(Eagle News)–The Commission on Higher Education on Wednesday, May 29, denied it was “anti-Filipino” even as it stood by its memo removing the Filipino and “Panitikan” subjects from the list of required subjects in college.
In a statement issued after the Supreme Court upheld its decision affirming the legality of CHEd Memorandum Order No. 20, series of 2013, CHEd chair Prospero de Vera reiterated the subjects were not abolished from the General Education Curriculum but were merely “transferred to the senior high school level since these are important building blocks in the preparation of senior high students to be university-ready when they graduate.”
“The Commission believes in the fundamental role played by language in education. To be properly cultivated, Filipino cannot merely be taught as a subject but must be used in oral and written forms across academic domains,” De Vera said.
De Vera called on all sectors to “respect and abide by” the SC decision, which denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the Alyansa ng mga Tagapagtanggol ng Wikang Filipino.
The group of academicians has said it would file a second MR.
“The (CHEd) lauds the timely and decisive resolution of the (SC)..,” De Vera said.
