GMA bill making English instruction medium opposed

The Manila Times, July 7, 2017

The Komisyon sa Wikang Pilipino (Commission on Filipino Language) issued a statement opposing the
passage of a proposed bill in the House of Representatives mandating English as the medium of
instruction in schools, saying it is not only against the Constitution and but also anti-poor.

Commissioner Purificacion de Lima, representing Ilocanos, said the commission is opposing, just like in
previous attempts, House Bill (HB) 5091 or “An Act to Enhance the Use of English as the Medium of
Instruction in the Educational System” introduced by Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Pampanga
province.

“Our firm objections to HB 5091 are based on the obvious defects of the bill, which are that ab initio
unconstitutional, founded on apparently misinformed assumptions on language and education, and it is
superfluous and unnecessary under the prevailing laws and national policy on language and the medium
of instruction under the national educational system,” the statement said.

The commissioners believed that the Arroyo bill is also anti-Filipino and against the United Nations
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) study that the mother tongue is indispensable.

Unesco researched showed that children, especially those in the lower grades, learn the most basic
language skills better, among which are cognitive skills and idea-formation, in their mother tongue, not
in a foreign language.

English is not the mother tongue but Filipino and indigenous languages.

“By nature and purpose, HB 5091 is a direct assault to the indigenous Philippine languages as well as
Filipino…. the lingua franca …. as unifying agent for the diverse regional cultures and languages,” the
statement said.

HB 5091 says English proficiency is closely linked to quality education and global competitiveness.

“If that is so, then why did our Asian neighbors, such as China, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan, of
course, economically and otherwise grown by leaps and bounds, while using their own native
languages,” the commission said.

Proponents of HB 5091 say propagation of English will result in the burgeoning call center, business
processing and back-office service industries.

Languages of the Philippines

From Wikipedia

There are some 120 to 175 languages and dialects in the Philippines, depending on the method of
classification. Almost all are Malayo-Polynesian languages, whereas one, Chavacano, is a creole derived
from Spanish a Romance language. Two are official (English and Filipino), while, as of 2017, nineteen are
official auxiliary languages. Including second-language speakers, there are more speakers of Filipino than
English in the Philippines.

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino enumerated 135 Philippine languages present in the country through
its Atlas Filipinas map published in 2014.

The 1987 Constitution declares Filipino as the national language of the country. Filipino and English are
the official languages, with the recognition of the regional languages as auxiliary official in their
respective regions, including Aklanon, Bikol, Cebuano, Chavacano, Hiligaynon, Ibanag, Ilocano, Ivatan,
Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Maguindanao, Maranao, Pangasinan, Sambal, Surigaonon, Tagalog, Tausug,
Waray, and Yakan. Spanish and Arabic are to be promoted on an optional and voluntary basis.
Spanish was the national and official language of the country for more than three centuries under
Spanish colonial rule, and became the lingua franca of the Philippines in the 19th and early 20th
centuries. In 1863 a Spanish decree introduced universal education, creating free public schooling in
Spanish. It was also the language of the Philippine Revolution, and the 1899 Malolos Constitution
effectively proclaimed it as the official language of the First Philippine Republic. National hero José Rizal
wrote most of his works in Spanish.

Under the U.S. occupation and civil regime, English began to be taught in schools. By 1901, public
education used English as the medium of instruction. Around 600 educators (called "Thomasites") who
arrived in that year aboard the USAT Thomas replaced the soldiers who also functioned as teachers. The
1935 Constitution added English as an official language alongside Spanish.

In 1939, President Manuel L. Quezón renamed the Tagalog language as Wikang Pambansa ("national
language" in English translation). The language was further renamed in 1959 as Pilipino by Secretary of
Education Jose Romero. The 1973 constitution declared the Pilipino language to be co-official, along
with English, and mandated the development of a national language, to be known as Filipino. In
addition, Spanish regained its official status when President Marcos signed Presidential Decree No. 155,
s. 1973.

The present constitution, ratified in 1987, designates Filipino and English as joint official languages.
Filipino also had the distinction of being a national language that was to be "developed and enriched on
the basis of existing Philippine and other languages." Although not explicitly stated in the constitution,
Filipino is in practice almost completely composed of the Tagalog language as spoken in the capital,
Manila; however, organizations such as the University of the Philippines began publishing dictionaries
such as the UP Diksyonaryong Filipino in which words from various Philippine languages were also
included (eg. kawatan, pasaway, pumanaog).

Indigenous languages

Tagalog Waray-Waray Maranao

Cebuano Bikol Maguindanao
Ilocano Kapampangan Kinaray-a
Hiligaynon Pangasinense Tausug

Dialectal Variations
 Cebu: Astang nindota man anang ba’ay uy. Tag pila man kaha na?
 Dumaguete: Hala ka chada man anang balaya uy. Tag pila man dagway na?

Executive Order 335

Seeking to further the use of Filipino in official transactions and communications, President Corazon
Aquino ordered in 1988 all government departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities
to take steps in using the Filipino language in transactions, communications, and correspondence.

This executive order also assigns personnel in every office who will be in charge of all communication
and correspondence written in Filipino.
It also tasks government entities to translate names of offices, divisions of instrumentalities, and even
oaths of office into Filipino, and to make proficiency in the use of Filipino in official communications and
correspondences as part of personnel training programs.
 Mga Kagawaran ng Gobyerno ng Pilipinas

Kagawaran ng Agham at Teknolohiya Kagawaran ng Pagawaing Bayan at Lansangan

Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Kagawaran ng Edukasyon
Department of Education (DepEd)
Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
Kagawaran ng Enerhiya
Department of Energy
Kagawaran ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal
Department of the Interior and Local
Government (DILG)
Department of Public Works and Highways
(DPWH)
Kagawaran ng Pagbabadyet at Pamamahala
Kagawaran ng Paggawa at Empleyo
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka
Department of Agriculture (DA)

Kagawaran ng Kagalingang Panlipunan at Kagawaran ng Pananalapi

Pagpapaunlad
Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD)
Kagawaran ng Kalakalan at Industriya
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
Kagawaran ng Kalusugan
Department of Health (DOH)
Kagawaran ng Kapaligiran at Likas na
Kayamanan
Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR)
Department of Finance (DOF)
Kagawaran ng Repormang Pansakahan
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)
Kagawaran ng Tanggulang Pambansa
Department of National Defense (DND)
Kagawaran ng Transportasyon at Komunikasyon
Department of Transportation and
Communications (DOTC)
Kagawaran ng Turismo
Department of Tourism (DOT)

Kagawaran ng Katarungan Kagawaran ng Ugnayang Panlabas

Department of Justice (DOJ) Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)

Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) Order 81

In 1987, the DECS released the "Alphabet and a Guide for Spelling in the Filipino Language," laying down
the letters of Filipino alphabet and rules on spelling.

According to the order, the Filipino Alphabet is composed of 28 letters – the original 26 letters of the
English alphabet, plus letters Ñ and Ng. The order also details how the letters should be read.

It also discussed grammar and spelling in the Filipino language – rules regarding diction, spelling,
translation, how and when to use loanwords, syllables and syllabication of words, and the use of dashes,
commas, and accents.

Bilingual Language Policy

The Bilingual Language Policy in the country's education system seeks to attain Filipino and English
competence at a national level through their use as media of instruction at all levels.

The policy aims to propagate Filipino as a language of literacy, to cultivate and develop Filipino as a
language of scholarly discourse, and to further its development as a national language. The policy also
states that regional dialects shall also be used as auxiliary media of instruction and the initial language
for literacy when needed.
DECS earlier issued this policy in 1974, along with DECS order No. 25, which allotted Filipino as the
medium of instruction for social sciences, arts, physical education, home economics, practical arts and
character education subjects. In turn, English is the medium of instruction for mathematics and science
and technology.

With the signing of the 1987 Constitution, Filipino and English are mandated to be used as media for
instruction.

College General Education Curriculum's language policy.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued in 1994 the New General Educational Curriculum
(GEC) under CHED Memorandum Order 59.

The GEC requires Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to have at least 9 units of Filipino language
courses. In addition, to coordinate with the Department of Education (DepEd)’s Bilingual Education
Policy, language courses, whether Filipino or English, should be taught in that language. Courses in
Humanities and Social Sciences should preferably be taught in Filipino.

Furthermore, at the discretion of HEIs, literature subjects may be taught in Filipino, English, or in any
other language so long as there are enough instructional materials, students, and instructors competent
in the language.

K-12 program and the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE)

DepEd launched in 2011 the K-12 program, which became law only in 2013. Along with other curricular
and policy reforms introduced, the K-12 program sought to build proficiency through language via MTB
MLE, introduced in 2012. The mother tongue or first language refers to languages or dialects first
learned by a child and with which the child identifies with.

MTB-MLE aims to develop Filipino and English proficiency by starting basic education with the first
language of learners. Starting in kindergarten up to Grade 3, the medium of instruction shall be in the
mother tongue of the students. Beginning in Grade 1, Filipino and English will be taught as subject areas.

Come Grades 4 to 6, DepEd shall formulate a mother tongue transition program in which English and
Filipino are introduced as media of instruction so that by Junior High School and Senior High School, the
two can become the primary languages of instruction.

Initially, there were 12 regional languages under the MTB MLE program: Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon,
Iloko, Bikol, Kapampangan, Maguindanaoan, Meranao, Pangasinense, Bahasa Sug (Tausug), Chabacano
and Waray. In July 2013, Ybanag, Ivatan, Sambal, Aklanon, Kinaray-a, Yakan, and Surigaonon were added
to the program.

OPINYON
“Education has no barriers for a willing learner.”

 What limits the effectiveness of education is not the language barrier but the poor attitude
towards learning.
 No matter how improved and effective our education system will be, if it is undervalued by the
Filipino learners, it won’t make any change.
 Whatever difficulty of complexity we have with our language, a willing student will always find
value in the priceless worth of education and will do everything to gain knowledge.
 The wise will always learn, the fool will always find excuses to remain a fool.
 Language is just a channel, a means to communicate. But the treasure there is which lies deep
within the bottom of it all is knowledge. We must dig deep to acquire it.
 It is our responsibility to endow to our next generation the wealth of knowledge and it is our
duty to inspire them to treasure the value of education.
 Because without education, this nation cannot rise, this country shall never prosper.
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.
Proverbs 18:15

The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
Proverbs 15:14

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
Proverbs 20:15