Introduction
Filipino as medium of instruction at all levels is a mandatory provision of
the Philippine Constitution. According to Prof. Patrocinio, Villafuerte, Removing
Filipino as a subject in the General Education Curriculum is not just a local issue;
it is a moral issue that goes against the integrity of our race.
College and university professors in Filipino are up in arms against the
memorandum of the Commission on Higher Education/CHED Memorandum
Order (CMO) No. 20, Series of 2013. The said memorandum aims to remove
Filipino as a subject to be taught in college by 2016 as part of the new General
Education Curriculum (GEC). De la Salle professor in Filipino David Michael San
Juan said that while the memorandum advocates the teaching of subjects in the
Filipino language, the CHED memorandum ensures that the study of Filipino as a
language by itself will cease. He said that it is the most unpatriotic action. The
very idea of removing Filipino as a subject in the higher levels of academic
learning is unconscionable. He also explained that the memorandum goes
against the Article XIV Sections 6 and 7 of the 1987 Constitution which state that
the national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be
further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other
languages. Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem
appropriate, the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of
Filipino as a medium of official communication and as language of instruction in
the educational system (Section 6). Section 7, on the other hand, states that for
purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the
Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.
Teaching Filipino in college is part of the implementation of Resolution No.
298-2011 of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) regarding the College
Readiness Standards of the Philippines. Covered by the same resolution are the
minimum skills that students need to learn or master so that they could be
prepared for college. The CHED has named 16 skills in Filipino. These will all be
rendered useless if Filipino as a subject is no longer sustained and expanded.
In many European countries, the United States and countries in Southeast
Asia, subjects that focus on the study of the national language are part of the
General Education Curriculum (GEC) or its equivalent. At the time when the socalled ASEAN Integration is taking place, Filipinos should be strengthening their
own language, culture and identity so they could contribute to the project of
regional socio-cultural integration. Strengthening the Filipino language in all
levels of education is also part of preparations for ASEAN integration.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts National Committee on
Language and Translation (NCCA-NCLT) has also spoken up on the issue.
Earlier in May, the institutions members unanimously signed a resolution asking
the GEC be revised again, but this time to include nine mandatory units of
Filipino for all courses at the tertiary level.
Another organization that promotes the use of Filipino, the Pambansang
Samahan sa Linggwistika at Literaturang Filipino, Ink. (PSLLF) also supports the
NCCA-NCLT resolution by launching a change petition, which asks the CHED
and Congress to include the nine Filipino units in the GEC.
In a different online fora, members of the academe explained that the
Filipino language is the key to national unity and fostering understanding
between all citizens in the Philippines. This, they argue, is why it should continue
to be taught. Research into the Filipino language, they demand, should also be
strengthened, and teachers in the tertiary level who teach the language should
be supported with resources and opportunities to do research on the language.
The CHED should make Filipino as subject mandatory in the tertiary level
because if the issue if left to the whim of universities, they will either make it
optional or not include it at all in the curriculum. It is in the higher levels of