Punctuated Dominance: MTB-MLE and the Temporary Displacement of English in Philippine Education
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
9-30-2025
Abstract
The enactment of a Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy in 2009 represents a significant break from two powerful norms in the Philippines: (a) the colonial ideologies that cemented the place and privilege of the English language in Philippine education, and (b) the pressure to intensify internationalization of education through strengthening English language policies in schools. A study of policy documents and interviews with key figures who helped shape and pass the policy were used to explore how the MTB-MLE breakthrough was achieved. A dedicated network of multisectoral advocates navigated through institutional challenges, reframed language discourses from binary to a more inclusive approach, and built effective partnerships with key government actors to achieve this policy shift. However, this success needs to be qualified because of the necessary compromises and structural limitations of the reform. At most, advocates of MTB-MLE were able to bend, but not break, the deep-seated hegemony of English in Philippine policymaking.
Nang naisabatas ang Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), naudlot ang dalawang makapangyarihang pwersa sa Pilipinas: (a) ang ideolohiyang kolonyal na nagpangibabaw ng wikang Ingles sa edukasyon, at (b) ang pangangailangang palakasin ang internasyonalisasyon ng edukasyon sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalakas sa mga polisiyang maka-Ingles. Mula sa pagsuri ng mga dokumento at mga panayam sa mga naghubog at nagsulong ng polisiya, ipinaliwanag kung paano nakamit ang tagumpay ng MTB-MLE. Isang mulisektoral na samahan ng mga tagapagtanggol ng MTB-MLE ang tahasang humarap sa mga institusyonal na hamon, gumamit ng mas ingklusibong diskursong pangwika, at nakipag-ugnayan sa mga mahahalagang opisyal ng pamahalaan upang maipasa ito. Gayon man, limitado ang nakamit nilang tagumpay buhat ng mga kinailangang pakikipagkompromiso, pati na ng mga hangganan ng balangkas ng pulitika at ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. Naibuktot ngunit hindi tuluyang nabali ng mga tagapagsulong ng MTB-MLE ang pananaig ng gahum ng Ingles sa polisiya ng bansa.
Recommended Citation
Torio, J. A., & Candelaria, A. L. K. (2025). PUNCTUATED DOMINANCE: MTB-MLE and the temporary displacement of English in Philippine education. In The Routledge Handbook of English Language Education in the Philippines (pp. 25-39). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032621395-4
