People arrive at the Gateway Cineplex in Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City on November 10, 2021 as it opens its doors to patrons for the first time since the start of arious COVID-19 quarantine measures in the capital region. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/FIle

MANILA — A House lawmaker is seeking to prohibit the dubbing of English language motion pictures and television programs into the Filipino language.

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House Bill 9939 authored by Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez wants Filipino dubbing of English-language motion pictures and television programs distributed or broadcasted in the Philippines to be prohibited.

In his explanatory note, Benitez explained that mass media can be a platform to teach English as a second language as he expressed concerns about the impact of low level of proficiency in English as a second language in the country.

"We must therefore help younger generations acquire English in different settings, and through different media, to enable them to communicate better and explore new horizons, in terms of employment and social interaction," Benitez said.

The proposed law would require Filipino subtitles for English language movies and programs, provided that English language closed captions shall be provided as an option for English language audio content.

TV commercials and TV programs shown from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Philippine Standard time are exempted from this prohibition.

Likewise, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board can exempt television programs if it determines that compliance will be "economically burdensome.

Courts maybe empowered to penalize violations with fines of P50,000 to P100,000, and jail time of 6 months to one year or both.