NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
o( tiif i^uu‘crt:irj>
‘22 JUL 18 A9 *41
S. No.
SENATE 
680
RECEIVED BY:
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 economic impact of disasters was illustrated in the study, "Disaster Risk 
Reduction In the Philippines: Status Report 2019" conducted by the United Nations 
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) by stating that, "Since 1990, the 
Philippines has been affected by 565 disaster events which have caused an


estimated $US 23 billion in damages (Jha, 2018). Approximately 85.2% of the 
sources of the country's production have been reported to be susceptible to 
disasters, and 50.3% of the total land area is considered to be economically at risk 
(ADB, 2012). Much of the damage has been resulting from recurrent, massive-scale 
super typhoons, including Ondoy and Pepeng in 2009, Washi in 2011, Bopha in 
2012, Haiyan in 2013, Koppu in 2015, Haima in 2016, and Mangkhut in 2018. Much 
of the country's exports and trade income have relied on resource-extractive 
industry (Martinico-Perez, et al., 2018), which further create implications in terms of 
disaster vulnerability and sustainable economic growth."
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 Act’ 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.
This measure was approved on Third Reading by the House of 
Representatives in the 18th Congress.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly
sought.
nmQOY EJERCITO ESTRADA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
First Regular Session 
)
S. No.
SENATE
680
'22 JUL 18 A 9 41
RECEIVrii BY;
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
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matters of public concern is recognized in our Constitution. Indeed, communication
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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
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information, it shall be ensured that announcements, advisories and similar public
8 
communications are accessible in terms of the language or dialect used.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
a) Disaster - a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a 
society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental 
losses and Impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or 
society to cope using its own resources.
Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of the 
exposure to a hazard, the conditions of vulnerability that are present, and 
insufficient capacity or measured to reduce or cope with the potential
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negative consequences. Disaster impacts may include loss of life, injury,
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disease and other negative effects on human, physical, mental and social
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well-being, together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss
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of services, social and economic disruption and environmental
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degradation.
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b) Emergency - unforeseen or sudden occurrence, especially danger,
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demanding immediate action;
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c) Slate of Calamity - a condition involving mass casualty and/or major
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damages to properb/ and roads, disruption of means of livelihoods and
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normal way of life in the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of
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natural or human-induced hazard.
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Sec. 4. Scope of Application. - This Act shall cover disasters and other kinds
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of emergencies which are (1) national in scope, as declared through a State of
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Calamity or State of National Emergency by the President of the Philippines and (2)
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provincial, city or municipal in scope, as declared through a State of Calamity or
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Emergency by the appropriate iocai government unit.
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Sec. 5. Language Accessibility of Disaster-Related Information. - In relation to
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disaste.rs and other emergencies covered by Section 4 of this Act, it shall be
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mandatory for all government agencies and local government units to convert In an
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easily understandable form and translate to Filipino and any other appropriate
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regional language/s or dialect/s all their announcements, advisories, press releases,
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issuances and any other information relevant to such disaster or emergency,
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including:
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a) Tropical Cyclones, signals, flood warning, storm surge, dry spell/drought,
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and other advisories by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
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Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA);
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b) Volcanic activity and eruption, earthquake, tsunami and landslide
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advisories and bulletins by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
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Seismology (PHIVOLCS);
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c) Announcements, bulletins and other advisories of the National Disaster
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Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Local Disaster Risk
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Reduction and Management Councils (LDRRMC) and network of Disaster


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


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