Philippine lawmaker calls for foreign language studies in basic education

Manila, April 23 A member of the Philippine House of Representatives has filed a resolution urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to include foreign language studies other than English in school curriculum.

House of Representatives Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan filed the resolution as the DepEd reviews the K-12 program, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said Filipino students must draw inspiration from national hero Jose P. Rizal, who was said to be conversant in 22 languages.

In his resolution, Libanan said that "the whole world has become a global village with multilingual labour markets, thus creating a strong demand for workers with foreign language skills".

He added that global corporations based in large economies such as the US and China have been known to prefer hiring staff who can speak a second foreign language besides English.