Ilocos school kicks out students for speaking Iloko

MANILA, Philippines - A Christian school in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte expelled students for speaking in their native tongue Iloko allegedly without due process, a local writer said.

Riknakem.net owner Herdy Yumul said in a blog post Tuesday, Saviour's Christian Academy president Pastor Brian Shah, a Singaporean national, recently kicked out grade 8 pupils Kleinee Bautista and Carl Abadilla after they violated the school's rule to only converse in English within its premises.

"The experience has been traumatic for both kids. Kleinee did not eat for days and could not sleep. Carl felt very hurt and nawalan na ng gana. At a young age, they bear the stigma of being kick-outs," Yumul said, citing a conversation he had with their parents.

Abadilla and Kleinee were only the latest among those dismissed by the school over the no-Iloko rule, and not all of the students were able to recover immediately.

"Fortunately for Carl, Divine Word College of Laoag accepted him with wide open arms. As of this writing, Kleinee is still an out-of-school youth," Yumul said.

The school handbook which Yumul posted on his blog shows, however, that "speaking the vernacular inside the campus" can only be punishable by a "reprimand" and not expulsion.

"The due process includes giving a warning first, and then a conference with parents. Why and how Shah could get away with due process and arbitrarily ‘kick out’ students is something the family of Carl Abadilla, another dismissed student, could not understand," he said.

The Department of Education has adopted a mother-tongue based multilingual instruction or MTB-MLE scheme in local schools since 2012 to be implemented under the K to 12 Basic Education Program.

A letter issued by Saviour's Christian Academy to student Carl Abadilla. (Screengrab from Riknakem.net)

A portion of the Saviour's Christian Academy student handbook. (Screengrab from Riknakem.net)

The program introduces the use of 12 major languages Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao, and Chabacano in teaching.

"The MTB-MLE aims improve the pupil’s language and cognitive development as well as his or her socio-cultural awareness," Education Secretary Armin Luistro had said.