JMJ Marist Brothers

Notre Dame of Marbel University

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

Lesson 4: Language – in - Education Policy Evolution

 Executive Order No.210 (May 17, 2003)- “Establishing the Policy to
Strengthen the Use of the English Language as Medium of
Instruction in the Educational System”

• DepEd Memorandum No.189, s. 2003-English language be used as medium of

instruction

Kicking it Off
Last session, we were able to enumerate and discuss two of the policies
governing language use in Philippine classrooms. This week, let us look into another two of
these policies.

Jotting Down Targets:

After working on this course pack, you should be able to:

1. discuss significant changes in Philippine Language Programs and Policies; and

2. identify relevant issues in place that help government institutions in upholding and
propagating the national language.

Processing the Matter

ED AT THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
UNDER COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 638
Executive Order No. 210, s. 2003

Signed on May 17, 2003

MALACAÑANG
MANILA

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 210

ESTABLISHING THE POLICY TO STRENGTHEN THE USE OF THE ENGLISH

LANGUAGE AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

WHEREAS, Section 7, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that for
purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines
are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English;

WHEREAS, it is a declared policy of the State to promote education as a means to

achieve and maintain an accelerating rate of economic development and social
progress;

WHEREAS, there is a need to develop the aptitude, competence and proficiency of

our students in the English language to maintain and improve their competitive edge
in emerging and fast-growing local and international industries, particularly in the
area of Information and Communications Technology [ICT];

WHEREAS, strengthening the use of the English language as a medium of

instruction also depends on the improvement of the entire educational system,
particularly in the training of educators and the provision of learning materials and
resources;

WHEREAS, the Department of Education [DepEd], the Commission on Higher

Education [CHED] and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
[TESDA] fully support the policies sought to be established herein and have
favorably endorsed the issuance of this Executive Order;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the

Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution
and existing laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policies. – The following policies are hereby

established:

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,

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

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.

SECTION 2. Institutions of Higher Education. – Institutions of higher education,

including State Colleges and Universities [SUCs], are hereby encouraged to adopt
the use of the English language as the primary medium of instruction in the tertiary
level. The CHED shall adopt measures to promote and encourage the use of the
English language as the primary medium of instruction in the tertiary or higher
education level.

SECTION 3. Proficiency of Teachers. – The DepEd, through the National

Educators’ Academy of the Philippines [NEAP], the Educational Development
Project Implementing Task Force [EDPITAF], the CHED, the TESDA, as well as
through the educational institutions in the private sector, shall evaluate the
proficiency of educators in the English language and conduct training programs
nationwide to develop and improve it.

SECTION 4. Support Mechanisms. – The implementing authorities specified in

Section 5 hereof shall undertake to secure the funding support necessary to provide
adequate learning materials and resources that will develop the aptitude,
competence and proficiency of students in the English language. They shall also
collaborate in developing an evaluation instrument that will make it possible to
monitor the progress of educators and students in achieving the policy objectives
established herein.

SECTION 5. Implementing Authorities. – The DepEd and the TESDA are hereby
directed to take active steps to ensure the implementation of this Executive Order
and monitor compliance therewith in all public and private institutions of learning in
the elementary and secondary levels, including those established as laboratory
and/or experimental schools, and non-formal and vocational or technical educational
institutions.

SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DepEd, the CHED and
the TESDA are hereby authorized to issue the appropriate rules and regulations for
the effective implementation of the policies established herein.

SECTION 7. Report to the President. – Within thirty (30) days from the issuance of
this Executive Order, the DepEd, the CHED and the TESDA shall submit to the
President a plan of action to effectively implement the provisions of this Executive
Order.

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

SECTION 8. Use of the Filipino Language. – Pursuant to the Constitutionally-

mandated policy of the Government to ensure and promote the evolution,
development and further enrichment of Filipino as the national language of the
Philippines, the Filipino language shall continue to be the medium of instruction in
the learning areas of Filipino and Araling Panlipunan.

SECTION 9. Guarantee of Academic Freedom. – Nothing in this Executive Order

shall be construed as limiting the academic freedom of institutions of higher
education.

SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. – All executive issuances, rules and regulations or

parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 11. Effectivity. – This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon
approval.

City of Manila, MAY 17 2003

(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) ALBERTO G. ROMULO
Executive Secretary

Source: Malacañang Records Office

Office of the President of the Philippines. (2003). [Executive Order Nos. : 201 –

300]. Manila : Malacañang Records Office.

DO 36, S. 2006 – IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS ON EXECUTIVE

ORDER NO. 210 (ESTABLISHING THE POLICY TO STRENGTHEN THE USE OF
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN THE
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM)

August 22, 2006

DO 36, s. 2006
Implementing Rules and Regulations on Executive Order No. 210 (Establishing the
Policy to Strengthen the Use of the English Language as a Medium of Instruction in
the Educational System)

To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Regional Directors

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

Schools Division/City Superintendents

Heads, Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools

1. Pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order No. 210, the following rules and
regulations are issued for the effective implementation of the policies
established therein, and in reiteration of increased time allotment in the use of
English for classroom instruction, as stipulated in previous implementing
guidelines:
1. English shall be taught as a second language starting with Grade I;
2. As provided for in the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum, English shall
be used as the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and
Science and Health starting Grade III; and
3. The English language shall be used as the primary medium of
instruction in all public and private schools in the secondary level,
including those established as laboratory and/or experimental schools,
and vocational/technical institutions. As the primary medium of
instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas
conducted in the English language should not be less than 70% of the
total time allotment for all learning areas in all year levels.
2. For ready reference, enclosed herewith is the table showing the Percentage
of Subjects by Medium of Instruction (English and Filipino) in the Secondary
Level.
3. Immediate dissemination of and compliance with this Order is directed.

Encl.: As stated
Reference: DepED Memorandum: No. 189, a. 2003 Allotment: 1— (D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:

LANGUAGE Learning Area, ENGLISH RULES & REGULATIONS

DO_s2006_36

The Evolution of Language in Education Policy (as summarized by Igcalinos,

n.d.)

The Philippines’ language -in-education policy has evolved with the structures of the
state and its institutions over a long period of time. By and large, the policy in place
has always been reflective of the desire of the government in power and embodied in
its fundamental law: the Constitution. During the Spanish colonial period, our school
system had Spanish as the official medium of instruction. The use of Spanish
language, being the language of the colonizer, is extended to civil service and
business. During the short-lived first Philippine Republic, the 1899Malolos
Constitution, interestingly, made Spanish still compulsory as the language in
public and judicial affairs. During the American period, English replaced Spanish as t
he official Statelanguage and as the language used in commerce and trade.
Eventually, the post-war establishment of the Philippine Republic precipitated also a
shift in policies

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

--foremost among them the language-in-education policy. But as early as the

Commonwealth period, former president Manuel L. Quezon had already envisioned
a national language based on Tagalog, the language of his region and his mother
tongue. Article XIII, Section 3 of the 1935 Constitution provides:

“The National Assembly shall take steps toward the development and adoption of a
commonnational language based on one of the existing native languages. Until
otherwise provided by law, English and Spanish shall continue as official languages.”

 
In response, the First National Assembly approved in November 13, 1936
Commonwealth Act No. 184, mandating the creation of the National Language
Institute. The goal of the Institute was to recommend one of the existing native
languages to be used as the basis for a national language. Not long after, in
December 30, 1937, President Quezon signed Executive Order No. 134 s. 1937
proclaiming the national language of the Philippines based on Tagalog language as
recommended by the members of the National Language Institute. The said
executive order would precipitate initiatives for the full institutionalization of a
language-in-education policy, in this case, a national language that is based on
Tagalog. The institutionalization of the Tagalog-based national language, then called
Pilipino, found traction during the Japanese occupation when it was used as part of
the propaganda, thereby bringing the language to areas where it was not spoken,
much less understood. However, the institutionalization of the national language was
not without opposition as there were more non-Tagalog speakers than Tagalog
speakers in the Philippines at the time. The language divide that pervaded for
decades was left unresolved even after the passage of the 1973 Constitution. The
otherwise benign provision on Article XV, Section 3 (2) which provides that “the
Batasang Pambansa shall take steps towards the development and formal adoption
of a common national language to be known as Filipino” did not do much to quell the
protest and resistance of the majority non-Tagalog speakers over the non-feasibility
of the measure because Filipino as an artificial language lacked
“both native speakers and a literary tradition to help propagate it.”
 In light of the 1973 Constitution, the then Department of Education, Culture
and Sports(DECS) released DECS Order No. 25 s. 1974, entitled
“Implementing Guidelines for the Policy on Bilingual Education, ”which served as a
basis for the institutionalization of bilingual education policy in basic education. The
Bilingual Education Policy (BEP) “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.” Furthermore, the goals of the BEP shall be the following: (1) enhanced
learning through two languages to achieve quality education as called for by the
1973 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

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

cultivation and elaboration of Filipino as a language of scholarly discourse, that is to

say its continuing intellectualization; and (5) 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 1987 Constitution, while additive in character
as far as the provision on language-in-education policy goes, nevertheless upheld
the designation of the artificial and still Tagalog-based Filipino as the national
language. Article XIV, Section 6 provides: “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.” 
However, Section 7 of Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides for the
inclusion of regional languages as auxiliary official languages that can be used as an
auxiliary media of instruction. Section 9 of Article XIV underscores the promotion,
research, development, propagation, and preservation of Filipino and other
languages. In light of the 1987 Constitution, the then Department of Education,
Culture and Sports released DECS Order No. 81 containing the Alphabet and a
Guide for Spelling in the Filipino Language. The Order stipulated that the Filipino
alphabet is composed of 28 letters comprised of the original 26 letters of the English
alphabet, plus the letters Ñ and Ng. The order also provides instruction on how to
read the letters. On August 25, 1988, then President Corazon Aquino signed
Executive Order No. 335 enjoining all government offices to take steps necessary for
the purpose of using Filipino language in official transactions, communications and
correspondence. On August 14, 1991, President Aquino signed into law Republic Act
7104 creating the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), which is tasked to
“undertake, coordinate and promote researches for the development, propagation
and preservation of Filipino and other Philippine languages.”
 On May 13, 1992, the KWF under Ponciano B. P. Pineda passed Resolution
92-1, describing Filipino as a native language, spoken and written in Metro Manila,
the National Capital Region, and in urban centers in the archipelago where it is used
as a language for communication among ethnic groups. Like any other language,
Filipino is in the process of development through loans from other native Philippine
languages and non-native varieties of the language and through use on various
social situations by speakers of different backgrounds for conversations and for
scholarly discussions. In 1994, then President Ramos signed into law Republic Act
No. 7722 creating the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). In 1996, the
Commission issued CHED Memorandum Order No. 59 s. 1996, which states that “in
consonance with the Bilingual Education Policy underlined in DECS Order No. 52,
Series of 1987, the following are the guidelines vis-à-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 other language as long as there are enough instructional
materials for the same and both students and instructors/professors are competent

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

in the language. Courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences should preferably

be taught in Filipino.
 
Between 1995 and 2009, there have been numerous attempts in Congress to
strengthen and make English as the medium of instruction in all levels. In the 13th
Congress, for example, the House of Representatives passed on third reading the
so-called English Only bill by Cebuano congressman Eduardo Gullas. However, the
Senate failed to act on the Bill as its members were already busy preparing for the
2007 midterm elections. The English Only bill was intended to supersede the
bilingual education policy that was still in place since 1974. But none of the so-called
English Only bills came to fruition and in July 14, 2009, the Department of Education
issued DepEd Order No. 74 s. 2009 mandating the institutionalization of the mother
tongue-based multilingual education in Philippine basic education.
 
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III undertook a major education reform by
introducing the K12 program and in 2011, he signed into law Republic Act No.
10533, which put in place the K12 system in Philippine basic education. RA 10533
embodied the MTBMLE provisions of DepEd Order No. 74 s. 2009 in Sections 4 and
5.

Summing Things Up

English is said to be the language of business and other fields; thus, it is imperative
that the government is pushing for the promotion and learning of this language
especially in the Philippine classrooms. As teachers, we should realize the
importance of English and be able to do our part in the implementation of the policies
related to the above- mentioned government policies.

Knuckling Down

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 JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
City of Koronadal, South Cotabato

Activity:

In not more than 200 words, state your stand on the promotion of English as a
medium of instruction in Philippine classrooms. Cite at least 2 arguments to support
your stand. Support your arguments with readings (cite sources).

CRITERIA FOR SCORING:

Content and organization: 10 pts.
Grammar : 5 pts.
TOTAL : 15 pts.

REFERENCES

Executive order No. 210, s 2003. Retrieved from

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2003/05/17/executive-order-no-210-s-2003/

Do 36, s. 2006 –Implementing rules and regulations on executive order no. 210
(establishing the policy to strengthen the use of the English language as a medium
of instruction in the educational system). Retrieved from
https://www.deped.gov.ph/2006/08/22/do-36-s-2006-implementing-rules-and-
regulations-on-executive-order-no-210-establishing-the-policy-to-strengthen-the-use-of-
the-english-language-as-a-medium-of-instruction-in-the-educational-syst/

Igcalinos, T. (n.d.). Gaps and challenges in the mother tongue based multilingual
education(MTBMLE) implementation in Philippine basic education: A policy issue paper
on language in education policy. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/23350185/Gaps_and_Challenges_in_the_Mother_Tongue_Ba
sed_Multilingual_Education_MTBMLE_Implementation_in_Philippines_Basic_Education_A
_Policy_Issue_Paper_on_Language_in_Education_Policy