As the country observes Buwan ng Wika this month, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno renewed his call for the passage of the proposed Batas sa Sariling Wika Act, which would require laws carrying penal provisions to be translated into Filipino, Bisaya, and Ilokano.
House Bill No. 3863 seeks to amend the Revised Administrative Code of 1987 by mandating official translations of such laws into the three major Philippine languages.
The measure notes that the languages represent the country’s four largest ethnolinguistic groups: Tagalog at 26 percent, Bisaya at 14.3 percent, Ilokano at 8 percent, and Cebuano at 8 percent.
“Our laws should be accessible to every Filipino. If ordinary people cannot understand the law, how can they know and exercise the rights it guarantees,” Diokno said.
“It is not just about translation but ensuring equal access to justice. No one should be left behind simply because they cannot understand the language of the law,” he stressed.
If enacted, the measure would require all newly passed laws with penal provisions to be translated within 90 days.
Existing laws with penal provisions—including the Revised Penal Code, Labor Code, Republic Act No. 7610, Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act, Safe Spaces Act, and Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers—would be translated within five years.
The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino would serve as the lead translating authority, while the Presidential Communications Office would be responsible for publishing the translations in the Official Gazette and making them available online.
Diokno said the proposed law would bring the Philippines in line with several Southeast Asian countries where laws are written and enforced in their respective national languages, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste.
The proposed Batas sa Sariling Wika Act is co-authored by Akbayan Party-list Reps. Percival Cendaña and Dadah Kiram Ismula, as well as Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.
Originally filed in August 2025, the measure remains pending before the House Committee on Revision of Laws.