Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino to sign MOA on Filipino Sign Language  with Deaf community and interpreters

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) is slated to ink a partnership agreement for National Coordination of Deaf Organizations (NCDO), as well as National Coordination for Interpreting (NCI).

The NCDO led by the national Philippine Federation of the Deaf (PFD) of a hundred constituent Deaf member organizations nationwide is headed by President, Carolyn B. Dagani.   The NCDO shall include other Deaf organizations such as: FSL Advocacy Cooperative, Deaf Accessibility Network of the Philippines, Philippine Federation of the Deaf Youth Section, FSL Specialists, and others.

The NCI as the network of interpreters and interpreting organizations is represented by Catherine Joy Villareal, President of the Philippine National Association of Sign Language Interpreters (PNASLI), such as the Philippine Association of Interpreters for Deaf Empowerment (PAIDE), Philippine Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (PRID), CODAs, Tagapagsalin ng Wikang Senyas Workers Cooperative (TWS-WC), Deaf & Terp, Hand & Heart,

Deaf Access Services Philippines, and others.

The KWF is establishing an FSL Unit to serve as its resource group to coordinate for the planning and implementation of the promotion and teaching of FSL, and also the institutionalization of sign language interpreting in all government entities.

Republic Act 11106, the Filipino Sign Language Act is a landmark legislation enacted in 2018 which declares FSL as the national sign language of the Filipino Deaf as well as the official sign language of government in all transactions involving the Deaf, and mandating its use in schools, broadcast media, and workplaces.

It also mandates the creation of a system of national standards for sign language interpreting.  It is lauded as significant legal recognition of national sign language by the World Federation of the Deaf, found only in about 40 countries globally.

The Implementing Rules and Regulations of this comprehensive law covers the language domains of education, justice, media, health, workplaces, and all other public facilities / services / transactions.

The KWF is the implementing agency of this Act.  With the Commission on Human Rights, Philippine Commission on Women, and Council for the Welfare of Children, along with Deaf organizations, it convenes this Inter-Agency Council for annual monitoring and evaluation of implementation of the law.

The IRR directs at least 36 government agencies / offices instrumentalities to implement the law according to their mandates.

The MOA signing shall take place on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 at 2 pm at the KWF Office.  It shall be interpreted, and live-streamed.

For inquiries, pls contact the office of Kom. Benjamin Mendillo, Jr.  at (632) 899-60670, or kwf.kom.bmendillo@gmail.com.