Gullas’ English bill gains wide support

Members of the legislative-executive development advisory council or Ledac, which was presided by President Arroyo herself, approved unanimously during their meeting last December 11 at Malacañang that the English Bill principally authored by Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas be made a “priority measure.”

By priority measure, Gullas said it is now easier for his bill—which mandates the use of English as a medium of instruction in all curriculum levels — to get through both Houses of Congress without objections, especially that the president herself has actually endorsed it for passage. The council is composed of congressmen, senators and some cabinet members.

Apart from its being made into a priority bill, 205 congressmen have already signed as co-authors of the bill, while two more, including Rep Juan Miguel Arroyo, have expressed their willingness to also co-author it.

Gullas believes that before the first quarter of this year, or before the 14th Congress closes for the summer break, House Bill 305 or an Act To Strengthen and Enhance the Use of English as the Medium of Instruction in Philippine Schools or what he terms simply as the English Bill, will be passed on third and final reading.

And although the Senate has one and a half years to work on it, since it is now a Ledac priority measure, the congressman foresees that by 2009 the bill will finally become a law.

The bill — which also mandates the use of English in examinations for admission, accreditation, acceleration and promotion — was already approved on third and final reading in early 2006 during the 13th Congress. However; when it was transmitted to the Senate for approval, then Senator Juan Flavier opted to prefer his Senate President pro-tempore position that the Senate committee on education was left out, Gullas explained. He had to refile the bill at the start of the 14th Congress.

Gullas said that during the Ledac meeting, Education Secretary Jeslie Lapus fully supported his bill, which was also easily accepted by the president, resulting in its unanimous approval by the rest of the council members.

As his support, Speaker Jose de Venecia even scribbled on the first page of the 12-page document an appeal to majority leader Arthur Defensor to approve it as “our best Christmas gift to the nation.”

The English bill provides that English, Filipino or the local dialect may be used as the medium of instruction in all subjects from preschool until Grade II.

However, English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects in all levels in the elementary and secondary; and from Grade III to Grade VI and in all levels in secondary, the medium of instruction in all subjects shall be English. The current language policy as prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education will be maintained at the tertiary level.

“In addition to formal instruction, the use of English shall be encouraged as a language of interaction in school,” said the bill.

“Corollary to this, the organization of English shall be encouraged. In school publications, the use of English shall be given priority as far as practicable,” it added.

Gullas earlier said that for the past 12 years, the proficiency of Filipinos in English, which was once considered as the country’s advantage to other Asian countries for decades, has deteriorated.

The “bilingual policy” or the use of English and Filipino in teaching introduced by the Department of Education in 1974, according to him, has resulted in a setback in the learning of English.

“This bill aims to correct the defects of the current Bilingual Education Program of the Department of Education. Its ultimate objective is the improvement of the learning process in schools to ensure quality outputs,” Gullas said.

A total of 207 members of the House of Representatives are supporting the bill.

Gullas, whose family owns the University of the Visayas, said he was happy that “we now have the signatures of 206 members of the House as co-authors, plus my own.” He said he believes that with such wide support from the 240-member chamber, his proposal is as good as passed already. (Liv Campo and JST)