TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL 15 All :16
RliCEiVcD 5V
S. No.
SENATE
G09
Introduced by Senator Robinhood Padilla
AN ACT
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 "[t]he 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.
ROBI
PADILLA
nator


. 
(.Offi;.- o( trr ■
TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S. No.
)
)
)
SENATE
609
25 JUL 15 All :16
RKEiVTDb.
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:
1 
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Equal Use of Official
2 
Languages Act".
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the mandate of the 1987 Constitution that
4 
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.
9 
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
11 
hereinafter provided.
12 
Sec. 4. Executive Issuances. - All implementing rules and regulations of acts,
13 
executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders, memorandum circulars, and
14 
memorandum orders issued by the President shall be made, printed, and published in
15 
both official languages.


1 
Sec. 5. Legislative Documents. - All acts, bills, rules of procedures, resolutions,
2 
journals, and committee reports shall be written, printed, and published in both official
3 
languages.
4 
Sec. 6. Judicial Issuances and Proceedings. - All decisions, resolutions, rules
5 
and other issuances of the Supreme Court and lower courts shall be made, printed,
6 
and published in both official languages. In any judicial proceeding, a judge may use
7 
either or both of the official languages or a part of any proceeding.
8 
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
11 
the Senate.
12 
Sec. 8. Public Advisories. - All notices intended to the public shall be Issued in
13 
both official languages and shall be given equal prominence.
14 
Section 9. Publication of Acts. - All acts shall be published in both official
15 
languages in equal prominence in newspapers of general circulation and Official
16 
Gazette.
17 
Sec. 10. Original Version. - The issuances and documents as herein described
18 
shall indicate which official language Is used in its original version.
19 
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.
21 
Sec. 12. Governing Language in Case of Conflict. - In case any conflict,
22 
inconsistency, or discrepancy in the interpretation of the meaning of the official
23 
languages exists, the language used in the original version shall prevail over the
24 
translation.
25 
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.


1 
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.
4 
Sec. 15. Separabiiity Ciause. - In the event any provision of this Act or the
5 
application of such provision is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act or the
6 
application of the said provision shall not be affected thereby.
7 
Sec. 16. Repeaiing Ciause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
8 
or parts thereof that are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
9 
repealed or amended accordingly.
10 
Sec. 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
11 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,