ET H ICA L A CT I ON A N D

TH E S A V ING O F
L AN G U A G E S
MODULE 4
LETTING GO OF THE ROCK

• FILIPINO LANGUAGE
• KING SISYPHUS
• FILIPINO AS A NATIONAL LANGUAGE
Sisyphus is condemned to roll a rock up to the top of a
mountain, only to have the rock roll back down to the bottom
every time he reaches the top.
THE PHILIPPINES REMAINED TO BE DIVIDED

•THE NORTHERN PART,

•THE MIDDLE PART
•THE SOUTHERN PART
•7000+++ ISLANDS OF THE PHILIPPINES
MANUEL LUIS QUEZON BEING THE AMA NG WIKANG FILIPINO

• HE DESERVES THE MERIT, THE RECOGNITION, BUT I NOW

FEEL A LITTLE BAD FOR HIS TITLE
 1 1934 CONVENTION CONSTITUTIONAL

• TAGALOG IS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE

ISSUES ON LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

 2 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 210

• P. GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

• ESTABLSIHING THE POLICY TO STRENGTHEN THE

USE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINE EDUCATION SYSTEM

ISSUES ON LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

 2 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 210
…. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WILL BE USED AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
IN ALL LEVELS OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM STARTING IN GRADE 1.
…. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE MUST BE USED AS A MEDIUM IN
TEACHING ENGLISH, MATH, AND SCIENCE UNTIL GRADE 3.
… NOT LESS THAN 70% OF THE HOURS INSIDE THE CLASSROOM
SHOULD USE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS THE MEDIUM IN ALL
LEARNING AREAS.

ISSUES ON LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

 3
THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION TO EXCLUDE FILIPINO AND
FILIPINO LITERATURE OR ‘PANITIKAN’ AS CORE SUBJECTS TO
BE TAUGHT IN COLLEGES 

FILIPINO AS A NATIONAL LANGUAGE SHOULD

BE USED IN THE LOWEST TO THE HIGHEST
LEVEL OF EDUCATION. THIS IS THE WAY FOR
IT TO BE CULTIVATED,

ISSUES ON LANGUAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

NO LANGUAGE IS MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN ANOTHER.

NO LANGUAGE IS BETTER.

NO LANGUAGE SHOULD SIT ALONE ON THE PEDESTAL OF NATIONALISM.

THERE IS NO ONE SOLID ROCK.

IF WE GATHER ALL THE PEBBLES TOGETHER, A ROCK IS FORMED. SIMILARLY, A NATIONAL LANGUAGE

IS BORN IF WE INVOKE THE MANY INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES TOGETHER. THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE

SHOULD NOT BE A CHILD OF THE SPANISH AND TAGALOG LANGUAGES BUT RATHER AN

INCORPORATION OF ALL THE UNIQUE LANGUAGES OUR COUNTRY HAS. THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE

SHOULD EMBRACE THE AUXILIARY LANGUAGES AS ITS OWN.

TAKE AWAYS
• ONE GREAT THING TO LEARN ABOUT KING SISYPHUS IS HIS PERSEVERANCE IN
ROLLING THE ROCK UP THE HILL, EVEN IF IT ROLLS BACK DOWN JUST MOMENTS
BEFORE HE REACHES THE TOP. HE GOES BACK DOWN AND TRIES TO MOVE THE
STONE ONCE AGAIN.

• PUSHING FILIPINO AS A NATIONAL LANGUAGE MAY APPEAR AS A SISYPHEAN

TASK; HOWEVER, IT IS NOT A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING EFFORT. IN A COUNTRY LIKE
OURS WITH MANY INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES, IT IS QUITE AN APPRAISABLE
EFFORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT. IT IS JUST THAT; IT IS NOW TIME TO ALSO GIVE
ATTENTION TO THE MANY LANGUAGES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE COLORFUL
HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.

TAKE AWAYS
WE MUST STOP ROLLING JUST ONE BIG ROCK WHILE CRUSHING THE PEBBLES ALONG THE

WAY.

WE NEED TO GATHER THESE PEBBLES TOGETHER TO FORM ONE BIG ROCK INSTEAD. IT

DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT WE CHANGE THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE AS A

NATIONAL LANGUAGE. INSTEAD, WE NEED TO INCORPORATE THE OTHER REGIONAL

LANGUAGES INTO ITS DICTIONARY. RIGHT NOW, FILIPINO EQUATES TO TAGALOG. SO WHAT

ABOUT WARAY? ILOCANO? CEBUANO? HILIGAYNON? ILONGGO? BICOLANO? PAMPANGO?

PANGASINENSE? EIGHT MAJOR LANGUAGES UNITING ISLANDS TOGETHER BUT FILIPINO

ONLY EMBRACED TAGALOG WITH THE ADDITION OF EVOLVED SPANISH TERMS.

TAKE AWAYS