Republican Act 12027, which came into effect a few days ago, privileges Tagalog as the national language (along with English, which is already the true lingua franca) from the first years of school. Concern for aboriginal populations in an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands that has 182 registered ethnic-linguistic groups.
Manila () – On October 10, amid the silence of President Ferdinand Marcos, whom many had asked to suspend the process of implementing the measure, the law that reviews and in fact limits the study of languages came into force local maternal in the educational system from kindergarten to third grade of primary school. These days we are beginning to see the reactions of those who fear that a process has been launched that could lead to the extinction of these languages. In this archipelago of more than 7,000 islands there are 182 registered ethnic-linguistic groups, partly aboriginal populations, partly the result of conquests or population movements. The disappearance of these languages would attack an essential element of cultural diversity, which is one of the greatest riches and attractions of the country.
Republican Act 12027 actually makes the use of minority languages optional. But the pressure to use Filipino – based on the Tagalog of the capital area – as an element of national unity and an essential tool of administration, if it is not accompanied by linguistic instruments specific to the different regions and ethnic groups, is running. the risk of causing the loss of a valuable cultural heritage that is already threatened by the widespread use of English, the true “lingua franca” of the archipelago and evidently essential in the expansion of the migratory diaspora, one of the largest in the world.
In the system in force until now, for the lower grades of education it established material and teachers in the mother tongue of the students, and later, from fourth to sixth grade, it established a transition program to Filipino and English.
Completely opposite is the approach of the Department of Education that promoted the reform. This considers it essential to provide the foundations of the national language from an early age, giving it priority over the possible study of regional languages. In any case, the latter will also be subject to a certain degree of homologation to the official spelling, as well as the availability of textbooks and adequately trained teachers. Triennial reviews will be carried out to verify the results of the new guidelines, but the fundamental objective – as stressed by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, former president of the Commission on Basic Education and promoter of the law – is to favor multiple linguistic preparation, in Filipino and English, putting it before the language spoken at home at least during the first years of the educational cycle.
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