TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S. No.
SENATE
926
XV i
\v, 
of r'l;'
25 AUG-5 P3;47
Rl:.C£i^''D G'.'.
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
REQUIRING DISASTER-RELATED INFORMATION TO BE STATED IN 
ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE TO ENSURE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING THEREOF 
AND TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippines is a country that is prone to natural disasters. The study 
conducted by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative of the Harvard University, 
"Perceptions of Disaster Resilience and Preparedness in the Philippines", that was 
published on June 2018 confirms this by stating that, "The Philippines is one of the 
world's most disaster-prone countries. Located along the boundary of major tectonic 
plates and at the center of a typhoon belt, its islands are regularly impacted by 
floods, typhoons, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, and droughts. The Philippines 
also ranks among the top three countries in the world for population exposure and 
vulnerability to hazards. The Philippine government has developed strong coping 
mechanisms over their long history of experience with disasters. Yet, significant gaps 
remain in disaster management capacities across different regions of the Philippines 
and surprisingly little data are available referencing local levels of disaster resilience 
and preparedness."


The Asian Development Bank's Second Disaster Resilience Improvement 
Program stated that, "The Philippines consistently ranks as one of the countries with 
the highest disaster risk worldwide. In 2023, the Philippines ranked highest on 
disaster risk out of 193 countries, with an index value of 46.86, which translates to a 
"very high" risk classification." It also provided a comprehensive analysis of the 
impact of disasters in the country from 2003 to 2023 which, "indicates that a total of 
322 disaster events resulted in 25,178 casualties, affected 168 million people, and 
caused $29.3 billion (PI.60 trillion) in damages. Of these events, 86% are caused 
by hydrometeorological and climatological hazards; and 11% are geophysical events. 
Hydrometeorological and climatological disasters affected the greatest number of 
people, claimed most lives, and caused most of the damage over the 20-year period. 
The probabilistic risk computation of the annual average loss per hazard in the 
Philippines shows that the country has been suffering mostly from wind, flood, and 
storm surge damage every year. The recorded annual average damage from all 
hazards is about $7.7 billion (P422 billion), which is equivalent to 1.7% of the 
country's GDP in 2023, placing the annual disaster damage at about 1% to 3% of 
GDP."1
More important than economic loss is the danger and lost of lives of the 
people because of insufficient or inappropriate communication from authorities to 
their constituents. This may range from misinformation, miscommunication, to 
outright absence of information dissemination in far-flung areas during times of 
disasters and calamities.
The "Language Accessibility of Public Information on Disasters Acf mandates 
all government agencies and local government units to convert in an easily 
understandable form and translate to Filipino and any appropriate regional 
languages or dialects all information for the public related to disasters and 
calamities.
1 Second Disaster Resilience Improvement Program: Sector Assessment (Summary): Public Sector Management
(Disaster Risk Management)


In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly
sought.
INGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
of i:|!'
)
SENATE
S. No. 926
25 AUG-5 P3 :47
RHCEIVlD O'
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
REQUIRING DISASTER-RELATED INFORMATION TO BE STATED IN 
ACCESSIBLE LANGUAGE TO ENSURE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING THEREOF 
TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as "Language Accessibility of
2 
Public information on Disasters Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The right of the people to information on
4 
matters of public concern is recognized in our Constitution. Indeed, communication
5 
and information occupy a vital role in nation-building. In times of disaster and other
6 
emergencies, and to render meaningful and effective the right of the people to
7 
information, it shall be ensured that announcements, advisories and similar public
8 
communications are accessible in terms of the language or dialect used.
9 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
10 
a) Disaster - a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a
11 
society involving widespread human, material, economic 
or
12 
environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the
13 
affected community or society to cope using its own resources.
14 
Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of the
15 
exposure to a hazard, the conditions of vulnerability that are present,
16 
and insufficient capacity or measured to reduce or cope with the


1 
potential negative consequences. Disaster impacts may include loss of
2 
life, injury, disease and other negative effects on human, physical,
3 
mental and social well-being, together with damage to property,
4 
destruction of assets, loss of services, social and economic disruption
5 
and environmental degradation.
6 
b) Emergency - unforeseen or sudden occurrence, especially danger,
7 
demanding immediate action;
8 
c) State of Calamity - a condition involving mass casualty and/or major
9 
damages to property and roads, disruption of means of livelihoods and
10 
normal way of life in the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of
11 
natural or human-induced hazard.
12 
Sec. 4. Scope of Application. - This Act shall cover disasters and other kinds
13 
of emergencies which are (1) national in scope, as declared through a State of
14 
Calamity or State of National Emergency by the President of the Philippines and (2)
15 
provincial, city or municipal in scope, as declared through a State of Calamity or
16 
Emergency by the appropriate local government unit.
17 
Sec. 5. Language Accessibility of Disaster-Related Information. - In relation to
18 
disasters and other emergencies covered by Section 4 of this Act, it shall be
19 
mandatory for all government agencies and local government units to convert in an
20 
easily understandable form and translate to Filipino and any other appropriate
21 
regional language/s or dialect/s all their announcements, advisories, press releases,
22 
issuances and any other information relevant to such disaster or emergency,
23 
including:
24 
a) Tropical Cyclones, signals, flood warning, storm surge, dry
25 
spell/drought, and other advisories by the Philippine Atmospheric,
26 
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA);
27 
b) Volcanic activity and eruption, earthquake, tsunami and landslide
28 
advisories and bulletins by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
29 
Seismology (PHIVOLCS);
30 
c) Announcements, bulletins and other advisories of the National Disaster
31 
Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Local Disaster
32 
Risk Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMC) and network of


1 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils composed of
2 
national, regional, provincial, city, municipal DRRM councils and
3 
barangay committees;
4 
d) Information on epidemics, disease outbreaks, infestation, and other
5 
public health emergencies of the Department of Health (DOH) and the
6 
Department of Agriculture (DA);
7 
e) Advisories and warnings released by the Department of Environment
8 
and Natural Resources (DENR) - Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB)
9 
and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), human-induced hazards, and
10 
human security concerns of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
11 
and the Philippine National Police (PNP); and
12 
f) Information on the Social Amelioration Program, emergency assistance
13 
and other social protection measures of the Department of Social
14 
Welfare and Development (DSWD).
15 
As much as practicable, such disaster-related information shall be issued and
16 
disseminated using plain language and devoid of scientific jargon or technical
17 
terminologies. It shall also contain specific information on the extent and scale of
18 
impending impact and damage down to barangay level.
19 
Sec. 6. Translation to Filipino and Other Regional Language or Dialect - The
20 
translation of the information covered by this Act shall be to Filipino and other
21 
regional language/s or dialect/s, as deemed necessary by the government agency
22 
and local government unit concerned considering the geographical location of the
23 
affected communities and the intended recipients of the information. The translated
24 
information shall be disseminated as widely as possible through all available media
25 
and communication channels.
26 
Sec. 7. Roie of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. - The Komisyon sa Wikang
27 
Filipino (KWF) shall render the necessary technical assistance and expertise to the
28 
government agencies and local government units including the Bangsamoro
29 
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and monitor their compliance
30 
with the duties mandated by this Act.
31 
Sec. 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days from
32 
the effectivity of this Act, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), in consultation


1 
with other relevant agencies and stakeholders, shall promulgate the necessary rules
2 
and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act.
3 
Sec. 9. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
4 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
5 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
6 
Sec. 10. Repeating Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
7 
executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation
8 
contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
9 
modified, or amended accordingly.
10 
Sec. 11. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
11 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,