August 2012
Language policy, rights, & multilingual services
Cultural protection & development, diversity planning, & mother tongue-based education
Panangipateg iti nakairuaman a pagsasao ken panangital-o ti dadduma pay baet ti
panaglilinnangen, adal, ken ekonomia a panagdur-as ti probinsia!
LOCAL & REGIONAL HAPPENINGS
Mother Tongue Conference for Higher Education
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), in partnership with leading Teacher Education
Institutions (TEIs) of Region 1, hosted a conference to jumpstart the updating of teacher education
programs in line with the Department of Education’s new mother tongue policy in elementary school.
Over 600 students, faculty, and deans attended the conference held over two days. The first day targeted
TEIs of La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte provinces, held on August 1st, 2012 at St. Louis College
in San Fernando City, La Union. The second day was held on August 2nd at Colegio de Dagupan for
TEIs of Pangasinan province. The host institutions are Centers of Excellence and Development in
Teacher Education, respectively.
Dr. Caridad Abuan, Regional Director for CHED-R1
(standing at podium), greets resource persons (sitting at
dias) and participants at the “Regional Capability Building
Seminar for Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education”,
intended specifically for Teacher Education Institutions.
Regardless of one’s stance on mother tongue-based education, it is now an integral part of the K-12
system and going full blast at the elementary level. One major concern is the lack of coordination
between higher and basic education. Elementary teachers receive their degrees in TEIs supposedly
knowing everything they need to know to be successful on the job. But there are very few colleges and
universities which have actually updated their teacher ed programs to account for the new mother tongue
paradigm.
The Region 1 event, entitled “Regional Capability Building Seminar for Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education (MTBMLE)” addressed this very problem. The TEIs (37 represented) were
given an overview of what MTBMLE is really about, and what TEIs need to do to prepare future
elementary teachers.
The Department of Education–Region 1, led by Dr. Teresita M. Velasco and represented by Dr. Marcelli
Macob, described the roll-out of MTBMLE at the elementary level. Dr. Catherine Young of Summer
Institute of Linguistics presented the MTBMLE curriculum essentials for teacher education. Mr. Firth
McEachern situated mother tongue education in the broader context of human rights, sustainable
development, and the sociolinguistic situation of the Philippines.
Some colleges and universities around the country
have had the foresight to already include mother
tongue in their programs. Holy Angel University has
a required subject on Kapampangan language,
culture, and geography in its College of Education.
Mariano Marcos State University has a required
subject called “Educ 136: Teaching Elementary
School Subjects Using Ilokano as a Medium of
Instruction” and further uses Ilokano in Lit 101,
required of all BSEd Lit majors. The Polytechnic
College of La Union requires all Bachelor of
Elementary Education (BEEd) students to take a
class on Iluko culture and literature. UP Tacloban is
introducing Waray into its BEEd program this year.
Ifugao State University and Philippine Normal
University meanwhile offer complete MA programs
in Multilingual Education and MTBMLE,
respectively.
A handful of other universities have managed to
integrate local languages in other fields, such as
engineering (Bohol University, Catanduanes State
Colleges), philosophy (Ateneo de Naga),
communications (UP Cebu, West Visayas State
University, University of Northern Philippines), and
literature (Southern Philippines Foundation). The
integration of local languages in various fields is still
helpful for teachers-to-be as they can take electives
or fulfil Gen Ed requirements that further hone their
mother tongue skills.
Gradually, the need for systemic change has become
apparent. Higher Education Institutions can play
with a few units here and there to incorporate some
local language in their curricula, but if upcoming
teachers are to effectively teach in the mother
Top: Dr. Catherine Young reviews the curricular
tongue, they need a lot more academic support than
essentials for people learning to become mother
the status quo offers. The current BEEd
tongue-based multilingual teachers. Middle: Mr. Firth
McEachern gives a tour of the universities/colleges in
requirements, which stipulate 12 units of English
the Philippines that have incorporated local languages
instruction and 6 units of Filipino, were promulgated
in their degree programs. Bottom: Prof. Florentina
Lanuza of University of Luzon involves the Pangasinan
by the CHED in 2004. The General Ed requirements
audience in the telling of a children’s story in the
came out even longer ago (1996), stipulating 9 units
Pangasinan language.
of English and Filipino, respectively. Not a single
unit of any other language is enjoined by these curricula, yet at least 13 languages are being used as
mediums of instruction this year around the country! The General Education and BEEd curricula predate
the institutionalization of mother tongue education and thus do not fully meet the needs of today’s
educators.
At the recent conference, hundreds of participants reviewed, commented, and signed a resolution
expressing support for CHED to study and revise the current requirements in line with the multilingual
Philippine educational setting. The resolution is available for general viewing at www.chedregion1.info.
Mother Tongue Day Care Training Continues
Bacnotan is now among the municipalities of La Union that has trained its day care teachers on using the
native language, Ilokano, in day care classes. The Municipal Social Welfare & Development Office
(MSWDO) hosted a Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) training at the
Municipal Hall on from August 6-7, 2012. The training re-echoed the head training held for select
representatives of each municipality last April at the Senior Citizens Center, Department of Social
Welfare and Development, San Fernando, La Union. Bacnotan is the 17th municipality in the Province to
train all their day care workers on the principles and methods of MTBMLE (following Town of Bangar,
which hosted their training July 11-13). The use of mother tongue in day care is in line with national law
(RA 8980, which calls for the first language as the medium of instruction in ECCD system) and made
urgent by the ongoing implementation of mother tongue in Kindergarten and subsequent elementary
school years.
Above right: MTBMLE facilitators, Ms. Shiela Bugayong (Education Program Supervisor
of DepEd San Fernando City Division) and Mr. Firth McEachern (Consultant, Provincial
Government of La Union), flank Mayor Ma. Minda Fontanilla of Bacnotan during the
Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education training for Bacnotan day care teachers
(seen below, seated).
Schools embrace a multilingual Buwan ng Wika (“Month of Language”)
In the spirit of the Department of Education’s Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education
(MTBMLE) policy, several schools in La Union revised their Buwan ng Wika programs this year.
Instead of just celebrating the national language, Saint Louis College and Santo Tomas National High
School incorporated the mother tongue in their language activities.
The Buwan ng Wika is spearheaded every year by the Commission on Filipino Language (CFL, also
known as the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, or KWF, in Filipino). While the theme chosen by the CFL
tends to (but not always) revolve around the national language, administrators are beginning to see the
value in opening up the month’s festivities to other languages, especially the mother tongue. This is in
support of CFL’s constitutional mandate to develop, propogate, and preserve Filipino and other
languages (Article XIV, Section 9). With activities taking place in Filipino and various mother tongues,
a multilingual Buwan ng Wika encourages creative output of children in multiple languages and thereby
assists the implementation of DepEd’s MTBMLE policy.
This year, Saint Louis College included an Ilokano singing portion in the contest entitled Himig Pinoy
for the first time ever, with 1st and 2nd Year high school students required to sing Ilokano songs, while
3rd and 4th Year students sang Tagalog songs. Next year the organizers hope to include Ilokano in other
activities too, including possibly a writing exercise and games (“Scrabiloko”) with the help of
facilitators.
Santo Thomas National High School, in addition to hosting song and dance competitions abiding to the
national theme issued by the CFL, “Tatag ng Wikang Filipino, Lakas ng Pagka-Pilipino,” held a essay
writing challenge in Ilokano, prompted by the question, “Apay a masapol nga ayaten ti Iloko?”
Around 25 students took up the challenge and wrote on the spot essays. Having never formerly learned
the language in school, it was very impressive that the top students were able to write lengthy and wellcrafted responses.
Further afield, the University of the Philippines–Baguio also celebrated a pluralistic “Buwan ng Mga
Wika at Kulturang Filipino” this year, with a variety of events spanning August.
Alimpatok: New Ilokano Erotic Poetry
Alimpatok, an anthology of
Ilokano erotic poetry, was
“double-launched” on August
3, 2012. The first launch of
the book was held at a poetry
reading session at the Library
of the University of the
Philippines Baguio, as part of
the
Buwan
ng
Wika
celebration of the University.
The second launch occurred
later the same day in a poetry
jamming at Mt. Cloud
Bookshop, Baguio City. The book, edited by Ariel S. Tabag, Roy V. Aragon and Mighty C. Rasing, is
the first Ilokano erotic book, featuring erotic poems by 33 Ilokano poets in the Philippines and abroad.
The 140-page book measures 6x9 inches. Please contact Ariel Tabag at asseng.tabag@gmail.com or
Mighty Rasing ( mightyrasing@gmail.com ) for any queries.
NATIONAL HAPPENINGS
GMA Bikol Launch
GMA Network, Inc. opened its newest regional facility on August 10, located in Naga City, Camarines
Sur.
Before the opening of the facility, the satellite GMA Channel 7 (located in Naga and simply relaying
Manila content) reached an estimated total of 229,696 households. The upgraded GMA TV Bicol, on the
other hand, will provide localized news and entertainment programs, and reach an estimated total of
520,178 households across Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Sorsogon.
With the launch of GMA TV Bikol, the network giant now broadcasts in 5 languages across the country
(Tagalog out of Manila and Dagupan; Bisaya out of Cebu and Davao; Hiligaynon out of Iloilo; Ilokano
out of Vigan; and Bikol).
National Celebration of Buwan ng Wika – Strengthening Filipino languages
The country celebrated National Language Month (Buwan ng Wika) this August as public schools
nationwide started implementing the DepEd’s mother-tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE)
from Kinder up to Grade 3. Here, the medium of instruction used in discussing class lessons is the
language used at home by the learners.
According to Bro. Armin Luistro, the Secretary of Education, this strategy was bolstered by studies
showing mother-tongue based education develops fast and better learners who are more ready to learn a
second and a third language. In light of this education reform, it is only natural that this year the
Department of Education, in cooperation with the Commission on Filipino Language, celebrate the
important roles that both the national language and other native languages play in education and nation
building.
The August celebration was divided into four weeks with each week espousing a different theme. The
week of August 1 to 7 highlighted the 75th year of pushing Filipino in Philippine education and its use
in official communication and correspondence. August 8 to 14 is about Filipino and other languages
within the context of K+12 and MTB-MLE and how the use of mother tongue can enrich the national
language. August 15 to 21 highlighted Filipino and regional languages as promoting peace . [Adapted from
the Business Mirror]
Legislation Advancing Filipino Sign Language
The Filipino deaf community is currently supporting lawmakers, through the help of Alliance of
Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party List representative Antonio Tinio and Rep. Teddy Casiño, in passing
several relevant House bills to benefit their stakeholders.
Among them is House Bill (HB) 6079 which pushes for the declaration of FSL as the national sign
language of the Filipino deaf. HB 4121, meanwhile, pushes for the use of sign language interpretation
inset in television news programs, while HB 4631 is a bill that would give access to sign language
interpreters in Philippine courts.
In 1907, the American Sign Language (ASL) was introduced to the Filipino deaf community through the
School for the Deaf and Blind, now known as the Philippine School for the Deaf. ASL has since
influenced FSL, the Filipino sign language.
“FSL is a unique language. It has its own grammar, structure, syntax, which is different from the spoken
language. It’s also the mark of identity of deaf Filipinos,” explains Mackie Calbay, program coordinator
of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Deaf Education.
“In terms of grammar, there are differences and similarities between FSL and ASL. There are
similarities in terms of hand shapes, positioning, hand location, movement, facial expression, and palm
orientation. But the conversation and discourse are different depending on the culture. For example here
in the Philippines, we have a sign for flooding inside the house, a term ASL does not have because they
don’t experience it as often,” explains Raphael Domingo, who is the Education Access for the Deaf
coordinator for DLS-CSB and a member of the Special Education (SpEd) Council of the Department of
Education (DepEd).
Domingo explains that the use of FSL by deaf Filipinos has increased through the years. In 2007, about
60 percent of deaf Filipinos were using ASL while 40 percent used FSL. Today, they recorded that
about 54 percent of deaf Filipinos use FSL compared to ASL. [Adapted from article by Angelo Garcia, Aug 19,
2012]
Threatened Ilokano Craft Sees New Light
When GMA 7 ran a preview of its teleserye version (TV miniseries) of the epic “Biag ni Lam-Ang,” the
Ilocano folk hero was dressed in a bahag (“g-string”). The cultural cognoscenti lambasted the production
for inaccuracy. Authenticity should have led GMA to render the series in Ilokano (with Tagalog or
English subtitles), and the Lam-Ang hero should have been decked in striped trousers and patterned
shirt, made from abel, the handwoven fabric of the Ilocos region.
“The abel has been part of the Ilocano’s life cycle,” says Al Valenciano, an artist who founded Balay ni
Atong, a study center in Abra specializing in traditional textiles from the north.
From birth, the infant is traditionally wrapped in abel. In adulthood, one uses the abel in weddings, or it
is given as a gift. The abel is also used as blanket. In death, the corpse is wrapped in abel. The fabric is
also passed on as an inheritance.
At Balay ni Atong, the abel is given a modern spin as it is utilized in lampshades, furniture upholstery,
wall tapestry and tableware.
Work from the Balay was exhibited on Aug. 22 at the Pintô Museum, Antipolo City, and at the
Rockwell Power Plant, Makati City, from Aug. 24 to 26.
Seamless joinery on the Ilokano abel blanket with
whirlwind pattern. The pattern is believed to drive away
evil spirits because of the dizzying patterns.
The Ilokano epic recorded in the 16th century,
“Biag ni Lam-Ang,” holds many references to the
value given the weaving tradition. In the olden
days, a proper lady had to know how to weave on
the loom. Cotton farming was vital to the textile
tradition and many old Ilocano words were coined
as references to the craft. In the pre-Spanish era,
Ilocanos bartered cotton for gold. During the
Colonial Period, the Spaniards considered the
cotton and textiles of superior quality, and used
abel Iloko even for the sails of Spanish galleons.
According to historian Norma Respicio, many
towns were known for their unique design weaves
using the pedal-frame loom.
The designs can be as simple as the tricolor stripes, worn by people
working in the fields; plaids are used in skirts. Then there are realist
patterns that reflect the Ilokano’s bucolic lifestyle—plants, animals and
human figures. Some patterns, such as the chicken and bird, are considered
lucky and are found in blankets and mantles. The kissing fish on the
blanket is believed to invoke fertility. Grids of geometric patterns, ridges,
textured flowers are result of a more complicated weaving techniques.
These patterns are commonly made for garment material. Abel Iloko can
also incorporate patterns of eyes, small diamonds, guavas, turtles,
serpentine lines and zigzags of rivers. One of the most popular weaves is
the binakul, characterized by circuitous patterns and squares and rectangles
against a scintillating grid of lines and circles.
Abel Iloko designs are used
in a modern context in this
stool by Lilia Manahan
During the American Period, dyed yarns and cotton were being imported,
thereby creating less demand for the local goods. The abel was no longer a
premium product. Weaving was interrupted by the war but revived during the latter part of the Japanese
Occupation. In postwar years, the market was inundated with imported fabrics. Over time, the weaving
tradition slowly waned as the younger generation preferred to work in the city or abroad instead of
continuing the weaving tradition. Valenciano, through the work of Balay ni Atong, has been working
with weavers to keep the craft alive. [Adapted from Inquirer Article by Marge Enriquez, Aug 20, 2012. Photos by
Nelson Matawaran].
Nevada Election Material Now Available in Tagalog
For the first time ever in a general election in Nevada,
ballots and other election materials are available in
Tagalog, the language many Filipino-Americans speak.
It is mandated by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act
which requires that if a minority group reaches 10,000
citizens who are not proficient in English - or those
limited-English speakers become five percent of the
voting-age population - voting materials must be
available in their language.
All election-related materials, such sample ballots, brochures and voting instructions, pamphlets, voting
machines, notices, and polling booths signs must be provided in such threshold languages.
The determinations are made every ten years following the census. Data released last October revealed
that Filipinos in the U.S. reached the threshold in four new jurisdictions. While the number of Filipinos
is being treated as a proxy for the number who speak Tagalog, there are many languages in the
Philippines and it is unclear how large the Filipino-American populations representing each Philippine
language are. The linguistic diversity of Filipinos, along with relatively high rates of English
proficiency, may explain why only around 180 requests for Tagalog-medium voting materials have been
made [Adapted from Examiner article by Bert Eliera, Aug 23, 2012].
Agay-ayat kadakayo amin!
Prepared by Firth M. McEachern | Consultant, Office of the Governor | Province of La Union | firth.mce@gmail.com