Rep. Chel Diokno has filed House Bill 3863, known as the “Batas sa Sariling Wika Act,” which mandates the translation of all laws with penal provisions into Filipino, Bisaya, and Ilocano to make legal texts more accessible to Filipinos not fluent in English.
The bill aims to cover the country’s four largest ethnolinguistic groups and requires new laws to be translated within 90 days, while existing penal laws must be translated within five years.
Diokno emphasized that many Filipinos struggle to understand laws written in English, which hinders their access to justice, and cited other Southeast Asian countries that legislate in their national languages as examples.
The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino would oversee the translation efforts, with the Presidential Communications Office responsible for publication.
Other lawmakers co-author the measure and seek to promote transparency, fairness, and respect for the rights of ordinary citizens.
Source: PhilNews24 | August 23, 2025
