Ms Alma 1

Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.:IM-SEE5-2ndSEM-2022-2023
College of Teacher Education

Bayombong Campus
DEGREE BSED COURSE NO. SEE 5

PROGRAM
SPECIALIZATION ENGLISH COURSE Language Programs and Policies in
TITLE Multilingual Societies
YEAR LEVEL 2 TIME FRAME 6 hrs WK 1-2 IM 01
NO. NO.
I. CHAPTER TITLE
Language Policies
II. LESSON TITLE

Language Policies in the Philippines
III. LESSON OVERVIEW

In this module, you are going to trace the history of language programs and policies in the
Philippines from the Spanish era to the present.
IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

After going through the chapter, it is expected that you are able to:
1. note the development of the education system in the country;
2. find out the ideologies, tenets, and strategies applied in the curriculum;
3. describe how language is taught in each period.
V. LESSON CONTENT
1. Spanish Colonization
 Romanized letters were introduced
 The Decree in 1550 - issued by Carlos I in Valladolid in 1550 (June 7) and reissued in
July 17. It demanded the teaching of Castilian in the Spanish colonies which was
issued before the colonization of the Philippines.
 Instructions in 1596 - the king of Spain (Felipe II) sent to Tello, Governor of the
Philippine colony, an instruction which stated that learning of indigenous languages
by the friars was inadequate for missionary, instead the friars should teach Spanish to
natives.
 The Decree in 1603 - the above two decrees required the teaching of the Spanish
language, but at the same time the Crown government demanded of friars to learn
indigenous languages probably because some of friars were reluctant or incompetent
to master indigenous languages
 The Decree in 1634 - Felipe IV issued a decree demanding that the colonial
government should teach Spanish to all the natives. The previous decrees stated that
the Spanish teaching should be given to natives who were willing to learn, not to all
the natives.
 The Decree in 1686 - Carlos II issued a decree in which he complained that former
decrees (issued in 1550,1634 and 1636) had not been observed and stated there
would be punishment if not observed.
In accordance with Section 185, Fair Use of Copyrighted Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be
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IM-SEE5-2NDSEM-2021-2022
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 The Decree in 1792 - A similar type of decree was issued by Carlos IV in which he
evoked the previous decrees (May 10, 1770; November 28, 1772; November 24,
1774).
In compliance with decrees issued by the home government, the colonial

government also issued several laws concerning language policies. Compared to
the royal decrees, those laws presented more concrete methods. But they were
equally ignored by friars.
 The Ordinance 1768 - Governor Solís issued the following law on October 19, 1752,
later it became Ordinance 52 in 1768. This ordinance asked the establishment of
schools and prohibited any other language than Spanish in schools. It stated that
official jobs could be given to those speaking Spanish as an incentive to learning of
Spanish.
 Education Act in 1863 - prescribed that Spanish was to be the sole medium of
instruction in order to facilitate the need to learn Spanish, so that literacy in Spanish
appeared to be the major purpose of the curriculum. To this end, the decree provided
that natives who could not speak, read and write Spanish five years after its issuance
were not to be permitted to hold salaried government positions. This was the major
motivation to induce the Filipinos to study the language.
Failure of the Spanish Language Education

The reasons of the failure of the Spanish language education was multifaceted,
some of them being enumerated as follows:
a. The Philippines is geographically distant from Spain, so royal decrees were not
so forceful as in the homeland.
b. In order to prevent the impact of independence of Latin Americans, the authority
wanted the natives to be barred from news from outside, therefore, being hesitant
to spread the Spanish language.
c. The decrees being originally oriented for Americans, did not fit the realities in the
Philippines.
d. A lack of funds was another reason. Expenses for education were largely
defrayed by the clergy, not by the national treasury.
e. There were generally no incentives for natives to learn Spanish.
f. The Spaniards were forbidden to live in the native village except friars, therefore,
natives had few chances to practice Spanish.
g. Even though the colonial government planned to spread the Spanish language,
the friars in villages and towns wanted to monopoly the tools of communication and
ensure their own power base. The friars were categorically opposed the spread of
Spanish.
2. Education under the Americans

 After the Spanish-American War, the US Government sent the Thomasites to the
Philippines. They made it a point to teach English to the Filipinos.
3. Education under the Commonwealth

 An organized effort to develop a common national language was started in
compliance with the mandate of the 1935 constitution.
 To help counteract the American cultural influence among the Filipinos, President
Quezon greatly encouraged the revival of native culture as well as desirable
Filipino values (Code of Ethics).
4. Education under the Japanese

 Nippongo and Culture were aggressively propagated. They were offered as
compulsory courses in schools and were included in civil service tests.
 The Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Imperial Forces ordered the prohibition
of the use of English and the Filipino people’s reliance upon Western nations
particularly the United States and Great Britain.
 The Filipino language bloomed. It was used as the official language of the country
in teaching Philippine History and Character Education (Executive OrderNo. 10
signed by Pres. Laurel).
5. Article XIV, Sec. 6 and 7 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines
 provided the legal basis for the various language policies that are being
implemented in the country
 resolved the issue on what the national language is, since the 1935 and 1973
Philippine Charters were not clear about this.
6. The Philippine Bilingual Education Policy (BEP)

 promulgated by DECS in accordance to the 1987 Constitution and a declared policy
of the National Board of Education on bilingualism Consistent with the 1987
constitutional mandate and a declared policy of the National Board of Education
(NBE) on bilingualism in the schools (NBE Resolution No. 73- 7, s.1973)
 It was first implemented in 1974 when DECS issued Dept. Order No. 25, s. 1974
titled, “Implementing Guidelines for the Policy on Bilingual Education.”
 Bilingual education in the Philippines is defined operationally as the separate use of
Filipino and English as the media of instruction in specific subject areas. Filipino is
used as medium of instruction in studies/social sciences, MAPEH, home
economics, practical arts and character education. English, on the other hand is
allocated to science, mathematics and technology subjects
 Aims at the achievement of competence in both Filipino and English at the national
level, through the teaching of both languages and their use as media of instruction
at all levels.
 Regional languages shall be used as auxiliary languages in Grades I and II
The goals of the Bilingual Education Policy:

1. enhanced learning through two languages to achieve quality education as called
for by the 1987 Constitution;
2. the propagation of Filipino as a language of literacy;
3. the development of Filipino as a linguistic symbol of national unity and identity;
4. the cultivation and elaboration of Filipino as a language of scholarly discourse,
that is to say its continuing intellectualization; and,
5. the maintenance of English as an international language for the Philippines and
as a non-exclusive language of science and technology.
7. Executive Order No. 335

 Signed by then Pres. Corazon Aquino on August 25, 1988.
 It enjoined all departments/bureaus/offices/agencies/instrumentalities of the
government to take such steps as are necessary for the purpose of using the
Filipino language in official transactions, communications, and correspondence.
 It was issued on the belief that the use of Filipino in official transactions,
communications and correspondence in government offices will result to a greater
understanding and appreciation of government programs, projects and activities
throughout the country, thereby serving as an instrument of unity and peace for
national progress.
All departments/bureaus/offices/agencies/instrumentalities of the government are

enjoined to do the following:
a. Take steps to enhance the use of Filipino in official communications, transactions
and correspondence in their respective offices, whether national or local;
b. Assign one or more personnel, as maybe necessary, in every office to take charge
of communications and correspondence written in Filipino;
c. Translate into Filipino names of offices, buildings, public edifices, and signboards of
all offices, divisions or its instrumentalities, and if so desired, imprint below in
smaller letters the English text;
d. Filipinize the “Oath of Office” for government officials and personnel; and,
e. Make as part of the training programs for personnel development in each office the
proficiency in the use of Filipino in official communications and correspondence.
The Commission on the Filipino Language, formerly Institute of Philippine/National

Language, is ordered to formulate and implement programs and projects for the full
and effective implementation of the objectives expressed in the Executive Order.
8. The Language Policy of the Commission on Higher Education

 In 1994, Republic Act No. 7722 also called as the “Higher Education Act of 1994”,
creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was signed.
 CHED shall be independent and separate from the DECS and attached to the
Office of the President for administrative purposes only. Its coverage shall be both
public and private institutions of higher education as well as degree-granting
programs in all post-secondary educational institutions, public and private.
 CHED updated the General Education Curriculum (GEC) of tertiary courses leading
to an initial bachelor’s degree covering four (4) curriculum years. This was done to
make the curriculum more responsive to the demands of the next millennium.
Guidelines:
1. Language courses, whether Filipino or English, should be taught in that language.
2. At the discretion of the HEI, Literature subjects may be taught in Filipino, English or any
other language as long as there are enough instructional materials for the same and
both students and instructors/professors are competent in the language. Courses in the
Humanities and Social Sciences should preferably be taught in Filipino.
9. K-12 program and the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE)
 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.
 Kindergarten-Grade 3 – Mother Tongue is the medium of instruction
 Grade 1 - Filipino and English will be taught as subject areas
 Grades 4-6 - mother tongue transition program in which English and Filipino are
introduced as media of instruction
 Junior High School and Senior High School – English and Filipino will become the
primary languages of instruction.
Update (02/21/2017)
House Bill No. 5091 “An Act to Strengthen and Enhance the Use of English as
the Medium of Instruction in the Educational System”
Former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wants to
strengthen and enhance the use of the English language as the medium of
instruction (MOI) in the educational system, from the preschool to the tertiary level.
Under House Bill 5091, English shall be taught as second language, starting with
the First Grade and shall be used as the MOI for English, Mathematics, and
Science from at least the Third Grade level.
But, the Filipino language shall continue to be the medium of instruction in the
learning areas of Filipino and Araling Panlipunan, according to the bill.
VI. LEARNING ACTIVITY

1. Compare and contrast the educational system during the Spanish, American, and
Japanese periods.
2. What is the highlight of the Basic Education Policy? Do you agree with its goals? Why?
Why not?
3. What is your belief about the K-12 curriculum? Do you think it is effective and efficient?
Why? Why not?
VII. ASSIGNMENT
What is your stand on the MTB-MLE curriculum?
VIII. EVALUATION
Quiz later
IX. REFERENCE:
National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Office of the President of the Republic
of the Philippines

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Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Teacher Education

DEGREE BSED COURSE NO. SEE 5

II. LESSON TITLE

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

In compliance with decrees issued by the home government, the colonial

Failure of the Spanish Language Education

2. Education under the Americans

3. Education under the Commonwealth

4. Education under the Japanese

6. The Philippine Bilingual Education Policy (BEP)

The goals of the Bilingual Education Policy:

7. Executive Order No. 335

All departments/bureaus/offices/agencies/instrumentalities of the government are

The Commission on the Filipino Language, formerly Institute of Philippine/National

8. The Language Policy of the Commission on Higher Education

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITY

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