Policy for the Usage and Coining of Abbreviations in Reports and Other Documents Prepared by Government Agencies, Departments and Instrumentalities

March 22, 2014 BLGF MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 012-14 TO : All Central and Regional Directors of This Bureau and All Others Concerned SUBJECT : Policy for the Usage and Coining of Abbreviations in Reports and Other Documents Prepared by Government Agencies, Departments and Instrumentalities For the information and guidance of all concerned, attached is a copy of Memorandum dated February 27, 2014 of the Department of Finance (DOF) and Memorandum dated February 13, 2014 from the Office of the President regarding the Policy for the Usage and Coining of Abbreviations. The Central and Regional Directors of this Bureau are hereby instructed to take note of the above subject and disseminate the contents thereof to the Bureau staff and others concerned. (SGD.) SALVADOR M. DEL CASTILLO OIC-Executive Director ATTACHMENT Department of Finance February 27, 2014 MEMO FOR : All Heads of Offices, Bureaus and Attached Agencies This Department SUBJECT : Policy for the Usage and Coining of Abbreviations in Reports and Other Documents Prepared by Government Agencies, Departments and Instrumentalities Attached for information are copies of memorandum dated February 13, 2014 from Undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, Office of the President and Policy Brief relative to the above-captioned subject. SaIEcA (SGD.) LOURDES Z. SANTIAGO Director IV Central Administration Office Office of the President of the Philippines Memorandum TO : The Honorable Members of the Cabinet FROM : Manuel L. Quezon III Undersecretary for Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning SUBJECT : Policy for the Usage and Coining of Abbreviations DATE : February 13, 2014 As you are aware, the President feels strongly that bureaucratic jargon may sometimes hamper effective communications. While it is understood that for many in government, the overuse of acronyms is a way of life, we were reminded at the most recent Cabinet meeting that acronyms can at times render government as mysterious and unnecessarily technical, thus resulting in linguistic encumbrances that may dilute our messaging thrusts. The President has recently approved a policy on the usage and coining of abbreviations in reports and other documents prepared by government agencies, departments, and instrumentalities. We are respectfully sharing with you the attached policy brief. PCDSPO recommends its dissemination and implementation among your respective communications staff. Thank you. Memorandum for the President FROM : Manuel L. Quezon III Undersecretary for Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning RE : Policy for the usage and coining of abbreviations DATE : July 15, 2013 This is to submit a draft policy for the coining and usage of abbreviations in reports and other documents in use by government agencies, departments and instrumentalities. This policy was also sent to Presidential Management Staff through Secretary Julia Abad. Thank you. (SGD.) APPROVED/DISAPPROVED Policy for the Usage and Coining of Abbreviations in Reports and Other Documents Prepared by Government Agencies, Departments, and Instrumentalities (As Approved by the President on 6 September 2013) Definition of terms Initialism : Terms formed from the first letter or letters of a series of words ( e.g. , DENR, OP, PNP etc.) cDTSHE Acronym : Terms based on the first letters of a series of words and read or pronounced as single words ( e.g. , NEDA, PAGASA). For purposes of simplification, the term abbreviation will be used to refer to both initialisms and acronyms in this document. Introduction The names of organizations and policies, especially in standard government, and academic practice, tend to be long and cumbersome; we therefore abbreviate to save space and to allow for smoother reading. However, the usage of abbreviations creates a jargon that if unchecked can make it difficult for outsiders to understand. It is common for readers to drown in what has come to be known as "alphabet soup": a linguistic metaphor for an overabundance of abbreviations, coined to make fun of the U.S. government's usage of a hodgepodge of initials for its many agencies a practice that the Philippine government has adopted. Writers and editors of reports, documents, media releases, and the like should assume that the reader, regardless of whom he or she may be, is not familiar with abbreviations that would require knowledge specialized to the topic at hand. Also, it is best to avoid overwhelming a reader with too many abbreviations, which may cause confusion during the process of digesting the text. The following are recommended: 1. Spell out and define at first mention With the exception of common-use abbreviations ( e.g. , HTML, DNA, IQ, JPEG, laser), spell out the first mention of an abbreviated term, with the abbreviation following within parenthesis. An exception to parentheses would be when both the spelled-out term and the abbreviation figure into the text in a way that is self-explanatory. Examples: The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was founded in 1935. Yesterday the government announced one of its major flagship projects under its Public-Private Partnership, or PPP, program. Do not abbreviate terms that are only mentioned once in a document. Rare exceptions would be organizations more publicly known by their abbreviated name ( e.g. , UNESCO and PAGASA both may be spelled out and abbreviated, even when used only once in text). For particularly long or multi-chaptered, abbreviation-heavy documents, it would be prudent to reorient the reader by repeating the process of spelling out and defining words that are less commonly used at the beginning of succeeding chapters or major sections. Furthermore, tables and figures must be treated as stand-alone entities. All non-self-explanatory and/or uncommon abbreviations within a table or figure must be spelled out, or defined either inside the table/figure or in the captions/footnotes. 2. Include a glossary of terms For abbreviation-heavy reports and large documents in general, include a glossary of terms. The abbreviations must be arranged in alphabetical order, with the spelled-out terms listed to the right, as would be definitions. TSEHcA This is highly recommended for any long-form document for public or internal use among agencies, and must be considered a requirement for reports submitted to the President. Furthermore, it is recommended that the glossary be laid out at the beginning of a document; this would serve two purposes: 1) immediately alert the reader to its existence, and 2) give the reader an idea of what to expect. 3. Limit the use of abbreviations Try to reduce the number of non-self-explanatory and/or uncommon abbreviations in a text to a minimum. If possible, limit them only to the following: Major organizations ( e.g. , DENR, DepEd, BIR); and Long terms that would make repetition unwieldy ( e.g. , GGAC [which refers to the Cabinet Cluster for Good Governance and Anti-Corruption], and CLAMP [Center for Land Administration and Management-Philippines]). 4. Short names vs. abbreviations One way to avoid the overuse of abbreviations in text is to use shortened names instead. For example, instead of using "BI" to refer to the Bureau of Immigration, one may simply say, "Immigration" as a modifier ( e.g. , "Immigration officials caught a Chinese fugitive."), or "the Bureau," for further mentions. 5. Keep it simple If you have to coin an abbreviation, keep it simple and easy to follow. Although it would be natural to attempt to create a catchy acronym for name recall, not everyone can be so definitive as PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration). It is not recommended to force acronyms ( e.g. , BaR-SPOrt [BAlloon-borne Radiometers for Sky Polarization ObseRvaTions]).