Respect SC ruling on Filipino, Panitikan - CHED

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has called on the public to respect the Supreme Court (SC) decision affirming the removal of Filipino and Panitikan or Literature as core subjects in college.

CHED chairman J. Prospero de Vera III said the issue has been debated for too long. He called on all sectors to respect the SC ruling and allow the full implementation of the revised curriculum in higher education institutions.

“The accusation of critics that CHED is anti-Filipino is wrong. The commission believes in the fundamental role played by language in education,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“To be properly cultivated, Filipino cannot merely be taught as a subject, but must be used in oral and written forms, across academic domains,” he added.

The SC had earlier junked the appeal filed by Filipino advocates seeking the reversal of the previous ruling that affirmed a CHED memorandum removing Filipino and Panitikan as core subjects in college.

De Vera said the ruling recognized that CHED did not abolish Filipino and Panitikan as these were transferred to the senior high school level.