Manila, April 28 -- Stakeholders are calling for stronger interventions and collective action to improve English language proficiency among Filipinos, warning that persistent learning gaps could undermine their readiness for future jobs and opportunities.

At a media roundtable organized by the British Council on Tuesday, National Teachers College (NTC) Vice President for Academic Affairs Edizon Fermin said the Philippines should treat English proficiency both as an "economic strategy" and as critical "infrastructure" to sustain and enhance its competitiveness in a global economy driven by English.

"It's time for us to examine our national policy on languages of learning, given that we are a multilingual nation," he said.

"While there a...