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Department of Justice undersecretary Atty. Ian Norman Dato
The wider use of Filipino in court proceedings could help make the
justice system more accessible and understandable to Filipinos.
This was the recent statement made by Department of Justice
Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato in response to the Philippine Trial Lawyers
Association’s (PTLA) renewed appeal for the Supreme Court to allow Filipino in
court proceedings nationwide, saying the call draws attention to “a gap that
has long existed between the language of our laws and the people they are meant
to serve.”
“For many Filipinos, the courtroom can feel like a place where
justice is spoken in a foreign tongue,” Dato said. “When court proceedings
are difficult to understand, people are often left to rely on their lawyers to
explain what is happening to their own lives, families, and freedoms.”
He also pointed to the 1987 Constitution, which recognizes
Filipino as the national language and directs the government to develop and use
it as a medium of official communication. He also cited the Bill of Rights,
which guarantees every accused person the right to be informed of the nature
and cause of the accusation against them.
“That right is difficult to fully realize if the explanation is
delivered in a language the accused does not truly understand. It is not enough
for the words to be translated; they must be naiintindihan,” Dato noted.
The Judiciary has also taken steps toward greater use of Filipino.
In July 2026, the Supreme Court released a 26-page decision in a statutory rape
case written entirely in Filipino by Justice Maria Filomena Singh. It followed
the May 2026 decision in Velarde v. Court of Tax Appeals, which was also
written in Filipino, as part of the Judiciary’s continuing efforts under its
Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovation.
He added that using Filipino could also improve the quality of evidence presented in
court. “Witnesses can describe what they saw, heard, or experienced more
naturally and accurately in a language they are comfortable speaking, without
first translating their thoughts into English,” Dato said. Filipino documents
are likewise already accepted under the Rules of Court without requiring a
separate translation.
Still, Dato acknowledged that expanding Filipino use in courts
would not be a simple transition. Legal concepts such as “preponderance of
evidence” and the elements of estafa carry precise meanings shaped by English
and Spanish legal history. “Translating them requires more than finding simpler
words,” he said, stressing the need to continue developing Filipino as a
language capable of expressing complex legal ideas accurately.
With more than 170 languages spoken in the Philippines, he also
cautioned that an overly Tagalog-centric approach could create another barrier
for people in the Visayas and Mindanao who are more comfortable with Cebuano,
Ilocano, or other local languages.
“It is a question of whether people can understand the law that
governs their lives, the charges brought against them, and the decisions that
affect their freedom. If the law is for the people, then its language must
reach them, too,” Dato concluded.
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