Students of Lyceum of Alabang
Photo grab from FB of Carmela Magsino
Filipino as GEC (General Education Curriculum) Subject: Is
it a thing of the Past?
There has been a recent move in the House of Congress, initiated by a
party-list lawmaker, Terry Ridon, to investigate the recent order by the
Department of Education to remove the nine units of mandatory Filipino studies
in all Philippine colleges. The argument given is that, the subjects are redundant
since it will be taught under the K-11 to K-12 program which will take effect
in 2016.
This order was issued under Memorandum 20, which removes the
study of Filipino in the tertiary level. Ridon has requested that further studies be
made by the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education on why the study
of Filipino should be removed from the General Education Curriculum (GEC). The GEC subjects have been reduced to 36 units
from the mandatory 51 to 63 units, depending on the course.
The Need for the Study of Filipino
As someone who was brought up in the academe, with both
parents a part of a university situated in southern Philippines, I was
exposed to the rudimentary manner on how language was used most effectively in teaching.
A student must have the mastery of both English
and Filipino language to communicate his thoughts well. No matter how
intelligent a student is, if language skills are lacking, the said intelligence
would amount to nothing – academically or in the social setting.
The Philippines have many dialects spoken by various groups
from Luzon to Mindanao. Fluency in Filipino is a must if there ought to be a
common tongue to unite all Filipinos. I grew up in a Visayan speaking region,
and though we speak in Filipino, I have been used to thinking in Visayan.
During my time, both my parents would talk to us, their children, in
English. More so if they are angry,
everything that spewed out of their mouths were in English. We talked
in Filipino (or Tagalog) to our house helps who were from Manila, and talked
among ourselves in Visayan. The use of Filipino
(or Tagalog) is a recent phenomenon (the last 15 to 20 years) due to the rise
of the mighty Manila as a center of all economic activity.
It is not unusual to see different groups more fluent in
their own dialect – Cebuano, Bicolano, Waray, Ilocano, Pangalatok, Maranao,
Tausog, Kankanaey and many others --- than Filipino. Studies in schools, both
in elementary and in high school are not sufficient for the student to learn
the intricacies of the language. College students should be exposed to Filipino
literature and the works of contemporary writers like Nick Joaquin, Lualhati Bautista, F. Sionil Jose, and many others. I believe, that basic Filipino is better
taught in pre-collegiate levels; with Filipino literature and communications, in college as part of GEC.
Students of Lyceum of Alabang
Photo grab from FB account Churchill Daleon
Filipino, as our Mother Tongue
It is often said that Filipino is our Mother tongue. But,
this is not so, since, even I experiences difficulties in
the use of the Filipino language until now.
I am able to communicate well on an informal level, but would have great
difficulty in writing and reading. To be
able to explain technical matters in Filipino, would entail --- me thinking it
out in Visayan, then deciphering it in English—so I can talk about the subject
matter in Filipino. What comes out is a
funny mix of English and Filipino, which my nationalistic daughter, frowns upon
in disgust.
To be safe and avoid humiliation, I just do an exposition of
what I want to say, in English. But this
looks comical if you talk to a group of farmers (which I belong) and to a group
of people who I normally transact with.
They can’t seem to tie – up the notion, that this old, ordinary-looking woman
in slippers and t-shirt could give them a blasting in the English tongue.
Why do I have these problems?
Even with the old GEC or academic curriculum, I still feel that the
study of Filipino is lacking. A thorough study that would include the mastery
of communications and deep understanding of the language should form part of the
school curriculum. CHED should realize
that the Philippines is not one homogenous country that speaks in a single
tongue. We are one country with different dialects. Doing away with the study
of Filipino in college, would only result to graduates who would not know how to
communicate in English, but of Filipino, as well.
Woe to the Inang Bayan!
writer_csm
Philippine News: A Shot from the Hip
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