Is there a relative clause asymmetry in Tagalog, and what drives it?

Subject relative clauses such as “the girl that _ chased the boy” are known to be acquired earlier, read faster, and produced with higher accuracy, than direct object relative clauses such as “the girl that the boy chased _.” The current study investigates whether there is such an asymmetry in the acquisition of relative clauses in Tagalog, an Austronesian language with a Philippine-type voice system. The results from experiments revealed that despite the unique syntax, children were more accurate in producing and comprehending subject relative clauses than object relative clauses. I will entertain different explanations of the asymmetry.