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This page features the full text of
Republic Act No. 7104
"Commission
on the Filipino Language Act"
AN
ACT CREATING THE COMMISSION ON THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE, PRESCRIBING ITS
POWERS,
DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
REPUBLIC
ACT NO. 7104AN
ACT CREATING THE COMMISSION ON THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE, PRESCRIBING ITS
POWERS,
DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Sectin
1. Short Title. — This Act shall
be known as the "Commission on the Filipino Language Act."
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Sec.
2. Declaration of Policy. — Pursuant
to the mandate of the Constitution, it is hereby declared to be a
policy,
of the Government to ensure and promote the evolution, development and
further enrichment of Filipino as the national language of the
Philippines,
on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. To this end,
the
Government shall take the necessary steps to carry out the said
policy.chanrobles virtual law library
Sec.
3. Definition of Terms. — As
used in this Act, the following terms and defined as follows:
(a) Commission
— refers to the Commission on the Filipino Language.chanrobles virtual law library chan
robles
virtual law library(b) Chairman
— refers to the Chairman of the Commission. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
(c) Filipino
— refers to the national language of the Philippines.
(d) Philippine
languages — refers to the indigenous languages of the Philippines,
including
the national language and the regional and local languages.
(e) Regional
language — refers to the lingua franca or the commonly spoken language
of a region.
(f) Major
language — refers to a language spoken and used by at least
one-fiftieth
(1/50) or two percent (2%) of all Filipinos, based on the most recent
available
data of the National Census Office. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
(g) Auxiliary
language — refers to a particular language, spoken in certain places,
which
supports or helps the national and/or official languages in their
assigned
functions.
(h) Other
languages — refer to foreign languages, whether official or not, as
long
as they have influenced the indigenous languages and cultures to a
certain
degree.
(i) Ethnolinguistic
regions — refer to certain geographical areas where particular groups
of
people speak a common language.
(j) Disciplines
— refer to various fields of learning.
Sec.
4. Creation of the Commission
on the Filipino Language. — There is hereby created a commission to be
known as the Commission on the Filipino Language, composed of
representatives
of various ethnolinguistic groups and different disciplines, which
shall
undertake, coordinate and promote researches for the development,
propagation
and preservation of Filipino and other Philippine languages and which
shall
be directly under the Office of the President.chanrobles virtual law library
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Sec.
5. Composition of the Commission.
— The Commission shall be composed of eleven (11) commissioners, one of
whom shall serve as Chairman. The commissioners shall represent the
major
Philippine languages, as defined in Section 3 of this Act: Tagalog,
Cebuano,
Ilocano, Hiligaynon and the major language of Muslim Mindanao; the
Northern
Cultural Communities; the Southern Cultural Communities; and such other
Philippine languages or ethnolinguistic regions as the Commission may
decide
upon: Provided, That at least four (4) of these commissioners shall
also
represent various disciplines.chanrobles virtual law library
The
Chairman and two (2) of the commissioners shall serve on a full-time
basis;
the remaining eight (8) shall serve on a part-time basis and shall
attend
the regular and special meetings of the Commission. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Sec.
6. Appointment and Qualifications
of Commissioners. — The commissioners shall be appointed by the
President,
with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, from the list of
nominees
to be submitted by the different ethnolinguistic regions in the
country.
The President shall appoint the eleven (11) commissioners the Chairman
and the two (2) full-time commissioners. The President shall likewise
appoint
from the remaining eight (8) commissioners, four (4) commissioners who
shall serve for a term of five (5) years and four (4) who shall serve
for
a term of three (3) years. In the absence of the Chairman, the
commissioners
shall choose a temporary or acting chairman from the two (2) full-time
commissioners.cralaw:red
No
one shall be appointed as commissioner unless he/she is a natural-born
Filipino citizen, at least thirty (30) years old, morally upright an
noted
for his/her expertise in linguistics, the culture and language of the
ethnolinguistic
region and the discipline he/she represents.
Sec.
7. Term of Office. — The Chairman
and the two (2) full-time commissioners shall serve for a term of seven
(7) years. Four (4) of the remaining commissioners shall serve for a
term
of five (5) years and the four (4) other commissioners, for a term of
three
(3) years. The commissioners may be reappointed for a maximum of one
(1)
term by the President with the consent of the Commission on
Appointments.cralaw:red
Sec.
8. Vacancy. — In case a vacancy
occurs prior to the expiration of the term of office of a commissioner,
the replacement shall serve only the unexpired portion of the term of
office
that was vacated. The Commission shall, within thirty (30) days from
the
date the vacancy occurs, recommend to the President a replacement from
the list of nominees submitted by the particular ethnolinguistic region
affected by the vacancy, subject to the confirmation of the Commission
on Appointments: Provided, That, in the event of the Commission fails
to
make such recommendation, the vacancy shall be filled up by the
President,
also from the said list of nominees and with the consent of the
Commission
on Appointments. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Sec.
9. Compensation. — The Chairman
and the two (2) full-time commissioners shall have the same rank,
privileges,
salary, allowances and other emoluments as the Chairman and members,
respectively,
of other constitutional commissions, which shall not be decreased
during
their term of office. Each of the part-time commissioners shall receive
his/her compensation in the form of an honorarium for every meeting
he/she
attends, at a rate to be determined by the Commission.
Sec.
10. Rules of Procedures and Meetings.
— The Commission shall adopt its own rules and procedures and shall
hold
sessions at least once a month or as often as the Commission deems
necessary.
A majority of the eleven (11) commissioners shall constitute a quorum
for
the transaction of business.cralaw:red
Sec.
11. Organizational Structure.
— The Commission shall determine its organizational structure:
Provided,
That technical personnel of the Commission shall be exempt from the
rules
and regulations of the Office of Compensation and/or eligibility
requirements
of the Civil Service Commission.cralaw:red
Sec.
12. Director General. — There
shall be a director general who shall be appointed by the Commission
for
a term of seven (7) years and who may be reappointed for a maximum of
one
(1) term. The Commission shall determine the powers, functions, duties
and compensation of the director general.cralaw:red
Sec.
13. The Secretariat. — There
shall be a secretariat to be headed by the director general. The
functions,
duties and compensation of its personnel shall be determined by the
Commission,
upon the recommendation of the director general. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Sec.
14. Powers, Functions and Duties
of the Commission. — The Commission, pursuant to the pertinent
provisions
of the Constitution, shall have the following powers, functions and
duties:
(a) Formulate
policies, plans and programs to ensure the further development,
enrichment,
propagation and preservation of Filipino and other Philippine
language; chan
robles
virtual law library(b) Promulgate
rules, regulations and guidelines to implement its policies, plans and
programs;
(c) Undertake
or contract research and other studies to promote the evolution,
development,
enrichment and eventual standardization of Filipino and other
Philippine
languages. This will include the collation of works for possible
incorporation
into a multi-lingual dictionary of words, phrases, idioms, quotations,
sayings and other expressions, including words and phrases from other
languages
now commonly used or included in the lingua franca;
(d) Propose
guidelines and standards for linguistic forms and expressions in all
official
communications, publications, textbooks and other reading and teaching
materials; chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
(e) Encourage
and promote, through a system of incentives, grants and awards, the
writing
and publication, in Filipino and other Philippine languages, of
original
works, including textbooks and reference materials in various
disciplines;
(f) Create
and maintain within the Commission a division of transaction which
shall
encourage through incentives, undertake and vigorously support the
translation
into Filipino and other Philippine languages of important historical
works
and cultural traditions of ethnolinguistic groups, laws, resolutions
and
other legislative enactments, executive issuances, government policy
statements
and official documents, textbooks and reference materials in various
disciplines
and other foreign materials which it may deem necessary for education
and
other purposes;
(g) Call
on any department, bureau, office, agency or any instrumentality of
Government
or on any private entity, institution or organization for cooperation
and
assistance in the performance of its functions, duties and
responsibilities;
(h) Conduct,
at the national, regional and local levels, public hearings,
conferences,
seminars and other group discussions to identify and help resolve
problems
and issues involving the development, propagation and preservation of
Filipino
and other Philippine languages;
(i) Formulate
and adopt guidelines, standards and systems for monitoring and
reporting
on its performance at the national, regional and local levels; and
submit
to the Office of the President and to Congress an annual progress
report
on the implementation of its policies, plans and programs;
(j) Appoint,
subject to the provisions of existing laws, its officials and employees
and such other personnel as are necessary for the effective performance
of its functions, duties and responsibilities; and dismiss them for
cause;
(k) Organize
and reorganize the structure of the Commission, create or abolish
positions,
or change the designation of existing positions to meet the changing
conditions
or as the need therefor arises; Provided, That such changes shall not
affect
the employment status of the incumbents, reduce their ranks, decrease
their
salaries or result in their separation from the service; and
(l) Perform
such other activities which are necessary for the effective exercise of
the abovementioned powers, functions, duties and responsibilities. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Sec.
15. Franking Privilege. — The
publications of the Commission, such as dictionaries, vocabularies,
grammars,
pamphlets, circulars, leaflets and all other similar printed matter
shall
enjoy the use of the mails free of postage.
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virtual law library
Sec.
16. Transfer of Existing Agency.
— All personnel, records, assets, equipment, funds and properties
belonging
to the Institute of Philippine Languages under Executive Order No. 117
are hereby transferred to the Commission, which shall execute,
administer,
handle and dispose of such assets, properties and appropriations, in
accordance
with the provisions of this Act. All research, dictionaries,
publications
and other intellectual outputs of the Institute are likewise deemed
transferred
to the Commission.
The
Commission shall effect the transfer herein provided in a manner that
will
ensure the least disruption of ongoing programs of the Institute. The
qualified
and necessary personnel of the Institute shall be transferred to and be
absorbed by the Commission: Provided, That the tenure, rank, salaries
and
privileges of such personnel are not reduced or adversely affected:
Provided,
further, That, in the period prior to the actual assumption of duties
by
the Commission and its functioning as such, all officers and employees
of the Institute shall continue to exercise all their functions and
discharge
all their duties and responsibilities: Provided, finally, That the
existing
Institute of Philippine Language shall be deemed abolished upon the
organization
of the Commission, its actual assumption of its duties and its
functioning
as such.cralaw:red
Sec.
17. Appropriations. — The funding
requirements necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
charged to the current fiscal year appropriations of the Institute of
Philippine
Languages. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary is hereby
authorized
to be appropriated in the General Appropriations Act of the year
following
its enactment into law. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Sec.
18. Promulgation. — This Act
shall be promulgated in Filipino and in English and shall be translated
into the regional languages of the Philippines. In case of doubt, the
Filipino
version shall be binding.cralaw:red
Sec.
19. Separability Clause. — In
the event any provision of this Act or the application of such
provision
is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act or the application of
the
said provision shall be affected thereby.
Sec.
20. Repealing Clause. — All laws,
presidential decrees, executive orders or parts thereof that are
inconsistent
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended
accordingly. chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Sec.
21. Effectivity. — This Act shall
take effect after fifteen (15) days following its complete publication
in the Official Gazette or in one (1) newspaper of general circulation.chanrobles virtuallaw libraryred
Approved:
August 14, 1991
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Copyright©1998-2006 by
ChanRobles
Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Since 19.07.98
Back
to Top - Back
to Main Index - Back
to Home
Copyright©1998-2006 by
ChanRobles
Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Since 19.07.98