Batangas’ 1912 Resistance to English Language Instruction in Schools

The Philippine Commission’s Act No. 74 established a centralized Department of Public Instruction in January 1901, creating the statutory foundation for a public school system with English as the language of instruction¹. Although the policy was nationwide, its application in Batangas generated a particularly sharp response because of the province’s long tradition of literacy in Spanish, the widespread use of Tagalog in everyday life, and the strong civic identity shaped by the Philippine–American War².

These conditions made Batangas one of the most articulate centers of opposition to the American education program³.

The introduction of American teachers, known as the Thomasites, accelerated the enforcement of English-only instruction in Batangas schools⁴. Many local teachers, educated under the Spanish system, protested that the new language policy hindered comprehension and created social divisions between children who mastered English quickly and those who did not⁵.

AI-depiction of an American-era school in the Philippines.

Parents, municipal leaders, and former ilustrado families viewed compulsory English as an attempt at cultural assimilation rather than a neutral educational reform⁶.

Prominent local figures connected with this opposition included members of Lipa’s established Katigbak family, among them Councilor Gregorio Katigbak, who led a municipal petition challenging the enforcement of the policy⁷.

The petition, submitted to the provincial superintendent and later filed as an administrative complaint before the Court of First Instance of Batangas, argued that compulsory English violated rights protected under the 1902 Philippine Organic Act and disregarded local linguistic realities⁸.

The colonial court dismissed the case, affirming that educational control resided with the Insular Bureau of Education⁹. The ruling followed contemporary American jurisprudential thinking that centralized education served “benevolent assimilation,” thereby subordinating local language concerns to administrative convenience¹⁰.

Reactions across Batangas were divided. Urban families who foresaw social and economic opportunities in mastering English gradually accepted the ruling, while rural teachers and parents expressed persistent resentment¹¹. Reports from the Bureau of Education record continued use of Tagalog in informal instruction, revealing that compliance was often pragmatic rather than wholehearted¹².

Over time, English proficiency became a new marker of privilege, creating a linguistic hierarchy within the province that mirrored social stratification¹³.

The long-term consequence of the policy’s affirmation was the emergence of a bilingual order in Batangas. English provided access to bureaucracy, commerce, and professional advancement, while Tagalog remained the language of family, religion, and local identity¹⁴.

This duality foreshadowed later Commonwealth-era debates on national language formation and education policy, showing that the 1912 resistance in Batangas was not an isolated incident but an early articulation of the tension between colonial modernity and native cultural continuity¹⁵.