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Philippine languages, about 70 to 75 aboriginal languages of the Philippine Islands. They belong to the
Indonesian branch of the Austronesian family and are subdivided into two main subgroups—the central
(or Mesophilippine) division and the northern (or Cordilleran) division—with a number of other member
languages forming smaller groups or remaining unclassified.

The most important languages in the central division are Tagalog (a standardized form of which, Pilipino,
is the official national language) and Cebuano. The most important in the northern division is Ilocano.

Official Languages - The two official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and English. Filipino is the
national language,and the official status of English is a holdover from its time as a U.S. territory between
the years of 1898 and 1946.Filipino is the primary language used in school and media, and it’s also the
lingua franca that unites the nation’s disparate linguistic communities. You’ll mostly encounter English in
government, newspapers and magazines.

 Currently, there are twelve (12) major languages or lingua franca that shall be language of
instruction. The major languages are a) Tagalog b) Kapampangan c) Pangasinense d) Iloko e)
Bikol f) Cebuano g) Hiligaynon h) Waray i) Tausug j) Maguindanaoan k) Maranao; l) Chabacano.

History

 Spanish was the official language of the country for more than three centuries under Spanish *
colonial rule, and became the lingua franca of the Philippines in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
 The 1987 Constitution declares Filipino as the national language of the country. Filipino and
English are the official languages, with the recognition of the regional languages as auxiliary
official in their respective regions (though not specifying any particular language ) .
 The Constitution of the Philippines provides for the use of the vernacular languages as official
auxiliary Llanguages in provinces where Filipino is not the lingua franca. Filipinos at large are
polyglots; In the case where the vernacular language is a regional language, Filipinos would
speak in Filipino when speaking in formal situations while the regional languages are spoken in
non-formal settings. This is evident in major urban areas outside Metro Manila like Camarines
Norte in the Bikol-speaking area, and Davao in the Cebuano-speaking area. As of 2017, the case
of Ilocano and Cebuano are becoming more of bilingualism than diglossia due to the publication
of materials written in these languages

There are 4 indigenous languages with approximately 9 million or more native speakers:

• Tagalog

• Cebuano

• Ilocano

• Hiligaynon

and 10 with 1 million to 3 million native speakers:

• Waray

• Bikol

• Kapampangan

• Pangasinan
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• Maranao

• Tausug

• Maguindanao

• Chavacano

• Karay-a

• Surigaonon

One or more of these is spoken natively by more than 90% of the population.

DO 52, S. 1987 – THE 1987 POLICY ON BILINGUAL EDUCATION ( May 21, 1987 DO 52, s. 1987

The 1987 Policy on Bilingual Education –

 The provision of Article XIV Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution states: “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 thereiin.
 The Policy on Bilingual Education 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. The regional languages shall be used as auxiliary languages in Grades I
and II.
 The aspiration of the Filipino to enable them to perform their functions and duties as Filipino
citizens and in English in order to meet the needs of the country in the community of nations.

b. The goals of the Bilingual Education Policy shall be:

▪ Enhanced learning through two languages to achieve quality education as called for by the 1987
Constitution;

▪ the propagation of Filipino as a language of literacy;

▪ the development of Filipino as a linguistic symbol of national unity and identity;

▪ the cultivation and elaboration of Filipino as a language of scholarly discourse that is to say, its
continuing intellectualization; and

▪ the maintenance of English as an international language for the Philippines and as a non-exclusive
language of science and technology.

Executive Order No. 335, s. 1988 - EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 335 ENJOINING ALL
DEPARTMENTS/BUREAUS/OFFICES/AGENCIES/INSTRUMENTALITIES OF THE GOVERNMENT TO
TAKE SUCH STEPS AS ARE NECESSARY FOR THE PURPOSE OF USING FILIPINO LANGUAGE IN
OFFICIAL TRANSACTIONS, COMMUNICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE

 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. As embodied in the DECS Order No.
25, Pilipino (changed to Filipino in 1987) shall be used as medium of instruction in social
studies/social sciences, music, arts, physical education, home economics, practical arts and
character education. English, on the other hand is allocated to science, mathematics and
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technology subjects. The same subject allocation is provided in the 1987 Policy on Bilingual
Education which is disseminated through Department Order No. 52, s. 1987.
 The policy on Bilingual Education 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. The regional languages shall be used as auxiliary languages in Grades
I and II. The aspiration of the Filipino nation is to have its citizens possess skills in Filipino to
enable them to perform their functions and duties in order to meet the needs of the country in the
community of nations.

The goals of the Bilingual Education Policy shall be:

1. enhanced learning through two languages to achieve quality education as called for by the 198
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
itscontinuing intellectualization; and the maintenance of English as an international language for the
Philippines and as a non-exclusive language of science and technology.

*. Filipino and English shall be used as media of instruction, the use allocated to specific subjects in
the curriculum as indicated in the Department Order No. 25, s. 1974.

* The regional languages shall be used as auxiliary media of instruction and as initial language for
literacy, where needed.

The Language Policy of the Commission on Higher Education

In 1994, Republic Act No. 7722, creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was signed. This
Act which is know as the “Higher Education Act of 1994” provides that the 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.

One of the first steps undertaken by CHED was to update 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 millenium. The requirements of the
new GEC are embodied in the CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 59, s. 1996. Listed under
miscellaneous of this CMO is its language policy which is as follows:

In consonance with the Bilingual Education Policy underlined in DECS Order No. 52, Series of 1987, the
following are the guidelines vis-a-vis medium of instruction, to wit:

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 otherlanguage
as long as there are enough instructional materials for the same and both students
andinstructors/professors are competent in the language.Courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences
should preferably be taught in Filipino

Executive Order No. 210, s. 2003 - EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 210

ESTABLISHING THE POLICY TO STRENGTHEN THE USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A

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MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

A.English shall be taught as a second language, starting with the First Grade.

b. As provided for in the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum, English shall be used as the medium of
instruction for English, Mathematics and Science from at least the Third-Grade level.

c. The English language shall be used as the primary medium of instruction in all public and private
institutions of learning in the secondary level, including those established as laboratory and/or
experimental schools, and non-formal and vocational or technical educational institutions. As the primary
medium of instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas conducted in the English
language is expected to be not less than seventy percent (70%) of the total time allotment for all learning
areas in the secondary level.

It is the objective of the foregoing policies to develop the aptitude, competence and proficiency of all
students in the use of the English language to make them better prepared for the job opportunities
emerging in the new, technology-driven sectors of the economy.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION

Early Childhood Education

The two official languages, Filipino and English are used as the media of instruction for the 5-year-old
children in the

preschool education. However, these children have already developed their first language at home but
they did not learn

this language by formal instruction. They acquired it from their family members and adult interactions.
This is the language

that the children used for basic communication at the earliest ages, thus may be considered as the child’s
thinking language.

n the Primary Grades

Children used Filipino as the medium of instruction in learning Civics and Culture (Sibika at Kultura) in
Grades I-

III, Geography, History and Civics (Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika) in Grades IV-VI, Makabayan which
includes

Character Education, Music, Arts and Physical Education in Grades I-VI, Home Economics and Livelihood
Education

(Edukasyong Pangtahanan at Pangkabuhayan) in Grades IV-VI and Filipino as a subject in all grade
levels. On the other

hand, children learned Mathematics (Grades I-VI) and Science (Grades III-VI) in English as the medium
of instruction and

learn English as a subject in all grade levels

LINGUA FRANCA PROJECT (1999-200

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 As stated in Deped Order No. 16, series 2012, the Lingua Franca Project (1999-2001) and the
Lubuagan Project (1999-to present) have provided valuable inputs in the implementation of MTB-
MLE.
 Twelve major languages were offered as a learning area and used as language of instruction in
MTB-MLE program, these were Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano,
Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao and Chabacano. Each specific language
shall be used to teach all learning areas from kindergarten up to Grade 3 except in Filipino and
English subjects.
 Under the directive of the department, Filipino will be introduced in the first semester of Grade I,
to develop oral fluency, while English will be taught as a subject in the second semester.

“MTB-MLE is just a transition so English language shall be taught gradually,” Deped Regional Director
Luz Almeda said in one of his interviews

 Defines and implement national bridging program to develop initial literacy .

 Spoken language of region or community was used as bridge language
 Experimental groups used 3 lingua Franca ( Ilocano ,Tagalog ,Cebuano ) as medium of
instruction in grade 1 & 2
 Control groups used English & Filipino in designated areas (Bilingual policy )

MOTHER TONGUE-BASED-MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

What is Mother Tongue Education?

 Mother tongue education refers to any form of schooling that makes use of the language or
languages that children are most familiar with. This is usually the language that children speak at
home with their family. The ‘mother tongue’ does not have to be the language spoken by the
mother. Children can and often do speak more than one or even two languages at home. For
example, they may speak one language with their mother, another with their father and a third
with their grandparents.

What about multilingual classrooms?

 In classrooms where 10 or more different mother tongues are spoken, a situation that is fast
becoming the norm throughout Europe, it would not be practically feasible to provide a full-blown
bilingual education programme for each student. The best approach here is not to ignore all
languages and opt for one language only, as is frequently the case.
 Rather, translanguaging is a new pedagogic strategy and shows exciting results when all
languages are value
 Mother Tongue – Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is the government’s banner
program for education as a salient part of the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education
Program. Its significance is underscored by the passing of Republic Act 10523, otherwise known
as the “Enhanced Basic Educatiion Act of 2013.” MTBMLE is education, formal or non - formal,
in which the learner’s mother tongue and additional languages are used in the classroom.
Learners begin their education in the language they understand best - their mother tongue - and
develop a strong foundation in their mother language before adding additional language
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DepEd Order No. 31 s. 2013 issued on July 16, 2013 right after RA 10533 became law clarifies DepEd
Order No. 31 s. 2012, thus:

a) Mother Tongue is used as a Medium of Instruction (MOI) for Grades 1 and 2 for teaching Mathematics,
Araling Panlipunan (AP), Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) and Edukasyon sa
Pagpapakatao (EsP);

b) Mother Tongue is taught as a separate Learning Area in Grades 1 and 2;

c) Filipino, as a Learning Area, is first introduced in Grade 1 during the second quarter (2nd Q)/grading
period;

d) English, as a Learning Area, is first introduced in Grade 1 during the third quarter (3rd Q)/grading
period…

 It is clear from the above DepEd Order No. 31 s. 2013, that the “Mother Tongue is used as a
Medium of Instruction (MOI) for Grades 1 and 2 for teaching Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan
(AP), Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH) and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao
(EsP), BUT NOT in Filipino, as a Learning Area, first introduced in Grade 1 during the second
quarter (2nd Q)/grading period, AND NOT in English, as a Learning Area, first introduced in
Grade 1 during the third quarter (3rd Q)/grading period.
 It is clear that the Medium of Instruction chart above from DepEd Order 31 s. 2012, referenced
by DepEd Order 31 s. 2013, specifies (a) that Filipino is the Medium of Instruction for Filipino
from Grade 1 to Grade 3; it also specifies (b) that English is the Medium of Instruction for English
from Grade 1 to Grade 3. Both contravene RA 10533’s provision that (a) 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, and (b) 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 learne