PROPOSED REMOVAL OF FILIPINO SUBJECTS

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 so-

called 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 institution’s 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

education that the intellectualization of language takes place; this is needed to

ensure that the language is used in all levels and disciplines.

According to the press statement released by CHED through its

chairperson, Patricia B. Licuanan, Filipino subjects will not be removed but rather

reduced on General Education Curriculum. The CHED however, has approved

public consultation on reducing General Education Curriculum, not just Filipino

but other Humanities subjects, English, Literature and even Mathematics. She

stated that reducing subjects in GEC is not the same with removal. If GEC

permits, the subjects under the new curriculum can be taught in Filipino. A matter

of inaccurate information to talked about.

The big serious concern on all of these, are the displacement of

other faculties if GEC had reduced the subjects into the new curriculum. But

remedies are being discussed such as the assignment of disciplinal courses to

former GE faculty, the deployment of some higher education faculty to senior

high school, the grant of research load to deserving faculty, and others. The

CHED, in fact, has a technical working group studying the challenges posed by

the transition to K12 and is working out alternative solutions with the help of

DOLE, DepEd and other concerned agencies.

Assessment

By 2016, marks the first year of implementation of Senior High School.

The Department of Education in working with Commission on Higher Education

have formulated the subjects to be offered in the Senior High School. Most of the

subjects in the academic track of the Senior High School were taken from the

General Education Curriculum of the tertiary level. These events have shaken

the field of colleges and universities. Debates and reactions overflow to the

issuances made the Commission of Higher Education.

In relation to the issuance made by the Commission on Higher Education,

it is not directing the removal of Filipino subjects. It is also suggested that other

subjects be taught in Filipino. The move of the Commission on Higher Education

is in consonance and in preparation of the senior high school. In preparation to

that, colleges and universities are now re aligning their curriculum which will

address the problem. The De La Salle University, through a forum held last July

25, 2014 have been discussing the framework, design, implementation and

design, and syllabi formation. Under the new curriculum, De La Salle University

seemed to be following the suggestion made by the Commission on Higher

Education that any subject maybe taught in Filipino from their new formed

curriculum, that almost every core aspect examines an aspect of Filipino culture,

identity or society, as seen from the learning outcomes and assessment.

The University of the Philippines also made their stand on the issue.

According to Prof. Raniela Barboza, it is not merely an issue of Filipino subjects;

it’s an issue of nationalism. The removal of Filipino subjects goes against the aim

of making students rooted in the Filipino identity.

The Commission on Higher Education, as they are working with Higher

Education Institution should come up with a curriculum where Filipino subjects

will be sustained fostering culture, dignity and values.