QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 7104)
RA 7104 is known as the “Commission on the Filipino Language Act.”
It declares a government policy to ensure and promote the evolution, development, and further enrichment of Filipino as the national language, based on existing Philippine and other languages, and to take necessary steps to carry out that policy.
“Commission” refers to the Commission on the Filipino Language; “Filipino” refers to the national language of the Philippines; and “Philippine languages” refers to indigenous languages of the Philippines, including the national and regional/local languages.
A “Major language” is spoken and used by at least 1/50 or 2% of all Filipinos based on the most recent available census data; an “Auxiliary language” supports/help(s) the national and/or official languages in their assigned functions.
It shall be directly under the Office of the President.
The Commission has 11 commissioners: 1 Chairman, representing major Philippine languages (including Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, and the major language of Muslim Mindanao), Northern Cultural Communities, Southern Cultural Communities, and other languages/ethnolinguistic regions the Commission may decide upon. At least 4 commissioners must represent various disciplines.
The Chairman and 2 commissioners serve full-time; the remaining 8 serve part-time and attend regular and special meetings.
The President appoints the commissioners with the consent of the Commission on Appointments, from nominees submitted by different ethnolinguistic regions.
He/she must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, at least 30 years old, morally upright, and noted for expertise in linguistics, culture, and the language of the ethnolinguistic region and discipline represented.
The Chairman and the two full-time commissioners serve 7 years. Of the remaining commissioners, 4 serve 5 years and 4 serve 3 years. They may be reappointed for a maximum of one term by the President with consent of the Commission on Appointments.
A replacement serves only the unexpired portion. The Commission must recommend a replacement within 30 days from the vacancy from the affected ethnolinguistic region’s nominee list, subject to Commission on Appointments confirmation. If the Commission fails to recommend, the President fills the vacancy from the same list with Commission on Appointments consent.
Full-time commissioners (Chairman and 2) have the same rank/privileges/salary/allowances/emoluments as the Chairman and members of other constitutional commissions, not decreased during their term. Part-time commissioners receive an honorarium per meeting he/she attends at a rate determined by the Commission.
The Commission adopts its own rules and holds sessions at least once a month or more as necessary. A majority of the 11 commissioners constitutes a quorum.
It may undertake or contract research to promote the evolution, development, enrichment, and eventual standardization of Filipino and other Philippine languages, including collating words/phrases/idioms and other expressions for possible incorporation into a multi-lingual dictionary.
It may call on government entities and private institutions for cooperation; conduct public hearings/conferences/seminars to identify and resolve language issues at national/regional/local levels; formulate guidelines for monitoring and reporting its performance; and submit an annual progress report to the Office of the President and Congress.
Personnel, records, assets, equipment, funds/properties and intellectual outputs of the Institute are transferred to the Commission with least disruption to ongoing programs, without reducing tenure/rank/salaries/privileges. The Institute is deemed abolished upon the Commission’s organization and actual assumption of duties. Funding requirements are charged to the Institute’s current fiscal year appropriations; afterward, sums are authorized in the General Appropriations Act the following year.
The Act is promulgated in Filipino and English, and translated into regional languages; if there is doubt, the Filipino version is binding.