Spotlight on Filipino lawyers’ grammar

Manila: The Philippines’ public servant watchdog will be drawing on the expertise of native English speakers to address grammar competency concerns involving government lawyers.

According to published reports, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales pointed to inadequate skills of Filipino lawyers in composing drafts of legal cases as the reason why the agency is experiencing delays in the disposition of charges filed against erring government officials and employees.

“In the course of office operations, we have observed that action papers submitted for review reveal certain areas that need improvement,” Morales said while pointing out that among the problems encountered were “poor grammar, typographical errors, inconsistencies, poor presentation and appreciation of facts and issues, and erroneous appreciation of applicable jurisprudence”.

To improve the competency of their lawyers, Carpio-Morales said they have called on the help of the British Embassy.

While most Filipinos regard English their second language, most are accustomed to American-style written and spoken English which sometimes differ from British English in terms of syntax.

Carpio-Morales said that to standardise usage, the Office of the Ombudsman will be coming out with its own stylebook based on British English.

“To serve our desk reference for graft investigation and prosecution officers, we will be coming out with a stylebook,” she said.

The Philippines had been a colony of the US from the onset of the 1900s until the mid-1930s when a Commonwealth government was set up.

Although the Spanish had arrived earlier and ruled the country for more than 300 years, it was Americans who provided education to the masses of Filipinos through the public school educational system. As a result, most educated Filipinos write and speak American English.

The British had briefly occupied the Philippines, in particular, Manila from 1762 to 1764 and did not stay long enough to have a significant impact on the development of the country’s language.