Language in the Philippines is quite intruiging.
The official language is Pilipino based on the language of the area immediately surrounding manila and slightly south. This is the Tagalog "region".
It is the native speaking language of just a small area of the country.
During the Marcos era, there was a decree that this language was to become the universal language of the country and was pushed by the University of the Philippines.
My wife grew up in this era. There was a lot of resistance to being told to give up local languages and speak the imperialistic Tagalog.
Pilipino is taught in schools like French is taught in schools in Oz or the USA - a few hours a week.
All other classes are are with English or Pilipino textbooks but the teachers just teach in the local language.
Its a different story in private schools where kids get both English and Pilipino drilled into them but when Mrs Oz graduated high school she spoke fluent Spanish and to this day her Pilipino is deplorable.
To add further confusion, the language of the courts is English. Laws are written in English and all forms in govt offices, banks and such are in English. Even voting instructions are in English.
While the country has a reputation for everyone being able to speak English, it a fallacy.
Jumping back to Dominic.
He went to school until he was 12. His school would have had virtually no text books 35 kids in a class room sharing 20 desk spaces. He lived in a one room house that's maybe 10x10 without a father. There was no exposure to TV.
He can barely read but texts phonetically.
Bernie was worse but his wife is well educated.
Dominic and Bernie are the norm. Imagine how little chance people of their socioeconomic standing have if they cannot even follow instructions to open a bank account or vote correctly.
Dominic's hiligaynon is very "deep". My wife, because of exposure to other languages speaks a bastardized version and cannot understand some of the words he uses.
Margie, the Nannie of Antonia is our " universal translator."
She grew up in the markets of Kabankalan so speaks deep hiligaynon (also known as ilonggo), Pilipino because she lived and worked as a Nanny in Manila and English because she did a bachelors degree in Education at the University my wife's grandfather founded.