Republic Act No. 12027

[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 12027, October 10, 2024 ]

AN ACT DISCOUNTING THE USE OF THE MOTHER TONGUE AS MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION FROM KINDERGARTEN TO GRADE 3, PROVIDING FOR ITS OPTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION IN MONOLINGUAL CLASSES, AND AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 4 AND 5 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10533, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "ENHANCED BASIC EDUCATION ACT OF 2013"

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Discounting the Use of the Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction. - The use of the Mother Tongue as medium of instruction from kindergarten to the first three (3) years of elementary education under Section 4 of Republic Act No. 10533, otherwise known as "An Act Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by Strengthening its Curriculum and Increasing the Number of Years for Basic Education, Appropriating Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes", is hereby discontinued.

The medium of instruction shall revert to Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English, pursuant to Article XIV, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution. The regional languages shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction.

Section 2. The Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in Monolingual Classes; Requirements; Monolingual Classes and Language Mapping. - The principles and framework of MTB-MLE as embodied under Section 5(f) of Republic Act No. 10533 may be applied in monolingual classes: Provided, That the Mother Tongue to be used as medium of instruction shall comply with following requirements: an official orthography developed and published by the Komisyon saWikang Filipino (KWF); officially documented vocabulary published by the MWF such as glossary, dictionary, encyclopedia, or thesaurus; literature on languages and culture, such as big books, small books, picture stories, or wordless picture books; grammar book; and availability of teachers in the school who speak and are trained to teach in the Mother Tongue.

For purposes of this Act, a monolingual class shall refer to a group of learners who speak the same Mother Tongue and are enrolled in the same graded level in a given school year.ℒαwρhi৷ The Department of Education (DepEd) shall, in consultation with the KWF, develop a language mapping policy within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act and implement a language mapping framework to properly identify and classify learners based on their Mother Tongue in order to systematically determine the existence of monolingual classes per year.

Section 3. Reportorial Requirement. - Three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act and every three (3) years thereafter, the DepEd shall conduct a review of the optional implementation of the MTB-MLE Program in monolingual classes, including learner assessment, teacher recruitment and matching, development of learning resources published in the Mother Tongue, capacity-building efforts for teachers, and funding requirements for the program. The report shall be submitted to the President, the Senate of the Philippines, and the House of Representatives not later than June 30 following the year of review. The report shall also include recommendations to address gaps in the law and/or the implementation of this Act.

The report shall further include recommendations on whether to continue or discontinue the optional use of the Mother Tongue as medium of instruction in monolingual classes based on the review conducted by the DepEd.

Section 4. Administrative Sanctions. - Violations of the provisions of this Act shall be subject to administrative sanctions based on relevant laws.

Section 5. Appropriations. - The amount needed for the implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the DepEd. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Section 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). - Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd, the KWF, and other education stakeholders shall issue the rules and regulations implementing its provisions. This IRR issued pursuant to this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

Section 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and effect.

Section 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees, administrative orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

Section 9. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following the completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,

(SGD.) FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZ
Speaker of the House of Representatives (SGD.) FRANCIS "CHIZ" G. ESCUDERO
President of the Senate

This Act was passed by the Senate of the Philippines as Senate Bill No. 2457 on July 23, 2024 and adopted by the House of Representatives as an amendment to House Bill No. 6717 on August 6, 2024.

(SGD.) REGINALD S. VELASCO
Secretary General House of Representatives (SGD.) RENATO N. BANTUG, JR.
Secretary of the Senate

Approved: Lapsed into law on OCT 10 2024 without the signature of the President, in accordance with Article VI, Section 27(1) of the Constitution.

FERDINAND ROMUALDEZ MARCOS JR.
President of the Philippines

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