An Act Further Amending Section Twelve of Act Numbered One Hundred and Ninety, Entitled "An Act Providing a Code of Procedure in Civil Actions and Special Proceedings in the Philippine Islands," as Amended, by Providing for the Continuation of the Spanish Language as the Official Language of the Courts until the First Day of January, Nineteen Hundred and Thirteen, and for Other Purposes

May 20, 1909

ACT NO. 1946

AN ACT FURTHER AMENDING SECTION TWELVE OF ACT NUMBERED ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY, ENTITLED "AN ACT PROVIDING A CODE OF PROCEDURE IN CIVIL ACTIONS AND SPECIAL PROCEEDINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS," AS AMENDED, BY PROVIDING FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE COURTS UNTIL THE FIRST DAY OF JANUARY, NINETEEN HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. Section twelve of Act Numbered One hundred and ninety, entitled "An Act providing a Code of Procedure in Civil Actions and Special Proceedings in the Philippine Islands," as amended by Acts Numbered Eleven hundred and twenty-three and Fourteen hundred and twenty-seven, is hereby further amended so as to read as follows;

"SEC. 12. Official language. — The official language of all the courts and their records shall be the Spanish language until the first day of January, nineteen hundred and thirteen. After that date English shall be the official language. But the Supreme Court or any Court of First Instance may in its discretion order a duplicate record in the English language made and duly enrolled in any action or proceedings whenever the court shall determine that such duplicate record would promote the public convenience and the interests of the parties: Provided, That any party or his counsel may examine or cross-examine witnesses or make an oral argument in English, which shall then and there be clearly interpreted into Spanish by a court interpreter whenever the judge shall so require; and the party or his counsel may submit a written or printed brief in English if at the same time he accompanies it by a correct Spanish translation: And Provided Further, That in cases in which all the parties or counsel stipulate in writing, and the court consents, the proceedings may be conducted in English, and in such cases the record of the pleadings, the bills of exceptions, and judgments need not be translated into Spanish: And Provided Further, That when a case, civil or criminal, is tried in the English language in the trial court, in the event of an appeal the English language shall be used in the Supreme Court, but the briefs shall be accompanied by a translation into the Spanish language: And Provided Further, That applications which have for their object injunctions, receivers, certiorari proceedings, mandate, prohibition, arrest of defendant, or attachment can be filed in English and the same acted upon without need of a previous translation into Spanish, but the party filing the application must file a translation thereof within two days after the date of filing the application in court, a period which the court may extend to ten days if the length of the document to be translated so requires."

SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

ENACTED: May 20, 1909.