Deaf Trainor Jerome Marzan represented MCCID College during the focus group discussion at the UP Institute of Human Rights last December 1 at the UP Law Center focusing on identifying human rights challenges and barriers to access to justice commonly experienced by persons with disabilities.
Atty. Ibarra M. Gutierrez III UP Law School Director invited key Persons with Disabilities sector to a focus group discussion which aimed to survey the current human rights landscape for PWDs. The focus group discussion is among the series of expert dialogues in order to enable the Institute to determine gaps in the current legal and regulatory framework affecting PWDs and to recommend policy reforms.
Among the things Sir Jerome suggested are the recognition of Filipino Sign Language as the official language to be used in deaf education and putting of closed captions on news broadcasts. As a rejoinder, Sir Jerome made the following sentiments in the official MCCID College Facebook Fan Page:
I feel very pity that some deaf people in the Philippines have no work. So I think more deep about why some deaf don’t have work and jobs to other companies and places. It is because some government agencies and other companies are very lack aware, not considering the deaf and discriminating deaf people especially in some provinces. So I want to suggest more to UP Institute of Human Rights Focus Group Discussion about this.
I hope that the government and other companies must open their minds and become more aware about the deaf. They should accept, support and give chance to the deaf. Some deaf people who already have work are now successful and fair with hearing people. I also want the government to accept Filipino Sign Language as the language used by the Filipino Deaf and provide closed captions to all news programs on TV. All of these are our human rights and included in UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.
Ms. Krissy Conti, one of the focus group discussion organizers informed the group of the next round of meetings in the near future to further identify the human rights challenges and suggestions on revision of the Magna Carta for the Disabled Persons or RA 7277.
Sir Jerome was accompanied by another deaf leader Raphy Domingo and Dr. Lisa Martinez of Philippine Deaf Resource Center. Sir Jojo Esposa was the deaf’s official sign language interpreter.
