UP prof laments SC ruling on Filipino subject

The Supreme Court ruling upholding the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) memo removing Filipino language and literature as mandatory subjects in college curriculum is tantamount to making English the superior language in the country, a professor said Monday.

Dr. Mykel Andrada of Sentro ng Wikang Filipino in UP Diliman argued that while the SC decision does not prevent colleges and universities from teaching Filipino subjects, such ruling can easily be used as an excuse not to teach Filipino subjects to college students.

"Ang dahilan ng Korte Suprema, itinuturo naman raw ang Filipino sa Senior High School. Hindi magka-level 'yan," Andrada said in an interview on Balitanghali.

"Ang Filipino sa tersarya or college education, maaari mong ma-intellectualize ang wikang Filipino. Ibig sabihin, puwede mong gamitin ang wikang Filipino bilang wika sa pananaliksik at komunikasyon. Konstitusyon ang may mandato nito."

The 1987 Charter states that the national language of the Philippines is Filipino and that "as it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages."

The Constitution also provides that "the government should 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."

Despite his statement, Andrada said he is not against the teaching of English.

"Hindi ako kontra sa Ingles bilang wika na puwede nating aralin. Ang problema rito, Ingles na ang nagiging dominante sa sistema ng ating edukasyon. Maraming wika ang maaring matutunan, pero hindi dapat maging superior ang Ingles o anumang wika sa wikang Filipino," he said.

Andrada also countered the SC's assertion that the CHED memo is a matter of academic freedom, saying that academic freedom should be used to strengthen, not weaken, Filipino as the Philippine national language.

"Hindi mo siya puwedeng gamitin ng academic freedom dahil kahit sino puwede 'yang gamitin anarchistically. Puwede mo ikutan 'yun, depende kung sino ang gumagamit," Andrada said.

"Definitely, tuloy-tuloy ang laban natin para ipagpatuloy ang wikang Filipino at panitikan." —Llanesca T. Panti/KBK, GMA News