Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

EDUCATIONAL SECTION

165

then acting Governor-General, the Vice-Governor, and Secretary
of Public Instruction, the Hon. Eugene Gilmore, it was vetoed
on account of "lack of funds", besides his opinion that a
similar law might be prejudicial to the study of English in the
public schools, which is probably the real motive of his opposing it and not the lack of funds.
The already known prejudice of the Executive Power against
all innovations which tend to lessen directly or indirectly the
exclusive right of English in the official schools and even in
the officially recognized private ones, and the veto power
which, like the sword of Damocles, hang constantly over any
law project with such a purpose, have been exercising much
pressure in the courage of the majority of our legislators, causing them hesitation and dismay every time that legislation in
favor of native dialects is considered.
The teaching of English began about a month after the
military occupation of Manila in 1899. Then the first teachers
who were army men taught the language through Tagalog
or Spanish which at the same time they learned from their
already adult pupils. During those first years, the educational
authorities were more inclined to the method of teaching
English with the help of the dialects and even of Spanish: a
practice which lasted only a couple of years. Men are not
wanting who attribute the substitution.of this method by the
exclusive teaching of English to the suggestion of the Filipinos
themselves who were then thought to be "leaders" of peace
to the Filipino people and advocates of annexation to the United
States. The new system, even if it was notoriously antipedagogical, prevailed and was instituted as a general policy of
education in the whole country up to the present, consequently
proscribing from the public schools any Filipino language or
dialect, including Spanish. All the attempts on the part of our
national "leaders" and of our Legislature, as well, of altering
such a policy has always come into conflict with a previous
opposition or with the posterior disapproval of the Executive.
I still remember a well-known speech of one of the recognized speakers of that regime of peace and americanization,
the late Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, who refuting the force