MANILA, Philippines – Sa hangarin na maalis ang “language barrier,” isang panukalang batas ang inihain ni Akbayan Partylist Rep. Chel Diokno sa Kamara na nagsusulong na magkaroon ng “translation” ng mga Philippine laws.
Layon ng House Bill No. 3863 o “Batas sa Sariling Wika Act” na inihain ni Diokno na maamyendahan ang Revised Administrative Code of 1987.
Sinabi ni Diokno na dapat isalin ang batas sa mga pangunahing wikang Filipino, partikular ang Tagalog, Ilokano, at Cebuano.
“If enacted, the law will require all new laws with penal provisions to be translated within 90 days, and all existing laws with penal provisions—including the Revised Penal Code, Labor Code, RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act), Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act, Safe Spaces Act, and the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, among others—to be translated within five years,” nakasaad sa panukala.
Ang Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) ang magiging pangunahing translating authority, habang ang Presidential Communications Office (PCO) ang siyang mangangasiwa sa pag-publish sa Official Gazette at titiyak na maa-upload online ang mga nasabing batas.
“How can we expect ordinary citizens to follow the law if it’s written in a language they can’t understand? 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 law in her native tongue,” paliwanag ni Diokno.
“By translating laws with penalties into terms that are easily understandable by ordinary citizens in their local language, we minimize the risk of misunderstanding and misinterpretation,” giit pa nito.
Sinabi rin ni Diokno na sa ibang bansa gaya ng Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, at Timor-Leste, ang kanilang mga batas ay nakasalin sa kanilang sariling wika—isang bagay na dapat matagal na ring naisakatuparan sa Pilipinas. Gail Mendoza
