The need to be proficient in the use of English among non-native speakers has become a global phenomenon. Today, educators are faced with the challenge of addressing the needs of the growing number of students whose primary language is not English (Gibson, 2003). While mastering other skills and content in other subject areas, there is the necessity for these learners to gain proficiency in English.

Since the Philippines embraced the English language from the American colonizers, the Philippines today is the fifth largest English-speaking country in the world and second in the continent of Asia (Wikipedia). Filipinos should be proud of this because English is the “world language,” the lingua franca of the modern era. But the question is, how will the Philippine government maintain and improve the standard and the competitiveness of its people in the use of English, which is highly needed in the emerging, fast-growing local and international industries?

A study made by Amamio (2000) on the attitudes of students, teachers and parents toward English and Filipino as media of instruction provided an interesting comparison. According to the result of the study, students and teachers prefer the use of English as the medium of instruction, with the teachers finding English a more comfortable language for explaining ideas and concepts. Teachers further noted that English is an “intellectualized language” and a valuable tool to source information technology. However, parents preferred Filipino because “it is the language in which they can think and express themselves” and it is the language that they understand and through which they themselves are better understood.

According to Bernardo Villegas, the youth have all the chances to speak and listen to the Filipino language in their day-to-day lives such as in conversation with members of the family, friends, going to