Padilla Bill Pushes Equal Use of Filipino, English in Govt Documents

To make sure ordinary Filipinos understand the contents of all government issuances, Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla has filed a Senate bill providing for the equal use of Filipino and English languages in such documents.

In Senate Bill 228, Padilla lamented that while Sec. 6, Art. XIV of the 1987 Constitution mandates government to initiate and sustain Filipino as a medium of official communication, most if not all documents are published in English.

“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,” said Padilla.

“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,” he added.

Padilla pointed out that in seeking the passage of the measure, he “strives to promote the policy of inclusion and equal opportunities for all Filipinos.”

Under the bill, Filipino and English will be the official languages of the Philippines for all government issuances and documents including:

* Executive issuances including implementing rules and regulations of acts, executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders, memorandum circulars and memorandum orders;

* Legislative documents including acts, bills, rules of procedures, resolutions, journals, and committee reports;

* Judicial Issuances and Proceedings including “decisions, resolutions, rules and other issuances of the Supreme Court and lower courts”;

* International Treaties

* Public Advisories

* Publication of Acts

“Both versions of the official languages shall be treated in equal status and authority for all intents and purposes,” Padilla said in his bill.

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