Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chairperson Patricia Licuanan is scheduled to appear today before the House Committee on Appropriations’ budget briefing to discuss and defend the memorandum circular seeking the removal of Filipino subjects from the college general education curriculum (GEC). Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the House leadership will ask Licuanan to clarify her agency’s circular following fears that the dropping of Filipino subjects in the general education curriculum will likely displace more teachers. “I will have someone pin her on it during the CHEd’s budget hearing,” he said. Belmonte joined his colleagues in asking Licuanan to review the circular, citing the need to retain the nine units of Filipino subjects in the tertiary curriculum. Gabriela party-list Rep. Luz Ilagan, a former professor, asked CHED to review its directive to do away with Filipino subjects that will be taught in the K-to-12 program. “I agree that language courses are very important for a well- rounded liberal education. And if the language is a national language, then it contributes to strengthening a sense of national identity and cohesiveness. However, I also believe that the teaching of Filipino can be both functional and patriotic if it is properly taught and the number of units will not be burdensome. Six units will do, three units mandatory and three units elective,” she said in an interview. “There are more non-Tagalog speakers in our country who feel burdened by the difficult and mandatory Filipino. As a former teacher from Mindanao, I have witnessed the adverse effects of a heavy Filipino requirement. But I also appreciate the value of a unifying national language,” she pointed out. Ilagan said she may not have time to grill Licuanan since she has to attend the House Committee on Justice hearing on the three impeachment complaints against President Aquino. She is one of the endorsers of the ouster complaint against the President in connection with the Aquino administration’s signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States. Professors and students of Filipino courses at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City strongly opposed the CHEd order, insisting that language courses must remain as an important part of general education. Ilagan’s fellow minority opposition bloc members, 1-BAP party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello III and Isabela Rep. Rodolfo “Rodito” Albano also questioned the removal of Filipino subjects from the tertiary GEC following fears that the dropping of Filipino subjects in the general education curriculum will likely displace more teachers.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 11:10:47 +0000
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