MANILA – The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) will honor government entities that excelled in using the country’s national language Filipino in their respective official transactions, communications and correspondences, as well as public service undertakings.
On August 30, the KWF will confer its annual Selyo ng Kahusayan sa Serbisyo Publiko award on Kagawaran ng Kagalingan at Pagpapaunlad Panlipunan (Department of Social Welfare and Development or DSWD), Pambansang Komisyon Laban sa Kahirapan (National Anti-Poverty Commission or NAPC), Pangasiwaan sa Pagpapaunlad ng Kalakhang Maynila (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority), Kagawaran ng Agrikultura (Department of Agriculture or DA), Komisyon sa mga Filipino sa Ibayong Dagat (Commission on Filipinos Overseas or CFO), Tanggapang Pampanguluhan sa Operasyong Pangkomunikasyon (Presidential Communications Operations Office or PCOO), Korporasyong Pangkoreo ng Pilipinas (Philippine Postal Corp. or PHLPost), Pang-alaalang Sentrong Medikal Quirino (Quirino Memorial Medical Center), Sentrong Medikal ng Rizal (Rizal Medical Center or RMC), as well as the cities of Sta. Rosa, Manila, Taguig and Mandaluyong.
The KWF will also recognize the 2019 Selyo finalists Kagawaran ng Paggawa at Empleo (Department of Labor and Employment) and Kagawaran ng Turismo-Mimaropa (Department of Tourism or DOT - Mimaropa).
“Those agencies and LGUs (local government units) complied well with Executive Order 335,” said KWF linguistic specialist Dr. Miriam Cabila, who’s overseeing the Selyo project.
She expressed hope that the conferment of the award will inspire other government entities nationwide to do the same.
The awarding is among the activities for this year's celebration of the annual Buwan ng Wika.
Proclamation 1041 series of 1997 proclaimed August of every year as Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa to highlight the importance of Philippine languages in promoting communication, understanding, unity, and progress in the country.
EO 335 series of 1988 enjoins national and local government entities to take steps that will enhance the use of Filipino in all official transactions, communications and correspondences.
The call is in line with the 1987 Constitution’s language provisions, according to EO 335.
Enhancing the use of Filipino “will hasten greater understanding and appreciation among the people of government programs, projects and activities throughout the country, thereby serving as an instrument of unity and peace for national progress,” EO 335 reads.
To better promote use of Filipino and compliance with EO 335, the KWF came up with its Selyo ng Kahusayan sa Serbisyo Publiko award.
The KWF has been conducting its Korespondensiya Opisyal seminar for government entities to help them enhance respective use of Filipino and EO 335 compliance.
The agency evaluates entities that availed of the seminar to see how well each is using Filipino and complying with EO 335.
Results of the evaluation enable the KWF to determine which entities to honor with the Selyo ng Kahusayan sa Serbisyo Publiko award and recognize as finalists of this agency's search.
Last year, the KWF conferred the award on CFO, RMC, PhilPost, Manila, Taguig and Mandaluyong.
It also recognized the 2018 Selyo finalists DOT, DSWD, DA, NAPC and PCOO.
Mandaluyong, Taguig, PhilPost were the Selyo awardees in 2017.
Manila, Hukuman ng Apelasyon (Court of Appeals), Kagawaran ng Badyet at Pamamahala (Department of Budget and Management) and Pambansang Komisyon para sa
Kultura at mga Sining (National Commission for Culture and the Arts or NCCA) also received recognition that year, KWF said.
PHLPost and NCCA bagged the award in 2016 when KWF first conferred this honor, the language commission added. (PNA)
