Lapid wants billboards in English or Filipino
All signs and billboards in the country will be translated to either English or Filipino, if Senator Lito Lapid's bill is passed into law. Senate Bill 2639 seeks to amend section 447of the Local Government Code (LGC) to require all signs, signboards, or billboards written in a foreign language other than English to bear the corresponding Filipino or English translation. Under the LGC, the Sangguniang Panlungsod and the Sangguniang Bayan are required to âregulate the display of and fix the license fees for signs, signboards, or billboards at the place or places where the profession or business advertised thereby is, in whole or in part, conducted." Under Lapidâs bill, the LGC provision shall also be made to say that the said âsigns, signboards, or billboards shall be written in Filipino or English, or, if written in a foreign language other than English, shall bear corresponding Filipino or English translation." âIt is incumbent upon the State to instill and maintain a sense of nationalism among the dwellers living within its jurisdiction, whether they are Filipinos or migrants," Lapid said in his proposed measure. He likewise explained that with the proliferation of the foreign establishments in the country, Filipinos are âleft to wonder" what their signs mean and what these businesses are for. âWe, as Filipinos, should never be subjected to the alienation and seclusion that we are experiencing due to this phenomenon," he said. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMANews.TV