Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno has filed a measure pushing for the mandatory translation of Philippine laws into Filipino, Bisaya, and Ilocano, stressing that many citizens are placed at an unfair disadvantage when laws are written only in English.
House Bill 3863, or the Batas sa Sariling Wika Act (Law in Native Language Act), seeks to ensure that laws are accessible to ordinary Filipinos in their own language.
“How can we expect ordinary citizens to follow the law if it’s written in a language they can’t understand?” Diokno said.
“A worker in Mindanao shouldn’t need a lawyer or translator to understand the Labor Code; a mother in Ilocos should be able to read the Anti-VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children) law in her native tongue,” he added.
The veteran human rights lawyer further underscored the reality faced by most of his clients: “Bilang tagapagtanggol ng karapatang pantao sa loob ng ilang dekada na, karamihan ng mga kliyente natin ay mga ordinaryong mamamayan na hindi bihasa sa Ingles. Dehado na nga sila dahil wala silang pera at kakayahan, mas lalo pa silang dehado dahil hindi nila naintindihan ang batas.”
Under the proposed measure, the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) will serve as the lead authority in translating laws, while the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) will publish them in the Official Gazette and make them available online.
Diokno co-authored the bill with his fellow Akbayan party-list lawmakers Percival Cendaña, Dadah Kiram Ismula, and Dinagat Islands Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao.