Indeed, utf is the way to go as soon as you use non-english text, if you required portability. Don't forget to utf5_encode either.
The t61_8859 functions seem to be deprecated.
ldap_t61_to_8859
(PHP 4 >= 4.0.2, PHP 5)
ldap_t61_to_8859 — Transforma caracteres en formato t61 a caracteres en formato 8859
Descripción
string ldap_t61_to_8859
( string $value
)
Warning
Esta función no está documentada actualmente, solamente se encuentra disponible la lista de parámetros.
ldap_t61_to_8859
14-Apr-2004 04:47
