With the advent of the Republic of the Philippines-Department of Education Order no. 74, s. 2009, a Mother Tongue-based Multilingual approach to educating students has been implemented.  Using the learners’ mother tongue to explain curriculum content with eventual transition to the second (Filipino) and the third language (such as English), this multilingual approach would enable students to function equally in their own language, English, and the national language, Filipino.  This is the current resolve of the government based on tests of learning. But in all the debates and policy formation, minimal attention has been given on the students’ attitudes for learning with regard to the language employed in the class setting that is essential in comprehending content. Studies on attitudes and motivation for education have been done in the Philippines but they do not cover sociolinguistic facets that are essential in learning. This study examines the perception and motivation of secondary-school students toward the languages in education. The argument would be the effectiveness of a shift in mediums of instruction; effectiveness with reference to the attitude of students in learning in the preceding paradigm of bilingual education where English was greatly employed as to using a multilingual paradigm in education.  An inquiry regarding their perceptions on languages when in the context of academic use has been sampled and analysed. Other inquiries are on their prospect for further learning for the sake of higher proficiency and for future purposes such as work.