SC urged to void order making English the medium of instruction

AN ORGANIZATION of linguists, national writers, artists, cultural workers and students on Friday
asked the Supreme Court (SC) to nullify for being unconstitutional an executive order that sought
to make English the second language to be taught in the first level school system.
In a petition, the petitioners asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) on
the implementation of Executive Order (EO) 210 that they claimed constitute a "wholesale
violation of the human right to education and deprivation of the right to equal protection of the
law."

Lapus implemented EO 210 by promulgating Department Order (DO) 36 on Aug. 22, 2006.

The petitioners claimed that both EO 210 and DO 36 patently violate the Constitution, which
provides under Article 14, Section 6 that: "the national language of the Philippines is Filipino and
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."

Section 7 further states that 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.

"The promulgation of EO 210 and DO 36 by respondents operates to the disadvantage of a

suspect class and impinges on the fundamental right to education protected by the Constitution
and thus violates the due process and equal protection clause of the Constitution," said
petitioners.

Among the petitioners were Wika ng Kultura at Agham (Wika), led by president Isagani Cruz;
Linangan sa Retorika at Arte (Lira), led by Beverly Siy; Filipinas Institute of Translation Inc. (Fit),
led by Romulo Baquiran Jr.; Samahan ng mga Tagasalin Inc. (Salin) led by Aurora Batnag;

Other individual petitioners were national artists led by Virgilio Almario and Bienvenido Lumbera;
writers Efren Abueg, Abdon Balde Jr., Juan Gatbonton; Professors Randy David, Ma. Theresa de
Villa, Rosario Torres-Yu, Jovy Peregrino, Nicanor Tiongson, Vina Paz, Galileo Zafra and Fanny
Garcia (De la Salle University);

Minors Miko, Jeanne and Miguel Coroza; Amansinaya and Idyanale Anonuevo; and Dinah, Victor
and Palmera Nadera, were represented by their respective fathers, Ateneo Professor Michael
Coroza, Roberto Anonuevo, chair of the Unyon ng mga manunulat sa Pilipinas (Umpil), and Victor
Emmanuel Nadera, director of the Institute of Creative Writing in UP.

Named respondents were President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Executive Secretary Eduardo

Ermita and Lapus.

The petitioners claimed that the assailed EO and its implementing order deprives school children
coming from the lower socio-economic classes of educational benefits for it has been shown that
due to poverty, such school children receive very little public education or a poorer quality
education that that available to rich families.

They said the children often end up as "functional illiterates" because of the use of English as a
medium of instruction.

"The failure of respondents to implement Filipino and the regional languages as the primary
media of instruction has led to serious difficulties in learning among school children in elementary
and high school, including herein petitioner minors, which has led to ineffective communication in
the classrooms, low academic achievement and high drop-out rate," petitioners further said.

Petitioners further claimed that some of the harmful effects of using a foreign language for
learning are not just limited to low academic achievement; it also impairs the emotional security
and sense of self-worth of "lower class" children who develop inferiority complex as they are
stigmatized by their use of the native tongue.

Arroyo signed on May 17, 2003 the assailed EO 210, which aimed to make English as a second
language at all levels of the education system, starting with the First Grade, and should be used
as the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and Science from at least the Third Grade
Level.

The English language shall be used as a primary medium of instruction in all public institutions of
learning at the secondary level. As the primary medium of instruction, the percentage of time
allotment for learning areas conducted in the English language in high school is expected to be
not less than 70 percent of the total time allotment for all learning areas.

The EO was implementation after the dismal performance of students who flunked their English
subjects.

Meanwhile, a disbarment case was filed by Batnag, one of the petitioners, against the wife of
Baguio City mayoral candidate Leoandro Yangot Jr. for arrogant, uncalled for rude behavior
during the settlement of a land dispute case in Baguio.

Batnag, 63, said Attorney Cheryl Daytec-Yangot called her a "bitch" in front of others while they
were discussing the settlement of the case between complainant and her late husband's sister,
Eunice Batnag-Daytec, which whom Yangot is related through marriage.

The complainant, a linguistics professor at the De la Salle University, also asked Gabriela, to look
into the incident since Yangot is one of their members.

"Is this acceptable behavior for a lawyer and a women's rights lawyer at that? Is this how the wife
of a mayoralty candidate should behave?" said Batnag in a disbarment case that she filed before
the Integrated bar of the Philippines.

This is not the first time that a complaint has been filed against Yangot. In 2004, another
complaint had been filed against Yangot for "unlawyerly behavior" by the head of the Baguio City
demolition team for writing the then mayor of the city a letter containing libelous statements.
(ECV/Sunnex)

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga.

(April 28, 2007 issue)

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