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Mother tongue as a medium of instruction: Sen. Win Gatchalian stresses that Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2457 intends to stay faithful to the theory of the use of the mother tongue as a medium of instruction. Gatchalian, defending SBN 2457 or An Act Redefining the Application of the Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, said that based on 39 different researches that were undertaken, every research material pointed to the mother tongue that should be used in monolingual classes. He said even UNESCO pointed out that if the setting is multi-lingual, there is a case that the mother tongue would be abandoned. “We're staying true to the recommendation and to the research that mother tongue should only be applied in monolingual class,” Gatchalian said at the resumption of the interpellation on the measure on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The senator explained that the child will learn faster using the mother tongue or technically called “the L1.” He added: “We are limiting the application of mother tongue to monolingual classes as prescribed by the research material and also by experts.” (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)