An Act Amending Section Twelve of Act Numbered One Hundred and Ninety, as Amended, by Providing That Until January First, Nineteen Hundred and Twenty, Both English and Spanish Shall be Official Languages, and for Other Purposes

February 11, 1913

ACT NO. 2239

AN ACT AMENDING SECTION TWELVE OF ACT NUMBERED ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY, AS AMENDED, BY PROVIDING THAT UNTIL JANUARY FIRST, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY, BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH SHALL BE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Section twelve of Act Numbered One hundred and ninety, as amended, is hereby further amended so as to read as follows:

"SEC. 12. Official language. — Until otherwise provided by the Philippine Legislature, the official language of all courts and their records shall be the English language: Provided, That until January first, nineteen hundred twenty, Spanish shall be also and official language of the courts and their records; that the Supreme Court, any Court of First Instance, the Court of Land Registration, any justice of the peace court, the municipal court, or any other court of similar jurisdiction which may hereafter be established, may order its records to be made in either English or Spanish as it may deem best for the public convenience and the interests of the parties; and that any party of his counsel may examine witnesses and make oral argument in English or Spanish, which shall then and there be interpreted into other language by a court interpreter whenever the other party or his counsel does not understand the language in which the examination or argument is made, and so requests, and may submit any petition, motion, pleading, brief, document or evidence either in English or Spanish without an accompanying translation into the other language: Provided, however, That in cases in which all the parties or counsel stipulate in writing, or the accused in a criminal action requests, the language used in the record shall be in accordance with such stipulation or request; and that proceedings in justice of the peace courts shall be in the Spanish Language unless the justices speaks English and there is an official interpreter or all the parties or their counsel speak English."

SECTION 2. This Act shall be retroactive and take effect as of January first, nineteen hundred and thirteen, and all records, judgments, orders and proceedings which, if this Act had not been passed, would have been null and void, are hereby ratified and confirmed.

ENACTED, February 11, 1913.