayaman ang Pilipinas sa wika, pero marami rin dito ang nanganganib o may banta ng panganib” (The Philippines is rich in languages, but many are endangered or at risk of extinction.), she explains. Currently, Liwanag is working on securing the copyright and preparing for the board game’s official release. With the need for more free interactive sources for language teachers, Liwanag envisions Isabuhay being available soon as an open educational resource that anyone can download, print, and play—truly making it a game-changer in Filipino language education.