EDUCATION: Senator Padilla pushes bill mandating use of Filipino, English in government documents

Senator Robin Padilla is seeking to remove what he describes as a major obstacle to civic engagement for many Filipinos: the difficulty of understanding government information that is often released only in English.

He argues that this language gap limits ordinary citizens’ ability to fully engage with laws and public policies that directly affect them. Padilla has filed Senate Bill No. 609, or the “Equal Use of Official Languages Act” as response to this predicament.

The proposed measure aims to institutionalize the equal use of Filipino and English across official government documents. This would cover executive issuances, legislative and judicial materials, public advisories, and other state communications that have direct public impact.

Padilla maintains that citizens should not be excluded from understanding government actions simply because of language. For him, making official information more accessible strengthens public participation and ensures people can better engage with government programs and services.

He also stressed that using Filipino alongside English in official documents goes beyond language preference. According to him, it is fundamentally about fairness, transparency, and expanding democratic participation.