Professor Jestoni Babia, LPT, MAEd, EdD, and president of the City College of Cagayan de Oro, emphasized that Philippine universities and colleges are increasingly moving toward the internationalization of their academic programs.
He explained that this includes participation in accreditation systems such as the ASEAN Quality Assurance, where school curricula are evaluated against international standards. While foreign evaluators have generally welcomed the competency-based outcomes of these programs, concerns have been raised by humanities professors about the possible removal of certain general education subjects—courses that they believe are integral to the national identity of Filipinos.
Babia underscored the importance of preserving subjects such as Rizal and other humanities courses, as they are deeply connected to the country’s history and legal foundations and should not be disregarded. He stressed that educational policies must strike a balance between meeting international standards and safeguarding national identity, which requires broader and more consultative decision-making.
