EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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F ir s t R e g u la r  S e s s io n  
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S E N A T E  
S.B. No.
. J t D i i . t r  o f 1 .
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JUL 15 
All --OZ
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In tro d u ced  by SENATOR VICENTE C. SOTTO III
AN ACT
AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7104, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "KOMISYON SA WIKANG FILIPINO 
(COMMISSION ON THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE) ACT" AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Pursuant to Section 9 1 Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution, the 
Commission on the Filipino Language was established through 
Republic Act No. 7104 in 1991. Alter almost three decades, there is a 
need to further intensify the work of the Commission on the Filipino 
Language (also referred to as Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino or "KWF") 
and directly attribute its mandate to the fulfillment of the language 
provisions of the 1987 Constitution enshrined in Section 62 and 
Section 73 by the year 2040.
1 Section 9, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution.
The Congress shall establish a national language coniinission coin|K),sed of repiesentatives of various regions 
and di,sci|)lines which slnill undertake, coordinate, aiul promote re.scarche.s for the development, propagation, 
and iireservation of l ilipino and other langiuiges,
2 Section 6, Article XIV of the 1907 Constitution.
The national language of the Philippines is lilipino. As it evolves, it shall Ire further develo|x.'d and enriched on 
the basis of existing I’hiliiipmc and other languages.
Subject to pmvisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the (iovernment shall take steps to 
initiate and siist;iin the use of lilipino as a medium of official communication and as language of instruction in 
the eduaitioiud system.
3 Section 7, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution.
For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, 
until otherwise provided by law, English.
The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary 
media of instruction therein.


The lack of an enabling law that shall operationalize Section 6 and 
Section 7 of Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution was made clear in the 
Supreme Court's ruling in CoTeSCUP v Sec of DepEd that such language 
provision is non-self-executory.
The factual milieu is as follows:
1. Section 9 Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution states that
"The Congress shall establish a national language commission 
composed of representatives of various regions and disciplines 
which shall undertake, coordinate, and promote researches for 
the development, propagation, and preseiwation of Filipino and 
other languages."
2. In 1991, Republic Act No. 7104, othemise known as the 
"Commission on the Filipino Language Act."
3. Based on the deliberations on RA No. 7104, it was enacted by 
Congress pursuant to the Constitutional mandate to develop, 
propagate, and preseiwe the Filipino language. Section 2. 
Declaration of Policy states that, "Pursuant to the mandate of the 
Constitution, it is hereby declared to be a policy of the 
Government to ensure and promote the evolution, development 
and further enrichment of Filipino as the national language of the 
Philippines, on the basis of existing Philippine and other 
languages. To this end, the Government shall take the necessary 
steps to carry out the said policy. 4
4. Included in its powers is to "(g) Call on any department, 
bureau, office, agency or any instrumentality of Government or on 
any private entity, institution or organization for cooperation and 
assistance in the performance of its functions, duties and 
responsibilities."


5. In 2013, The Commission on Higher Education issued
Memorandum Order No. 20, series of 2013 (CHED Memo 20) 
"General 
Education 
Curriculum: 
Holistic 
Understandings,
Intellectual and Civic Competencies." The purpose was to allow 
greater flexibility than the current curriculum using an 
interdisciplinaiy approach. After a series of public consultations 
and public hearings, the said General Education Curriculum 
(GEC) was approved by the CHED Commission En Banc in March 
2013.
6. After a year, the effects of the CHED Memo 20 has resulted in 
the exclusion of Filipino teachers such that all the GEC courses 
were taught in English and Filipino as a subject was no longer 
offered.
7. The broad and far-reaching effects of (1) all GEC courses being 
taught in English to the exclusion of Filipino as language of 
instruction and (2) Filipino as subject being ceased to be offered 
prompted the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino to open a dialogue 
with the CHED.
8. A suit before the Supreme Court was filed and the Supreme 
Court, in an En Banc Resolution Dated 21 April 21, 2015, issued 
a Temporary Restraining Order insofar as it excluded from the 
curriculum for college Filipino and Panitikan as core courses.
9. CHED Memo Order No. 57 series of 2017 dated 15 June 2017 
"Policy on the Offering of Filipino Subjects in all Higher Education 
Programs as Par t of the New General Education Curriculum Per 
CHED Memo Order No. 20, series of 2013" was issued to comply 
with the Supreme Court TRO. Hence, Filipino (9 units) was 
sustained as a core course. (Please note that the issue of the use 
of Filipino as language of instruction was still not addressed.)


10. In October 2018, the Supreme Court lifted the Temporary 
Restraining Order by ruling that
(a) the Constitution, in appreciating the deliberations of the 
framers of the constitution, stating that Filipino be used as 
language of instruction, said that this is not a self-executory 
provision. The Constitution lays down policy but this is not 
judicially enfor'ceable constitutional rights but merely guidelines 
for legislation. Further'mor'e, the Supr'eme Court stated that the 
use of Filipino as medium of official communication is still subject 
to pr'ovisions of law.
(b) that CHED Memo No. 20 did not violate Republic Act No. 7104 
because nothing in the said law require that Filipino and 
Panitikan be included as subjects in the tertiary level. Further, as 
already established, it is within the authority of the CHED to 
determine the General Education distribution r'equirements. 
Lastly, the study of Filipino and Panitikan can easily be included 
as courses in the tertiary level, if the Higher Education 
Institutions wish to.
11. In Mar'ch 2019, the Supr'eme Court ruled with finality and 
held CHED Memo No. 20 as constitutional.
Hence, it is incumbent upon Congress to craft legislation that shall 
operationalize the Constitutional policy on Filipino language—as official 
language and language of instruction in all levels of education—and 
authorize the CFL to str'ongly advocate agencies to comply with this 
Constitutional policy.
Thus, the appr'oval of this measure is earnestly sought
C. SOTTO III
ly


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
F irst R e g u la r S ession
S E N A T E  
S.B. No. 
499
! 
. r .  rt.irp
'! 15 
All -02
£
In tro d u ced  by SENATOR VICENTE C. SOTTO HI
AN ACT
AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
7104, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "KOMISYON SA WIKANG 
FILIPINO (COMMISSION ON THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE) ACT"
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of R epresentatives of 
the Philippines in Congress assem bled:
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SECTION 1. Section 1 of the Komisyon sa W ikang Filipino
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(Commission on the Filipino Language, “KWF” or “CFL”) Act is
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am ended to read as follows:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act shall be known as the 
“Komisyon sa W ikang Filipino (Commission on the Filipino 
Language) Act.”
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SECTION 2. Section 2 of the Komisyon sa W ikang Filipino
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(Commission on the Filipino Language) Act is am ended to read as
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fo llo w s:
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Section 2. Declaration of Policy


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P u rsu an t to the m andate of the C onstitution, and as 
enabling law of Section 6 Article XIV on Language of the 
1987 C onstitution, it is hereby declared to be a policy of the 
Governm ent to take steps to initiate and sustain the use of 
Filipino as medium of official com m unication and as 
language of instruction in the educational system  through 
the 
prom otion, 
evolution, 
development 
and 
further 
enrichm ent of Filipino as the national language. To this end, 
the Government, as spearheaded by Komisyon sa W ikang 
Filipino (Commission on the Filipino Language), shall take 
the necessary steps to can y  out the said policy.
12 SECTION 3. Section 3 is am ended to read as follows
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Section 3. Definition of Terms. -  As used in this Act, the 
following term s and defined as follows:
(a) Commission -  refers to the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino 
(Commission on the Filipino Language).
(b) C hairm an -  refers to the Chairm an of the Commission.
(c) 
Filipino -  refers to the national language of the 
Philippines.
(d) Philippine languages -  refers to the indigenous languages 
of the Philippines, 
including Filipino as the national 
language; can also be called “native languages.”
(e) Other languages -  refers to foreign languages, w hether 
official or not, as long as they have influenced the 
indigenous languages and cultures to a certain degree.
(f) 
Ethnolinguistic 
com m unities 
-  
refers 
to 
certain 
geographical areas where particular groups of people speak 
a common language.
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(g) Disciplines -  refers to various fields of learning.


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(h) Medium of official com m unication - refers to a language 
adopted by the Government as the language th at it uses in 
its transactions
(i) Language of instruction - refers to a language adopted by 
the learning institution as the language th at it uses in its 
educational instruction
(j) System  of education - refers to all levels of education, 
including, but not limited to, basic education, secondary 
education, and tertiary education.
(k) Endangered language - refers to a Philippine language 
th at is at-risk of vanishing according to factors set out by 
the Board of Commissioners.
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SECTION 4. Section 4 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 4. Creation of the Komisyon sa W ikang Filipino 
(Commission on the Filipino Language).
Creation of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (Commission 
on the Filipino Language). There is hereby created a 
com m ission, to be known as the Komisyon sa Wikang 
Filipino (Commission on the Filipino Language), composed 
of representatives of the two branches of governm ent and 
various ethnolinguistic groups, and different disciplines, 
which shall undertake, coordinate and promote researches 
for the development, 
propagation and preservation of 
Filipino and other Philippine languages.
It is the prim ary policy-making and coordinating body on 
language concerns and which shall be directly under the 
Office of the President.
The KWF (CFL) shall be the overall m onitoring body and 
oversight agency to ensure the im plem entation of this Act. 
The KWF (CFL) shall also lead in ensuring th at governm ent


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agencies are capacitated on the effective im plem entation of 
this Act.
To the extent possible, the KWF (CFL) shall influence the 
system s, 
processes, 
and procedures of the executive, 
legislative, and judicial branches of government vis-a-vis 
language policies to ensure the im plem entation of this Act.
To effectively and efficiently undertake and accom plish its 
functions, the KWF (CFL) shall revise its structure and 
staffing pattern, including the establishm ent of Sentro sa 
Salin and Sentro ng Wika at Kultura, with the assistance of 
the D epartm ent of Budget and M anagement.
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SECTION 5. Section 5 is am ended to read as follows;
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Section 5. Composition of the Commission.
The 
Commission 
shall 
be 
composed 
of 
nine 
com m issioners, one of whom shall serve as Chairm an.
(9 )
The com m issioners shall include two (2) representatives of 
the Congress (1) Senate Chairperson of Committee on 
Education, Arts, and Culture; (2) House of Representatives 
C hairperson of Committee on Basic Education and Culture; 
and one (1) representative of the Executive Branch: 
the
Executive Secretary of the President, or his duly appointed 
representative who shall be no less than undersecretary 
level of the Office of the President or the D epartm ent of 
Interior and Local Government.
The 
other 
com m issioners 
shall 
represent 
Philippine 
languages: (4) any of the languages of Luzon, (5) any of the 
languages of Visayas, (6) any of the languages of Muslim 
Filipinos, (7) the Northern C ultural Com munities; (8) the 
Southern C ultural Communities; and such other Philippine


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languages as the Commission may decide upon; (9) Tagalog 
as the base language of Filipino; provided, th at at least four 
(4) of these com m issioners shall also represent various 
disciplines.
The 
C hairm an 
and 
two 
(2) 
of 
the 
com m issioners, 
representing Philippine languages, shall serve on a full-time 
basis; the rem aining four (4) shall serve on a part-tim e basis 
and shall attend the regular and special m eetings of the 
Commission.
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SECTION 6. Section 6 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 
6. 
Appointment 
and 
Qualifications 
Com m issioners representing Philippine languages
of
The com m issioners shall be appointed by the President from 
the list of nom inees to be subm itted by the different 
ethnolinguistic com m unities in the country. The President 
shall appoint the sLx (6) com m issioners, the C hairm an and 
the 
two 
full-time com m issioners. 
The 
President 
shall 
likewise 
appoint 
from 
the 
rem aining 
three 
(3)
com m issioners, two who shall serve for a term  of five (5) 
years and one (1) who shall serve for a term  of three (3) 
years. In the absence of the Chairm an, the com m issioners 
shall choose a tem porary or acting chairm an from the two 
(2) full-time com m issioners.
No one shall be appointed as com m issioner unless h e/sh e is 
a natural-born Filipino citizen, at least thirty (30) years old, 
morally 
upright 
and 
noted 
for 
h is/h e r 
expertise 
in 
linguistics, the culture and language of the ethnolinguistic 
com m unities and the discipline h e/sh e represents.


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SECTION 7. Section 7 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 7. Term of Office.
For the term  of office of the com m issioners representing 
Philippine languages, the C hairm an and the two (2) full-time 
com m issioners shall serve for a term  of seven (7) years, two 
(2) of the com m issioners shall serve for a term  of five (5) 
years and one (1) of the com m issioners shall serve for a 
term  of three (3) years.
The com m issioners representing Philippine languages may 
be reappointed for a m axim um  of one (1) term  by the 
President.
The m em bers of the Board shall serve and continue to hold 
office until their successors shall have been appointed and 
qualified. Should a m em ber of the Board fail to complete 
h is/h e r term , h is/h e r successor shall be appointed by the 
President b u t only for the unexpired portion of the term.
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SECTION 8 . Section 10 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 10. Rules of Procedures and Meetings
The Commission shall adopt its own rules and procedures 
and shall hold sessions at least once a m onth or as often as 
the Commission deem s necessary. A majority of the nine (9) 
com m issioners 
shall 
constitute 
a 
quorum  
for 
the 
transaction of business.
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SECTION 9. Section 12 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 12. Executive Director


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There shall be an executive director who shall be appointed 
by the Commission for a term  of seven (7) years and who 
may be reappointed for a maxim um  of one (1) term . Upon 
appointm ent, an executive director sits as non-voting 
m em ber of the board. The Commission shall determ ine the 
powers, functions, duties and com pensation of the executive 
director.
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SECTION 10. Section 13 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 13. The Secretariat
There shall be a secretariat to be headed by the executive 
director. The functions, duties and com pensation of its 
personnel shall be determ ined by the Commission, upon the 
recom m endation of the executive director.
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SECTION 11. Section 14 is am ended to read as follows:
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Section 
14. 
Powers, 
Functions 
and 
Duties 
of 
the 
Commission
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The Commission, p u rsu an t to the pertinent provisions of 
the C onstitution, shall have the following powers, functions 
and duties:
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(a) Form ulate a national policy on Filipino as official 
language of com m unication and medium of instruction and 
a national policy on preserving and revitalizing endangered 
languages;
(b) Form ulate policies, plans, and program s to ensure the 
further 
development, 
enrichm ent, 
propagation, 
and 
preservation of Filipino and other Philippine languages;


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(c) 
Prom ulgate 
rules, 
regulations 
and 
guidelines 
to 
im plem ent its policies, plans, and program s;
(d) Undertake or contract research and other studies to 
prom ote 
the 
evolution, 
development, 
enrichm ent, 
and 
eventual standardization of Filipino and other Philippine 
languages. This will include the collation of works for 
possible incorporation into a m ulti-lingual dictionary of 
words, phrases, idioms, quotations, sayings and other 
expressions, including words and phrases from other 
languages now commonly used or included in the lingua 
franca;
(e) Propose guidelines and standards for linguistic forms 
and expressions in all official com m unications, publications, 
textbooks, and other reading and teaching m aterials;
(f) Encourage and promote, through a system of incentives, 
grants and aw ards, the writing and publication, in Filipino 
and other Philippine languages, of original works, including 
textbooks and reference m aterials in various disciplines;
(g) Create and m aintain within the Commission a division of 
translation which 
shall encourage through 
incentives, 
undertake and vigorously support the translation into 
Filipino 
and 
other 
Philippine 
languages of im portant 
historical works and cultural traditions of ethnolinguistic 
groups, laws, resolutions, and other legislative enactm ents, 
executive issuances, government policy statem ents and 
official docum ents, textbooks and reference m aterials in 
various disciplines, and other foreign m aterials which it may 
deem necessary for education and other purposes;
(h) Oblige any departm ent, bureau, office, agency or any 
instrum entality 
of Government or any private 
entity, 
institution or organization to align their language policies 
with the KWF (CFL) to guarantee a harm onized approach 
tow ards im plem entation of this Act;


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(i) C onduct at the national, regional and local levels, public 
hearings, 
conferences, 
sem inars, 
and 
other 
group 
discussions to identify and help resolve problem s and issues 
involving the development, propagation and preservation of 
Filipino and other Philippine languages;
(j) Form ulate and adopt guidelines, standards, and system s 
for m onitoring and reporting on its perform ance at the 
national, regional and local levels; and subm it to the Office 
of the President and to Congress an annual progress report 
on the im plem entation of its policies, plans and program s;
(k) Appoint, subject to the provisions of existing laws, its 
officials and employees and such other personnel as are 
necessary for the effective perform ance of its functions, 
duties and responsibilities; and dism iss them  for cause;
(l) Organize and reorganize the structure of the Commission, 
create Sentro sa Salin and Sentro ng Wika at Kultura as 
linkages, 
create or abolish 
positions, 
or change 
the 
designation of existing positions to meet the changing 
conditions or as the need therefore arises; provided, that 
such changes shall not affect the employment statu s of the 
incum bents, reduce their ranks, decrease their salaries or 
result in their separation from the service;
(m) Ensure th at the Government shall take steps to initiate 
and sustain the use of Filipino as medium  of official 
com m unication;
(n) E nsure th at all educational institutions in all levels of 
the education system, where applicable, shall m aintain the 
use of Filipino as language of instruction as a requirem ent 
of accreditation from D epartm ent of Education, Commission 
on Higher Education, and Technical Education and Skills 
Development Authority.
(o) Com ment on the implication on national language policy 
of proposed national or local statutes, regulations or


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procedures, issue advisory opinions and interpret the 
provisions of this Act.
(p) Act as overall m onitoring body and oversight to ensure 
th at all branches of Government allot 1% of their MOOE 
budget, allotm ent level subject to revision of KWF (CFL), 
COA, and DBM, to the im plem entation of this Act.
(q) Perform such other activities which are necessary for the 
effective exercise of the abovementioned powers, functions, 
duties and responsibilities.
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SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. -  Any law, presidential decree or 
issuance, executive order, letter of instruction, rule or regulation 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or 
modified accordingly.
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SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. -  This Act shall take effect after
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fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official
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Gazette or a new spaper of general circulation.
Approved.
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