The first historical State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Benigno Aquino III also had another first, that of an inset sign language interpretation.
This is the first of its kind since SONA has ever been televised. It gives the Deaf people the right to participate in nation building, access to communication, access to be equal to people without disabilities. Educators and veteran interpreters from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), MCCID College of Technology, Philippine Deaf Resource Center, and the Philippine School for the Deaf together with Deaf leaders of the Philippine Federation for the Deaf (PFD) worked together to make the first inset-interpreting of the SONA possible.
GMA-7 staff and crew provided inset FSL interpreting through live streaming in gmanews.tv with Jojo Esposa and Nicky Templo-Perez as interpreters, Myra Medrana as Deaf representative and Giselle Montero as team leader. This was much appreciated by the Deaf Filipino community abroad.
Here is the Behind the Scenes Video of Sign Language Interpretation of SONA courtesy of Ms. Pia Faustino of gmanews.tv:
For the Deaf community, this is a dream come true, and the realization not only came through one but through three communication channels. There is no boundary for inclusion or access. What a realization, that indeed, there is no monopoly of skill and intent to do good. There is no exclusivity of information.
For those with cable access, the ANC Channel aired interpreters John Baliza and Febe Sevilla with Raquel Estiller-Corpuz as Deaf representative and Joyce Dalawampu as team leader.
The Deaf students who were excused from their classes tuned in to TV5 with Junjun Sevilla and Therese Bustos as interpreters, Jay Sunico as Deaf representative and Techie dela Torre as team leader.
The Manila Bulletin Online wrote an article about how the deaf people understood the SONA.
Here is the entire video of SONA 2010.
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