Jinggoy bats for Filipino, local translation of English disaster alerts
Senator Jinggoy Estrada is pushing for the translation of disaster emergency alerts from English to Filipino and other regional dialects so that these messages will be more understandable and effective for the public.
For Estrada, getting reliable information in the most convenient way "can help ensure public safety, protect property, elicit cooperation and facilitate response efforts".
This can be done by relaying the message in a "language spoken in the impacted communities".
"More important than economic loss is the danger and the loss of lives of the people because of insufficient or inappropriate communication—misinformation, miscommunication, lack of information in far-flung areas—from authorities to their constituents during times of disasters and calamities," Estrada said.
In proposing the Language Accessibility of Public Information on Disasters Act under Senate Bill (SB) No. 680, Estrada wants to mandate all government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to convert in an easily understandable form and translate to Filipino and appropriate regional languages or dialects all information for the public related to disasters and calamities.
His proposal also covers information on social amelioration programs, emergency assistance and other social protection measures, disease outbreaks, security concerns of the military and the police and man-made emergencies.
"As much as practicable, the information should be in plain language and devoid of scientific jargon or technical terminologies. It shall also contain specific information on the extent and scale of impending impact and damage down to barangay level," he said.