Have you ever had a dream where you were screaming for help and nobody could hear you?

For the over half a million members of the Filipino Deaf community, scenarios like this are not just a dream or a nightmare-they are part of their everyday reality. Because much of society does not naturally understand the culture of the Filipino Deaf, or are equipped to do so, many Deaf individuals are left without proper communication or access to information.

Worse, because of this large communication gap, Deaf individuals have become more vulnerable to abuse. According to data shared by the Cebu-based nongovernment organization Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme, Inc., up to 70 percent of Deaf boys and girls “are being molested”, while 63 percent are being “abused by their own fathers.” Their data also shows that one out of three Deaf women has been raped.

In order to build a safer and more inclusive society for the Filipino Deaf community, government, civil society, academe, and the private sector must work together to give Deaf individuals access to communication, information, and tools that are necessary to lead productive lives. Thus, this representation appeals for the urgent passage of the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Act of 2014, which shall declare Filipino Sign Language as the national sign language of the Filipino Deaf and the official language of, the Philippine government in all transactions with the Deaf, and which shall likewise mandate the use of FSL in schools, workplaces, and broadcast media.

Such a language would not only produce highly successful learners, it would also respect the Filipino Deaf community’s rights to identity, access to education, and direct communication, among others.

Moreover, this Act provides for FSL to be the medium of official communication in all transactions involving the Deaf and the language of instruction of Deaf education. It shall also be the official language of legal interpreting for the Deaf in all public hearings, proceedings, and transactions of the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals, as well as in all public and private workplaces, and in all other public transactions, services, and facilities.

To make information more accessible in broadcast media, this Act also requires FSL interpreter insets in news and public affairs programs. Subsequently, the NTC shall take steps to promote the use of FSL in all other broadcasts and programming.

Under this proposed Act, the National Council for Disability Affairs (NCDA), with the involvement of the Deaf community and other stakeholders, shall establish a national system of standards, accreditation, and procedures for FSL interpreting. Likewise, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and other national and local agencies shall take appropriate steps to propagate sign language competency among hearing people, by offering FSL as an optional language subject in the regular or mainstream curriculum, among others.

We fervently believe that a humane, just, and inclusive society protects the vulnerable, integrates the marginalized, breaks down the barriers of discrimination, and gives equal access to opportunity for every Filipino. Mandating and promoting the use of FSL, we believe, is a step toward social justice for the Filipino Deaf community.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

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