ESP IN THE PHILIPPINES

Edwina S. Carreon (1988)

reported about an ESP programme introduced in De La Salle University (DLSU),
Manila in 1975.
In an extensive review on the thirteen years history of the programme, she
reported that the teachers often lacked a basic understanding of the principles
of second language teaching.
The emphasis was on accepting this basic understanding as a crucial concern in
teacher training programmes.
She emphasized on the acquisition of a solid background in basic linguistics
and the principles and practices of second
language learning and teaching and believed that such a background might lead to
better teaching.
ESP as viewed in the Philippines
Rough classification of ESP:
ESP as Register Analysis
ESP as a Rhetorical and Discourse Approach
ESP as a Communicative Approach
ESP as a Target Situation Analysis
Development of ESP in the Philippines
Casilda Luzares came back to De La Salle from ESP training at the university of
Washington.
She introduced the Rhetorical Approach to EST discourse which was highly
influenced by Trimble and Solinker.
The aim was to bring in theory and practice together to training programmes
ESP at De La Salle University
Specialists who visited and conducted workshops for Filipino teachers:
Richard Noss
Bernard Coffey
Ray Williams
Tom Hutchinson
John Swales
Take note: No one stage or phase of the ESP development dominates in the
Philippines.
Today
DLSU has an ESP program for its engineering, liberal arts, business, computer
science, and science students.
It has a Center for English for Specific Purposes, the most extensive collection of
books in the country, a journal Teaching English for Specific Purposes and a
staff that has been trained abroad and locally in ESP.
Networks of ESP in the Philippines
Central Luzon State University (Nueva
Ecija)
Devine Word University (Leyte)
University of Southeastern Philippines
(Davao)
In theory nothing, in practice a great deal
Hutchinson et al.
(1987)