LANGUAGE POLICY

in the

PHILIPPINES
 Bautista
(1999:113)

“The language problem of the Philippines,

according to most Filipino sociolinguists, is
the problem of reconciling the competing
demands of ethnicity (embodied in an
individual's mother tongue or vernacular),
nationalism (manifested in having and
propagating a national language) and
modernisation (seen to be synonymous with
using an international language).”
 Rassool & Edwards
Tollefson (1991:142) 2010:280
and Rappa & wee
Language policy as it
(2006:72) relates to education
cannot be examined in
isolation from the
discuss the community and the
Lewis et. al. 2015
complementary roles broader social, With more than 180
of Filipino and English. economic and political
minority language
contexts that impact
communities, the
provision
Philippines has a rich
and diverse linguistic
and cultural heritage.
May (2001:167)
notes that education is viewed as perhaps
"the key institution" in the development and
maintenance of the modern nation-state
and so the policies and practices that
enable the provision and delivery of,
particularly, basic education, are
foundational in establishing appropriate
systems.
Implementing Guidelines for the
Policy on Bilingual Education
DepEd Order No. 25

was passed in the House of Representatives in

2006 (Licuanan 200c).

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo certified

The language policy of the
Department of Education
(1974, 1987)

required the use of two languages of instruction: Filipino and English.

Other languages were permitted only as "auxiliary languages in the

classroom, not in textbooks or in written form.
The role of English in the Philippines

"Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as the

Medium of Instruction in Philippine Schools"

was passed in the House of Representatives in

2006 (Licuanan 200c).

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo certified

Order No. 25, s. 1974
“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
 DECS Order No. 52s (DECS
1987a; DECS 1987b)
In this revised policy, the regional languages were
elevated to the role of "auxiliary languages". The
purpose of the policy was that the Philippines should
become a bilingual nation with a population competent
in both English and Filipino.
2.2 Towards a Multilingual Education Policy

The First Iloilo Experiment, conducted from

1948 to 1954, was a pioneering study that
used the local language, Hiligaynon, as the
medium of instruction for Grades 1 and 2. The
results showed that students taught in
Hiligaynon outperformed those taught in
English in reading, math, and social studies.
Moreover, these students were able to catch
up with their English-taught peers in their
knowledge of English within six months of
being introduced to English instruction.
Despite these positive findings, the Bilingual Education policies
mainly recognized vernacular languages as auxiliary languages
for oral use. However, towards the end of the Arroyo
administration, there was a shift towards mother tongue-
based multilingual education. This change was driven by the low
educational achievement of Filipino students on international
tests and was institutionalized through Department of
Education Order No. 74 s. 2009.
This marked a significant milestone in establishing
equitable systems for learners from all
ethnolinguistic communities in the Philippines. On 14
September 2010, the government further advanced
multilingual policies by initiating the Alternative
Learning System (ALS) Curriculum for Indigenous
Peoples (IPs) Education, which was institutionalized
through DepEd Order No. 101. This move extended
the importance of language-in-education from the
formal sector to the non-formal sector.
 2.3 Institutionalisation of MTB-MLE

In 2013, the Philippines education system institutionalized

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)
through Republic Act 10533. This act mandated a 13-year
K-12 education system and specified that the curriculum
should adhere to the principles of MTB-MLE. This approach
starts with the learner's mother tongue and gradually
introduces additional languages.
For Kindergarten and the first three years of elementary
education, instruction, teaching materials, and assessment are in
the regional or native language of the learners. The Department
of Education (DepEd) is tasked with developing a transition
program from the mother/first language to subsequent
languages of the curriculum from Grade 4 to Grade 6. Filipino
and English are gradually introduced as languages of instruction
until they become the primary languages of instruction at the
secondary level.
The approach to MTB-MLE described in the Republic Act is
in line with best practices in program implementation and
theoretical positions on program design and development.
The Department of Education has decided that a gradual
approach to supporting minority ethnolinguistic
communities in the provision of MTB-MLE allows for
systematic curriculum and materials development and
equipping of teachers and educational administrators.
Currently, nineteen languages are being
supported through the Department of
Education central office, with other
ethnolinguistic communities developing
materials and implementing multilingual
approaches at regional and division levels.