EDITORIAL | TONGUE-TIED

| Cha Villadolid

Language is not just a means of communication—it is identity, history, and culture given form. And yet, here we are in 2025, arguing over whether an English-Only Policy (EOP) is needed to regulate how Filipino students study and interact in schools.

The recent imposition of the EOP in a particular college in Laguna, mandating all official transactions and interactions be in English has once again raised a searing question: Does fluency in the English language really make Filipinos globally competitive, or does it succeed in solidifying the erasure of our linguistic identity?

The college’s administration stood up for the policy, asserting that it puts students out of their comfort zones and forces them to become better English speakers. But at what expense? Although English is certainly the world language, must our education system continue to give it priority over our national and regional tongues? In some studies, it has been proven that prioritizing English in schools pushes native languages to the sidelines, weakening cultural identity and diversity. As students and teachers shift to using English for academics and work, indigenous languages slowly fade, risking their eventual disappearance. The proposition that proficiency in English translates to wisdom and success is silencing.

The former President of the college recently spoke regarding the issue, declaring that policies like these build walls rather than open doors to quality learning. The University of the Philippines (UP) Sentro ng Wikang Filipino stated that such policies contribute to perpetuating our national language in the periphery, further solidifying a colonial mindset that regards Filipino and other indigenous languages as second-class.

Even the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has intervened, asking the college for an explanation of the rationale and purpose of the policy. It is not surprising that it should. It is inexcusable for a college or university to urge an agenda that diminishes the importance of multilingualism and linguistic diversity.

Urging institutions to change their stance on this is imperative. Education policies must empower students, not render them subservient in language. English language proficiency is valuable, but never at the cost of our identity and cultural pride.

If the aim is to produce globally competitive graduates, then the answer is not an English-Only Policy but a multilingual policy that develops language proficiency in both English and Filipino while giving due respect to both languages. In the case of the Philippine Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy. According to UP Department of Linguistics, this is premised on starting with “Where the learners are, and from what they already know,” Additionally, this policy is foundational, geared towards the advancement of education by beginning with the student’s first language and the moderate imposition of other languages, such as English, with deep focus on fostering the student’s first language mastery.

Although heavily criticized for its lack of progression or development, this is an example of effectively implementing multilingual education as a way to bridge the two languages together. There is no reason to actively impose a foreign language over our mother tongue; instead, bond them together because real progress lies not in the erasure of our language heritage for a foreign language but in embracing the rich diversity that makes us Filipinos.

Let not our tongues be tied when we say this: Language is identity. Let us not give it away so easily