Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES \\%"" cy,
Constitution Hills, Quezon City Aa

SEVENTEENTH (17™) CONGRESS

First Regular Session

5397

House Bill No.

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Philippines has long been known. for its people’s
proficiency in speaking the English language. In Southeast Asia
alone, we are considered the best English-speaking nation
amongst all other countries.

Slowly but surely too, our ability to speak English fluently is
being more and more recognized and reinforced worldwide. In a
recent study conducted by the GlobalEnglish Corporation, the
Philippines was named the world’s best country in business
English proficiency, even beating the United States for that
matter.

As per Global English’s annual Business English Index (BEI)
for the year 2012, only the Philippines attained a score above 7.0


among the 76 represented countries around the world. Such
rating translates to “high proficiency” which is indicative of the
Filipinos’ ability to take an active role in business discussions
and perform relatively complex tasks.!

It can be deduced from the foregoing that our English
proficiency bridges different cultures and nations and ultimately
contributes to our very own economic growth. Because we have
the ability to speak the language which is widely used around the
world, language barriers never get in the way of tourism, trade,
business and__ profession involving parties of different
nationalities. This gives us a competitive leverage in the global
market against other nations in more ways than one.

First, there is no wonder why there is an outpour of
Overseas Filipino Workers — relating and communicating with
employers have always been easier with a Filipino worker, as
compared to other nationalities. Indeed, aside from other great
characteristics of Filipinos when it comes to their jobs, their
ability to understand and speak English has always been a
primary consideration for hiring them.

Second, our high competency in speaking the English
language enables our business-oriented countrymen to expand
their horizons internationally. Communication is very easy and
dealing with foreign clients, partners and whatnot, prospective or
otherwise, is no problem for us at all.

As the Business Processing Operation (BPO) Industry gains
trend, Filipinos become highly in demand as well mainly because
of our high English Proficiency. In fact, as a country with one-
tenth of the population of India, the Philippines recently overtook
the latter as a hub for call centers. Over 400,000 Filipinos are
now employed in call centers, roughly 50,000 more than those in
India.?



Truly, the impact of having above-average proficiency in
English is too substantial to ignore. It follows then that our skill
in speaking the English Language must not only be maintained,
but also improved so as not to lose our competitive advantage
against other countries especially now that almost every aspect of
business and economy is geared towards globalization.

While recognizing the greater importance of knowing and
loving our very own language - that being Filipino - we cannot,
however, afford to be below the benchmark of what the global
market requires as can be gleaned from the steady decline in the
Filipinos’ ability to speak the language in recent years. Speaking
the English language fluently seems a must nowadays, and the
Philippines, having established a good reputation with respect to
this matter (as discussed above), cannot just forego the benefits
created by this skill to our economy.

We shall therefore adapt a system that will enhance the
English proficiency further in the country. Young minds must be
trained to be fluent in the language being used worldwide as this
will serve as their stepping stone in a guaranteed good career in
the future.

It is for this reason that the approval of this bill is being
sought.

aw ct.
ERIC L. OLIVAREZ



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH (17™) CONGRESS

First Regular Session

House Bill No.

——_-S

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L, OLIVAREZ

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AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE USE OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE AS MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN GRADE
SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION

5397

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the
“English Proficiency Act of 2014”.

SECTION 2. Definition of Terms. The terms, as used in this
Act shall mean as follows:


Grade School - grade school shall pertain to
the elementary level of education which adopts or

follows the Ktol12 system.

High School - pertains to the regular 4 year

intermediate level of education.

College — pertains to the four or more years of
tertiary education, depending on the course or
degree pursued. For purposes of this Act, College

education shall exclude vocational courses.

Vocational Education - pertains to informal
education that prepares people for specific trades,
crafts, and skills.

Student - as used in this Act, students shall
pertain to anyone in grade school, high school

and/or college level, as the case may be.

Learners; Apprentices- for purposes of this
Act and this Act alone, the terms Learners and
Apprentices shall be used interchangeably
depending on the circumstances, so long as both

refer to people enrolled in a vocational course.


SECTION 3. Mandatory English Aptitude Test. Every start or
school year, and of every semester, a mandatory aptitude test
measuring the general English Proficiency of students shall be
conducted. Based on the results of which, the lesson plan of
teachers assigned to handle English courses such as Grammar,
Reading Comprehension, Literature, Technical Writing, Research
and the like shall adjust their lesson plans and tailor fit the same
to address the key weaknesses of students in different Areas of

English courses.

SECTION 4. Mandatory English Post-Diagnostic Test. At the
end of every school year, or of every semester as the case may be,
a mandatory test covering the same topics as that of the
previously given Aptitude Test, as mentioned in the preceding
paragraph, shall be conducted to measure the improvement of
the students in English over the year or the semester.

SECTION 5. Preparation of Mandatory Aptitude and Post-
Diagnostic Tests. The tests as mentioned in Sections 3 and 4 of
this Act shall be prepared by the Department of Education
(DepEd) for the grade school and high school level, the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the college level
and TESDA for the vocational education.


SECTION 6. Report of the Results of the Mandatory and Post-
Diagnostic Tests. It shall be the duty of each school, college,
university or any other educational institution including those
that cater to vocational education to submit a summarized report
of the results of the Mandatory and Post-Diagnostic tests to the

respective departments which they are under.

SECTION 7. Evaluation by DepEd, CHED and/or TESDA.
These agencies shall have the duty to evaluate and analyze the
reports submitted to them by the schools and/or universities
under them and identify the core weaknesses of the students, or
the learners/apprentices as the case may be. Based on these
data, these agencies shall update, improve and/or revise their

prescribed curriculum to address these general weaknesses.

SECTION 8. English Language as Medium of Instruction. In
all levels of education, the English language shall be the standard
medium of instruction in conducting classes, in oral and written
examinations, home works, projects and the like in all the
subjects except in Filipino subject and Philippine History.

SECTION 9. Acceptable Use of Other Languages or Dialects.
To ensure that students have a better understanding of the
English Language, a teacher should exert extra effort to explain


key concepts of the lesson to a struggling student in Filipino, or
in any other language or dialect that will be easily understood by
the latter. After doing so, the teacher may proceed to conduct the
class using the English Language as medium of instruction again.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

SECTION 10. Mandatory English Lessons for Vocational
Courses. Every vocational course offered in the country shall
incorporate basic English lessons for the learners and
apprentices. The English component shall cover at least 30% of

the entire vocational course.

SECTION 11. Joint Sessions to Complete the English
Component. Alternatively, at the option of the institution offering
different vocational courses, public or private, the English
component as required in Section 10 of this Act may be
conducted in a joint session for all enrollees in the said

institution.


TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTORS

SECTION 12. Seminars Required. Teachers and Instructors
of any English-related course or subject shall undergo regular
trainings and seminars to improve their skills and knowledge of
the subject they teach. Also, the seminars shall also cover ways to
enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of imparting knowledge
to their students and to educate said educators themselves of the
trends and novel concepts being developed world wide with
respect to their specific fields they teach including but not limited
to Grammar, Reading Comprehension, Technical Writing,
Research and Business/ Professional English and other branches
of the subject.

SECTION 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The
Department of Education (DepEd) for grade school and high
school, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for college,
and TESDA the vocational education, shall respectively
promulgate their own Implementing Rules and Regulations to
carry out the provisions of this Act taking into consideration the
peculiarities and specific needs of each educational level under
their supervision. Such rules and regulations shall separately
take effect upon their publication in three (3) newspapers of

general circulation.


SECTION 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential
decrees, letters of instructions, executive orders, rules and
regulations insofar as they are inconsistent with this Act, are

hereby repealed or amended as the case may be.

SECTION 15. Separability Clause. —- In the event that any
provision of this Act or any portion thereof is declared
unconstitutional by a competent court, the other provisions shall
not be affected thereby and shall remain valid and enforceable.

SECTION 16. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect
after its complete publication in at least three (3) newspapers of

general circulation.

APPROVED.