MindaNews / 2 October — If the bill filed in the Bangsamoro Parliament mandating that signages in public areas be written in Arabic language with English translation will be approved, residents and visitors to the region might feel like being in the Middle East.
Based on public consultations conducted by the Bangsamoro Parliament’s Committee on Rules, Parliament Bill No. 176 (PB 176) or the Signage Official Language Act is gaining the support of different stakeholders in the region as it could reinforce the Bangsamoro cultural identity and promote Arabic literacy.
Members of the Committee on Rules on Wednesday separately conducted public hearings in the cities of Marawi for Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga for the island-provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Basilan to gather inputs on the measure. The region also comprises the two Maguindanao provinces.
Member of Parliament (MP) Suharto Ambolodto, Committee on Rules vice chair, pushed for the passage of the bill during the hearing in Zamboanga City.
“[The bill] could help encourage younger generations to learn Arabic,” he said in a report issued by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s media division.
Eddie Alih, deputy minister at the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government, also expressed support for the mandatory use of Arabic-English signages across the region.
He stressed that the bill could help revive interest in learning Arabic language across the region.
“There is a lack of Arabic proficiency in the Bangsamoro,” said Alih, a former MP, adding “this is a step toward embracing our identity and encouraging more people to learn the language.”
PB 176 was filed on May 17, 2023 and has been on second reading or committee level since last July 23. The measure stated that it is the policy of the BARMM to respect and promote inclusivity in the region.
“In pursuit of this end, the Bangsamoro government [is mandating] public and private institutions and establishments to install signages in English-Arabic,” it said.
The Bangsamoro government, through the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, has adopted the madaris curriculum, which involves Islamic studies and Arabic language.
Rinna Galang, president of Fatimiya Islamic Mission, agreed that the Arabic language should be promoted in the Bangsamoro region through visibility in signages.
“The visibility of Arabic on signages [across the region] could boost student interest in learning the language,” she said.
In Marawi City, representatives from local government units, ministries, academe, and the religious sector attended the roundtable discussion.
Dr. Imelda Balt, assistant schools division superintendent of Lanao del Sur II, expressed support for the bill and recommended the addition of vernacular languages to promote inclusivity.
This was backed by Dean Jashim Abdulrahman of Mindanao State University’s King Faisal Center for Islamic, Arabic and Asian Studies (MSU- KFCIAAS.
He noted that including the different Moro languages will foster cultural unity and regional identity.
MP Alirakim Munder, who presided over the discussions in Marawi, said that all the recommendations raised will be considered in the committee deliberations.
Arabic as a language has been central to the Islamic faith of the Bangsamoro people.
In 1380, Sheik Karimul Makdhum, an Arab missionary, arrived in the Philippines to propagate the teaching of Islam in the country.
He built the first and oldest mosque in Brgy. Tubig Indangan, Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, which was named in his honor.
In 2013, then President Benigno S. Aquino signed Republic Act 10573 declaring the Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque a national historical landmark. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
