The Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI) expressed its support for the new directive in the education sector to adopt Filipino and English as the primary media of instruction for Kindergarten to Grade 3.

CCPI, the country’s oldest business group, described the move as a “bold and inclusive step forward” for addressing long-standing challenges in the education sector.

In particular, the group said it will resolve issues related to the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy, particularly in linguistically diverse and resource-constrained classrooms.

Over the weekend, DepEd issued department order No. 20, s. 2025 to end the mandatory use of the mother tongue in early-grade instruction nationwide, beginning School Year 2025–2026.

The policy follows the enactment of Republic Act (RA) No. 12027, which discontinues the mandatory use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction, reverting it to Filipino and English.

Through this law, which amended a provision of RA No. 10533, stated that regional languages shall instead serve as auxiliary media of instruction.

RA No. 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act, previously mandated the MTB-MLE policy for learners in Kindergarten to Grade 3.

CCPI said the new order by the DepEd aligns with the organization’s economic compass pillars 5 (ECOMP-P5) advocacy.

ECOMP-P5 is CCPI’s core advocacy that strives to “rebuild the Philippines’ glorious past and navigate the future.”

The policy falls under the pillar titled, “The Filipino and education, compass: top of the world,” specifically under the provision, “best education.”

“Every Filipino has access to the best education system in academics, critical thinking, new technology and other fields, including universal family and moral values, Philippine cultural values, ethics, good manners and right conduct, and must be correctly bilingual in Filipino, English, plus another dialect or language,” it read.

CCPI President Jose Luis Yulo Jr. said the policy now places the Filipino child at the “center of education policy.”

“It bridges learning gaps, supports comprehension, and aligns our learners with global competencies,” he said.

Yulo said the group is also calling for the repeal of RA No. 12027 given its “potential to hinder the full and unified implementation of the department’s new learner-focused framework.”

“CCPI remains committed to working with education leaders, stakeholders, and communities to build an educational system that prepares every Filipino to reach their highest potential and capabilities,” he added.