LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

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
 Instruction in 1596- the King of Spain (Felipe II) sent to Tello, Governor of
the Philippines 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 the friars were
reluctant or incompetent to master the 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 wiling
to learn, not to all natives
 The Decree in 1686- Carlos II issued a decree in which he complained that
the former decrees (issued in 1550, 1634, and 1636) had not been observed
and stated there would be punishment if not observed
 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 Solis 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 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 monopolize the tools of
communication and ensure their own power base. The friars 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 to a point to teach English to Filipinos

3. EDUCATION UNDER THE COMMONWEALTH

 An organized effort to develop a common national language was stared in
compliance with the mandate of the 1935 Constitution
 To help counteract the American cultural influence among Filipinos, President
Quezon greatly encouraged the revival of native culture as well as desirable
Filipino values (Code of Ethics)

4. EDUCATION UNDER THE JAPANESE

 Niponggo 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
Order No. 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 declared
policy of the National Board of Education on Bilingualism consistent with the
1987 Constitution mandate and a declared policy of the National Board
Education (NBE) on bilingualism in the school (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 science,
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 continual 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

 It is signed by then President Corazon Aquino on August 25, 1988
 It enjoined all departments/bureaus/offices/agencies/instrumentalities of the
government to take such steps 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/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 to 12 program and the Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB

MLE)
 The K to 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 to Grade III- 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 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 medium of instruction in the learning
areas of Filipino and Araling Panlipunan, according to the bill.

Sources:

A., & Grace, A. (2016, May 15). A History of the System of Education in the Philippines.
Retrieved September 18, 2018, from https://www.teacherph.com/history-system-education-
philippines/

Espiritu, C. (Language Policies in the Philippines). (n.d.) Retrieved August 14, 2018, from
https://ncca.gov.ph/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-disseminationscd/language-
and-translations/language-polocies-in-the-philippines/

Luci, C.M (2017, April 17). Arroyo bats for English language for teaching. Retrieved
September 18, 2018, from https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/17/arroyo-bats-for0english-
language-for-teaching/