Filipino for Non-FIilipino Speakers (FNFS) Program FAQs
1. What is the Filipino for Non-Filipino Speakers (FNFS) Program?
The Filipino for Non-Filipino Speakers Program is a track offered by the Kagawaran ng Filipino of the School of Humanities in lieu of the regular Filipino Core Courses taken by all freshmen. It is a two-course program designed to teach Filipino as a second language to students who have no conversational or academic background in the use of the language.
2. Is it the same as the Filipino for Foreigners Class?
Yes, they are the same. It used to be called Filipino for Foreigners but was changed to Filipino for Non-Filipino Speakers to be more explicit about the program’s intended audience and what they can gain from it. By changing its name, the program is not intended for foreigners alone, but for all students who have not attended any Filipino subjects in their basic education (i.e. grade school and high school).
3. What are the courses offered under the FNFS Program?
The FNFS Program is composed of two courses that are counterparts of the regular Filipino Core Courses: FILI 11.1: Malayuning Komunikasyon para sa mga Di-Katutubong Tagapagsalita ng Filipino (Malayuning Komunikasyon for Non-Filipino Speakers) and FILI 12.1: Panitikan ng Pilipinas para sa mga Di-Katutubong Tagapagsalita (Panitikan ng Pilipinas for Non-Filipino Speakers). Each course has a credit of 3 units, to take the place of the required 6 units of Filipino in the Ateneo Loyola Schools Core Curriculum. FILI 11.1 focuses on the acquisition of basic interpersonal communication skills in Filipino as a second language with an emphasis on language registers. FILI 12.1 enhances the use of Filipino through recognition of the divergence and convergence between conversational language and literary language.
Note: FILI 11.1 is programmed and offered only during the First Semester and is a prerequisite subject for FILI 12.1.
4. Who is eligible to enlist in the FNFS Program?
A student is eligible for the FNFS Program if he/she/they is/are a:
- foreign or Filipino student who attended a foreign high school;
- foreign or Filipino student who attended an accredited local international school in the Philippines with no Filipino program;
- foreign student (or in special cases, Filipino) who attended a certified Special Filipino Program in a local school.
Only students who meet any of these criteria can apply for the program. No special considerations will be given.
Note: Students in letter C are not automatically enlisted and must submit additional requirements (kindly refer to item no. 7) to the Office of Admission and Aid (OAA) to apply for the program. Such requirements should be submitted together with the confirmation requirements. The deadline of submission is on the last day of the Confirmation Proper. For inquiries, kindly send an email to mkagahastian@ateneo.edu.
5. I have dual citizenship. Am I allowed to take the program?
Citizenship alone cannot determine the eligibility to take the FNFS Program. Only students who were mentioned in item no. 4 are allowed to enlist in the program.
6. I graduated from the Home Schools/Home School Program. Will I be automatically enlisted in the FNFS Program?
No. Students who graduated from the Home Schools/Home School Program are not automatically enlisted in the FNFS Program.
The rationale for this is to verify the skills of students who have familiarity with the language since we cannot conduct departmental diagnostic and qualifying tests due to limited resources brought about by the current online setting. Based on our experiences from the previous school years, most of the graduates from Home Schools are fluent and/or proficient in the Filipino language. By being automatically placed in the FNFS Program, they felt that their needs were not met. Thus, the committee decided to retain them to the Regular Filipino Core Course, then allow them to file an appeal for reconsideration to transfer to the FNFS Program if they have no conversational background and formal learning of the language.
7. What are the requirements to apply for enlistment in the FNFS Program?
This applies only to students who attended a certified Special Filipino Program in a local school and to students who graduated from the Home Schools/Home School Program. If a student wishes to apply for enlistment to the FNFS Program, the following requirements are to be submitted with the confirmation requirements:
- a photocopy/scanned copy of the Transcript of Record (TOR) from the student’s high school;
- a certification from the student’s high school registrar validating the existence (or non- existence) of a Special Filipino Program and his/her/their completion of it
All applications will pass through a screening process set by the FNFS Program Screening
Committee of the Kagawaran ng Filipino.
8. I was enlisted in the FNFS Program, but I attended a foreign/Philippine-based international school that offered a Filipino program. What should I do?
Students who were automatically enlisted in the FNFS Program but have completed Filipino subjects in their foreign/Philippine-based international high school or even before their Senior High School are advised to apply to transfer from the FNFS Program to the Regular Filipino Core Courses. To request a copy of the Application to Transfer Form, please send an email to the Kagawaran ng Filipino at filipino.soh@ateneo.edu with the subject “FNFS Application to Transfer Form.” Requirements and deadline for submission are stated on the application form.
Note: The Kagawaran ng Filipino will not post the result of approved appeals of those who wish to transfer to the FNFS Program in compliance with the Data Privacy Law. Thus, students whose appeals were approved are automatically placed in their respective classes (i.e. FILI 11.1 for the FNFS Program, and FILI 11/FILI 12 for the Regular Filipino Core Courses) and will be reflected through their AISIS account as soon as the department-initiated load revision has been approved.