Historical Development of the Filipino
Philosophy
Filipino Philosophy of Education
By David A. Gualin
I.
Introduction
The Philippines is a country separated by
islands and due to its geography have different languages, personalities and
esteemed values. Add to this scenario, the
occupations of Spaniards, Americans, Japanese and the Marcos regime and the
ever changing political sphere of the country.
Hence, it is really difficult to pinpoint the Filipino way of thinking –
the Filipino Philosophy. “The issue on
Filipino identity is now taken for granted by scholars for they believe that it
is very impossible to reckon who really the original Filipino is. Indeed,
knowing directly the original Filipino is real impossibility. However…knowing
oneself takes a lot of detour and is a good beginning” (Suazo, n.d.). This report is one of those detours to
describe the historical development of the Filipino Philosophy of Education.
II.
Highlights







I.
Education
from Ancient Early Filipinos





1. Spaniards - came to liberate us from the
"enslavement of the devil."
2. Americans - came to liberate us from Spanish
oppression.
3. Japanese - came to liberate us from Amerian
imperialism.
4. Americans - liberate us from Japanese
fascism.
5. People Power - liberated ourselves from a
Filipino dictator and his cronies.
II.
Education
during the Spanish Colonial Period (1563-1896)








III.
Education
during the American colonial period (1898-1935)





1.
Elementary level consisted of four primary
years and 3 intermediate years.
2.
The secondary or high school level
consisted of four years;
3.
Third was the "college" or
tertiary level.







IV.
Education during the Japanese Occupation
Period (1941–45)







V.
Philippine
Independence (1946 – 1972)


1. All educational institutions shall be under
the supervision and subject to the regulation by the State.
2. Provide free primary instruction and citizenship
training to adult citizens.
3. Optional religious instruction shall be
maintained by law.
4. Create scholarships for especially gifted
citizens.
VI.
Marcos
Regime from the Proclamation of Martial Law (1972-1986)



1. All educational institutions shall be under
the supervision of, and subject to the regulation of the State.
2. Education shall be relevant to the goals of
national development.
3. All institutions of higher learning shall
enjoy academic freedom.
4. Educational institutions shall inculcate love
of country, teach the duties of citizenship, and develop moral character,
personal discipline and scientific and technological and vocational efficiency.
5. A system of free public elementary education
and, if finances permit, maintain at least up to the secondary level.
6. Provide citizenship and vocational training
to adult citizens and out-of-school youth
7. Create and maintain scholarships for poor and
deserving students.

1. Achieve and maintain an accelerating rate of
economic development and social progress.
2. Assure the maximum participation of all the
people in the attainment and enjoyment of the benefits of such growth.
3. Strengthen national consciousness and promote
desirable cultural values in a changing world.

1. Provide a broad education that will assist
each individual in the peculiar ecology of his own society.
2. Train the nation's manpower in the
middle-level skills required for national development.
3. Develop the high-level professions that will
provide leadership for the nation, advance knowledge through research and apply
new knowledge for improving the quality of human life
4. Respond effectively to changing needs and
condition of the nation through a system of educational planning and
evaluation.


(1)
The nature of the child is made the center of educative process.
(2)
The theory of self-activity is made the center or basis of learning.
(3)
The development of personality is made the primary aim of the New Education
(4)
Activity program is the core of the curriculum.

BATAS
PAMBANSA BILANG 232

1. Achieve and maintain an accelerating rate of
economic development and social progress.
2. Ensure the maximum participation of all the
people in the attainment and enjoyment of the benefits of such growth
3. Achieve and strengthen national unity and
consciousness and preserve, develop and promote desirable cultural moral and
spiritual values in a changing world.

"The
State shall promote the right of every individual to relevant quality
education, regardless of sex, age, creed, socio- eonomic status, physical
and mental conditions, racial or ethnic origin, political or other affiliation.
The state shall therefore promote and maintain quality of access to education
as well as the enjoyment of education by all its citizens."

VII.
“EDSA
People Power Revolution” on February 22-23, 1986 onwards

“All
educational institution shall inculcate patriotism and nationalism, foster love
of humanity, respect for human rights, appreciation of the role of national
heroes in the historical development of the country, teach the rights and
duties of citizenship, strengthen ethical and spiritual values, develop moral
character, and personal discipline, encourage critical and creative thinking
broaden scientific and technological knowledge and provide vocational efficiency.”


ARTICLE XIV (1987 CONSTITUTION)
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ARTS,
CULTURE AND SPORTS
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ARTS,
CULTURE AND SPORTS
Section 1.
The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education
at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education
accessible to all.
Sec. 2 (1)
System of education relevant to society.
Sec. 2 (2)
Free public education
Sec. 2 (3)
Scholarship program
Sec. 2 (4)
Non-formal, informal, and indigenous learning
Sec. 2 (5)
Special education and adult education
Sec. 3 (1)
Optional religious instruction.
Sec. 4 (1)
State power over educational institutions.
Sec. 4 (2)
Ownership and administration of schools
Sec. 4 (3)
Tax exemptions
Sec. 5 (1)
Regional and sectoral needs
Sec. 5 (2)
Academic freedom
Sec. 5 (2)
Right of every citizen to select a profession.
Sec. 5 (2)
Right of teachers to professional growth.


1.
Institutionalization of Early
Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)
2.
Universalization of Quality Primary
Education (UQPE)
3.
Eradication of Illiteracy
4.
Continuing Education and Development






VIII.
Conclusion
The historical development of Filipino
Educational Philosophy shows the strong influence of religion and the Western
world even after the efforts of the Japanese to instil the idea of Filipinos as
Orientals and even after Independence, the separation of the church and state, and
the People Power Revolution. Religious
educational philosophies are found in the 1986 Constitution where the focus is
on spiritual, ethical and moral values. Western
ideals of education, such as those advocated by John Dewey, are obviously
ingrained in the Presidential Decreee 6-A known as the Educational Development
Decree of 1972, to the Educational Act of 1982 and even until the present K-12
program of the Department of Education.
The identification of Dewey with democratic thinking and living and the
upheld Democratic Constitution of the Philippines is most likely the cause of
similarity. Hence, this report concludes
that majority of Filipino Philosophy in Education is aligned with either
religious thought or Western concepts.
But “What needs more emphasis, and has been forgotten in the decades of figuring
out Filipino philosophy, is the necessity of showing that we as a people are
capable of thinking for ourselves” (Abellanosa, n.d.).
IX.
Recommendation
It is difficult to choose intelligently what
should be a public school teachers’ educational philosophy. Should it be based on Dewey as most educators
are? Or, based on the middle ages’
scholasticisms which the Spaniards have first pioneered in the Philippines? Or should it be based on one’s own thinking?
After going through the history
of educational philosophy in the Philippines, it is obvious that Philippine
history has shown the prevalence of religion and Western thought in Philippine
education. It is important then that
other educational philosophies need to be explored and learned by the teacher
before deciding which one should best suit her in her practice of
teaching. What is important, I think, is
that we should choose intelligently and take into consideration the strengths
and weaknesses of all known educational philosophies. In choosing intelligently, the teacher should
(1) read more about the Philosophy she is interested with and not be content
with the reports in class, (2) reflect on the readings together with the
present situation of education – what we need is less teacher talk and more
student activity in our respective classes and (3) write about our
philosophies, either through educational papers like this recommendation or
through our personal diaries. From what
I have read, I have found that a teacher’s philosophy of education is the
teacher’s very basic core in defining the direction and future of teaching.
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