Teach English, pay less taxes
By John Mangun

The legislation proposed by Luis “Louie” Villafuerte (Second District, Camarines Sur) and cosponsored by House Deputy Majority Leader Eduardo Gullas and Reps. Edmundo Reyes Jr., Cynthia Villar, Alipio Cirilo Badelles and Raul del Mar may dramatically change the Philippine public education for the better.

House Bill 4701 will effectively require that English be the sole medium of instruction throughout the Philippines . Specifics of the proposed legislation include the following provisions:

•  Besides English, the regional or native language may be used as medium of instruction in all subjects, but only from preschool to Grade 2;

•  The language of teaching all subjects in Grades 3 to 6 and all four years of high school shall be English, except in Filipino which is taught as a subject;

•  English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all grade and year levels in elementary and high school;

•  The time allotment for English shall be increased to 500 minutes per week for Grades 1 to 3, and 600 minutes or 10 hours per week for Grades 4 to 6;

•  In high school, the time allocation for English shall, likewise, be extended to 10 hours per week;

•  The time quota for Filipino in the current curriculum shall be maintained;

•  English shall be purposely enlivened as the language of interaction in schools; thus, English book, oratorical, reading, debating, writing and related student clubs shall be stimulated; and

•  The medium of instruction in tertiary, as well as in technical and vocational schools, shall be English, except in Filipino, which is taught as a subject.

There is no question that this legislation will raise the ire of those who equate speaking a “foreign” language as a slap on Filipino nationalism. A “national language” is, of course, part of the nation's culture and heritage and must be nurtured and preserved. However, there is no reason to believe that learning another language besides Filipino detracts from the national character. If that were the case, then there could be a strong argument made that even the numerous nationwide dialects ought to be eliminated. Or that the teaching of Arabic in Muslim homes and schools would consequently undermine the Filipino national personality.

However, the greatest opposition to English as the medium of instruction may come from the educators themselves. The reality is that most of the public-school teachers in this country have minimal English skills and are not qualified to use English in the classroom. If English is mandated as the language for instruction, it may be a case, in large measure, of the blind teaching the blind.

Before our students can be properly taught, it may require a year or two of instructions for the majority of classroom teachers to “make the grade” in English.

Part of the momentum behind Congressman Villafuerte's proposed law is the realization that the Philippines is projected to run out of qualified English speakers in the next five years. The students who will be seeking jobs in 2011 need to start learning English today. And after five years of instruction, they will be well qualified to compete in the global market with their English skills.

The problem is how do we get there from here?

Grandiose infrastructure projects may or may not happen. However, if that far-flung airport is not completed, it will be a missed opportunity, not an opportunity lost. That is, future jobs for the globally qualified are a reality, waiting for skilled employees. Either we will supply Filipinos for those jobs or some other countries' workers will take that employment.

Representative Villafuerte's bill is not as simple as it may seem. For this to work, it is going to take an incredible commitment and allocation of resources from both the public and private sectors. One of the bill's sponsors, Eduardo Gullas, is also the author of the “Adopt-a-School Program.” Private companies that provide financial resources to local public schools can gain a large tax advantage from their help. Under the program, contributing firms or individuals may deduct from their gross taxable income the amount equal to 150 percent of their assistance.

Unfortunately, most participating corporations have viewed this as community service, charity work, instead of what it truly is—an investment in their business future.

Every small and large business in the Philippines has a stake in making future generations competitive in the world market, and English skill is a part of that competitive qualification. The nation needs to improve its language skills. However, it will not be successfully accomplished without great private sector support.

So want to help the Philippines and earn a tax break? Adopt a school by helping them teach their students English.

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