Equal Use of Official Languages Act

TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 25 JUL 15 A11:16 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session RECEIVED 5% SENATE S. No.. Introduced by Senator Robinhood Padilla PROVIDING FOR THE EQUAL USE OF FILIPINO AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES IN ALL GOVERNMENT ISSUANCES AND DOCUMENTS EXPLANATORY NOTE

Section 6, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that "[the national

language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages." It further added that subject to provisions of law and as Congress may deem appropriate, the government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication. While mechanisms are In place to further enrich Filipino as the national language of the Philippines, one of the sentiments of our ordinary people is rooted In the difficulty or lack of understanding of the entirety of the government's acts and operations since most documents, if not all, are published in the English language. In this regard, this bill proposes the mandatory publication and accessibility of the general public to government documents, including but not limited to: executive issuances, legislative documents, judicial issuances, public advisories, and International treaties, in both English and Filipino language. As this representation strives to promote the policy of inclusion and equal opportunities for all Filipinos, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. ROBINHOOD PADILLA Senator

• * Offer ofte TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 25 JUL 15 All :16 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session RECENED B. SENATE S. No. _ Introduced by Senator Robinhood Padilla AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE EQUAL USE OF FILIPINO AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES IN ALL GOVERNMENT ISSUANCES AND DOCUMENTS Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Equal Use of Official

2 Languages Act .

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the mandate of the 1987 Constitution that

the Filipino and English languages shall be used for purposes of communication and 5 instruction. It is hereby declared as policy of the State to ensure equal status in the 6 use of Filipino and English languages as the official languages in all government 7 issuances and documents in order to provide the people access to a better and 8 inclusive understanding of the acts, operations, and documents of the government.

Sec. 3. Official Languages. - The Filipino and English languages shall be the

10 official languages of the Philippines for all government Issuances and documents as hereinafter provided.

Sec. 4. Executive Issuances. - All implementing rules and regulations of acts,

executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders, memorandum circulars, and memorandum orders issued by the President shall be made, printed, and published in both official languages.

Sec. 5. Legislative Documents. - All acts, bills, rules of procedures, resolutions,

journals, and committee reports shall be written, printed, and published in both official languages.

Sec. 6. Judicial Issuances and Proceedings. - All decisions, resolutions, rules

and other issuances of the Supreme Court and lower courts shall be made, printed, and published in both official languages. In any judicial proceeding, a judge may use either or both of the official languages or a part of any proceeding.

Sec. 7. International Treaties. - All international treaties or international

9 agreements shall be authenticated and interpreted in both official languages by the 10 Commission on the Filipino Language before they are transmitted for concurrence by the Senate.

Sec. 8. Public Advisories. - All notices intended to the public shall be Issued in

both official languages and shall be given equal prominence.

Section 9. Publication of Acts, - All acts shall be published in both official

languages in equal prominence in newspapers of general circulation and Official 16 Gazette.

Sec. 10. Original Version. - The issuances and documents as herein described

18 shall indicate which official language Is used in its original version.

Sec. 11. Equal Status and Authority. - Both versions of the official languages

20 shall be treated in equal status and authority for all intents and purposes.

Sec. 12. Governing Language in Case of Conflict. - In case any conflict,

inconsistency, or discrepancy in the interpretation of the meaning of the official languages exists, the language used in the original version shall prevail over the translation.

Sec. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Office of the President,

26 Senate of the Philippines, House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court shall, in 27 consultation with other concerned agencies and entities, promulgate the necessary 28 rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

••..

Sec. 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the

2 implementation of this Act shall be charged against the annual General Appropriations 3 Act.

Sec. 15. Separability Clause. - In the event any provision of this Act or the

application of such provision is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act or the application of the said provision shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,

or parts thereof that are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby 9 repealed or amended accordingly.

Sec. 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation. Approved,