Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) – Senator Robin Padilla is pushing for the equal use of Filipino and other local languages in all government documents and court decisions.
The neophyte lawmaker said that laws and court verdicts are always written in the English language, which he said is unfair for Filipinos who cannot understand the language.
“Sa karanasan ko po, hindi nagagamit ‘yung Filipino, laging English lang. Katulad sa batas natin ‘pag lumalabas ang batas natin, English. ‘Pag sa korte, ‘pag nasentensyahan ang tao, English ang binabasa,” Padilla told reporters on Monday.
[Translation: In my experience, the Filipino language is not often used and English is always the preferred language. Just like our laws, it is written in English. In courts, when a person is sentenced, English is the language used.]
Padilla said he would file a bill entitled the Equal Use of Languages Act to ensure government documents can be produced in English and Filipino, and court decisions can be recited in the person’s preferred language.
In promoting his proposed measure, Padilla invoked Section 7, Article 14 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that Filipino and English are the languages that must be used for communication and instruction.
“Parang hindi patas para dun sa mga kababayan natin na ‘di ko naman sinasabing hindi nakakaintindi ng English ano, kundi masyado kasing ‘yung may kinalaman sa batas, ‘yung mga English niyan masyadong hindi mo talaga din maitindihan. Kailangan na talagang magkaroon ng parehas na pagtrato sa salitang Pilipino at English,” said Padilla.
[Translation: I think it’s not fair for our countrymen – I’m not saying they cannot understand English – but legal terms in English are really difficult to understand. We need to have an equal treatment on the use of Filipino and English languages.]
Padilla encouraged citizens requesting for documents in the government and private sector to ask that they be in Filipino.
“Huwag dapat matakot ang kababayan nating mag-request. Kasi siyempre minsan nasanay tayo, masyado tayong Inglisero, masyado tayong Amboy,” the neophyte lawmaker said. “Dapat masanay tayong Pilipino na hingin ‘yan. Hingin niyo.”
[Translation: Our countrymen should not be afraid to request. Sometimes, we’re used to communicate in English, we’ve become too “Amboy” (a Filipino acting like an American). We should get used to requesting documents in Filipino.]
