Republic of the Philippines RECEIVED

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 6405

Introduced by Honorable Mark O. Go

EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article XIV, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution provides,

“SECTION 7. For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages
of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.

The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall
serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein.

Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis.”

This bill proposes the abrogation of the mandatory use of regional languages as the primary
media of instruction in Kindergarten to Grade three, and to relegate said languages as
auxiliary media of instruction as provided for by the Constitution.

In 2013, the use of regional and native languages as the medium of instruction for students in
the Kindergarten until Grade 3 was institutionalized with the passing of RA No. 10533. The
Said law further provides for a transition program wherein Filipino and English shall be
gradually introduced to prepare students in Grades 4 to 6 for secondary education where these
are the primary languages of instruction. While the intentions of the law to develop the
country’s regional languages and make education more accessible and learner-oriented are
noble, the Philippine educational system is confronted with several realities that make the
current use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction counterproductive.

According to a recent study from the University of the Philippines — Baguio, teachers are
confronted with three possible scenarios in the use of the mother tongue. The first is when
majority of the students communicate in the regional mother tongue, which is more common
in rural areas. The second is when the teacher uses the regional lingua franca but the students
use different mother tongues. The third scenario is when the students’ linguistic profiles show
that they are more competent with Filipino or English as when either of these two are used at
home instead of the regional lingua franca

eR RESON

LAT FEB 2 6 2020

AN


As validated by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, there are approximately 130 Philippine
languages used all over the country. Many of these languages are further diversified into
many different dialects. Apart from the Ortograpiyang Pambansa, the country has yet to
completely develop the orthographies of even the major regional languages of the
Philippines. The country has proceeded to implement the use of the mother tongue as
medium of instruction when our education system is not equipped with sufficient teacher
training, textbooks, and other instructional materials to support mother tongue-based
multilingual education. The mobility of people and local economic development created
many cosmopolitan areas across the country where the local population is now composed of
people from different ethno-linguistic backgrounds, and the mandatory use of the regional
language instead of the widely understood Filipino or English has become difficult for
teachers and learners alike. While it is recognized that the development of regional languages
is essential in cultivating the national identity, such can be achieved without impose upon
learners and teachers the use of a regional language they are not proficient in.

On the other hand, a 2000 survey by the Social Weather Station showed that 85% of Filipinos
nationwide understand Filipino. Meanwhile, the last survey conducted by SWS on English
proficiency was in 2008, which revealed that 76% of Filipinos understand English. In this day
of interconnectivity and access to technology, the proficiency of Filipinos nationwide on the
use of Filipino and English has significantly improved. These two languages remain to be the
most widely used in commerce and mass media. Furthermore, there are readily available
instructional materials in Filipino and English, which learners and teachers can use.

The formative years of the students from kindergarten to Grade 3 are crucial in preparing
them for personal and academic development. Ultimately it is the development of the learners
that would suffer when we impose the mandatory use of the mother tongue when the teachers
themselves are not equipped to teach using the mother tongue, and the leamers are more
competent with using Filipino or English.

Hence, approval of this bill is earnestly requested



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Eighteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 8485

Introduced by Honorable Mark O. Go

AN ACT TO
ABROGATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MOTHER TONGUE-BASED
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN TO
GRADE 3, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013”

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as
follows:

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. —The State shall establish, maintain and support a
complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the
people, the country and society-at-large.

Likewise, it is hereby declared the policy of the State that every graduate of basic
education shall be an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that
is rooted on sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the
foundations for learning throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be
productive, the ability to coexist in fruitful harmony with local and global
communities, the capability to engage in autonomous, creative, and critical thinking,
and the capacity and willingness to transform others and one’s self.

For this purpose, the State shall create a functional basic education system that will
develop productive and responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies,
skills and values for both life-long learning and employment. In order to achieve this,
the State shall:

(a) Give every student an opportunity to receive quality education that is globally
competitive based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with
international standards;

(b) Broaden the goals of high school education for college preparation, vocational and
technical career opportunities as well as creative arts, sports and entrepreneurial
employment in a rapidly changing and increasingly globalized environment; and


(©) Make education learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive and
cultural capacity, the circumstances and diversity of leamers, schools and
communities through the appropriate languages of teaching and learningf,, including
mother tongue as a learning resource],

SEC. 2. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as follows:
‘SEC. 4. Enhanced Basic Education Program. — XXX
XXX XXX XXX

Secondary education refers to the third stage of compulsory basic education. It
consists of four (4) years of junior high school education and two (2) years of senior
high school education. The entrant age to the junior and senior high school levels are
typically twelve (12) and sixteen (16) years old, respectively.

Basic education shall be delivered in [languages understood by the learners as the
language plays a strategic role in shaping the formative years of learners.

For kindergarten and the first three (3) years of elementary education, instruction,
teaching materials and assessment shall be in the regional or native language of the
learners. The Department of Education (DepED) shall formulate a mother language
transition program from Grade 4 to Grade 6 so that Filipino and English shall be
gradually introduced as languages of instruction until such time when these two (2)
languages can become the primary languages of instruction at the secondary level

For purposes of this Act, mother language or first Language (LI) refers to language or
languages first learned by a child, which he/she identifies with, is identified as a
native language user of by others, which he/she knows best, or uses most. This
includes Filipino sign language used by individuals with pertinent disabilities. The
regional or native language refers to the traditional speech variety or variety of
Filipino sign language existing in a region, area or place.] FILIPINO AND/OR
ENGLISH

SEC. 3. Section 5 of Republic Act No. 10533 is hereby amended to read as follows
SEC. 5. Curriculum Development. —XXX

The DepED shall adhere to the following standards and principles in developing the
enhanced basic education curriculum:

(a) The curriculum shall be leamer-centered, inclusive and developmentally
appropriate;

(b) The curriculum shall be relevant, responsive and research-based;
(c) The curriculum shall be culture-sensitive;

(d) The curriculum shall be contextualized and global;


(©) The curriculum shall use pedagogical approaches that are constructivist, inquiry-
based, reflective, collaborative and integrative;

[(® The curriculum shall adhere to the principles and framework of Mother Tongue-
Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) which starts from where the learners are
and from what they already knew proceeding from the known to the unknown;
instructional materials and capable teachers to implement the MTB-MLE curriculum
shall be available;]

XXX XXX XXX

SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. ~ All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, or other
issuances or parts inconsistent with the provisions of this Acts are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

SEC. 5. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication
in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,