Filipino in court proceedings gains headway

MALOLOS CITY , Philippines  – The use of the national language in court proceedings gained further foothold in Bulacan as legal judges, lawyers and other court employees underwent a training seminar yesterday.

Aimed at the full implementation of the use of Filipino language in regular court trials next year, the training seminar was initiated by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Bulacan chapter in collaboration with Philippine Judicial Academy and the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

The training seminar is dubbed as “Pagsasanay ng mga Hukom Ukol sa Paggamit ng Wikang Pilipino sa Hukuman.”

Lawyer Renato Samonte, the president of IBP-Bulacan chapter said the seminar was designed to prepare judges, lawyers and even court stenographers.

He said they planned to pilot the project in seven regional trial courts here and in the municipal trial court in Guiguinto, Bulacan.

This was affirmed by leading proponents on the use of the Filipino language in court proceedings like retired Justice Jose dela Rama, the coordinator of the PHILJA sub-committee on the Use of Flipino Language in Court Proceedings, and retired Judge Cezar Peralejo.

As a former judge in Makati RTC, Dela Rama is best remembered when he penned his ruling in Filipino on the libel case filed by the late President Corazon Aquino against the late STAR publisher Maximo Soliven and late STAR columnist Louie Beltran.

On the other hand, Peralejo has published a legal dictionary in Filipino which he said will greatly help court workers in the use of Filipino in court proceediongs.

Two years ago, Dela Rama initiated the use of Filipino in a criminal case proceedings at the sala of Judge Manuel Siayngco here.

He also initiated the use of the national language during lectures at the Marcelo H. Del Pilar Law School in the Bulacan State University here early this year by doing the lecture himself.

Dela Rama is aided by former Judge Hermin Arceo, who also delivered a lecture on Constitutional Law in Filipino.

Like Dela Rama, Arceo is a Bulakeñyo who have translated the 1992 Local Government Code into Filipino.