For the Filipino Deaf community, access to information remains an obstacle.

Seven years have passed since the passage of the Filipino Sign Language Act, but the Filipino Deaf community still faces challenges in turning the landmark legislation into a lived reality—especially in following the news.

With nearly 2 million Filipinos who experience functional difficulty in hearing while living through tumultuous times, it has become even more essential to ensure their right to factual information is upheld.

As we celebrate the International Day of Sign Languages, let us continue to defend the rights of the Filipino Deaf community and amplify the need to make news and information accessible and inclusive to all.

What is Filipino Sign Language?

The Filipino Deaf community primarily uses Filipino Sign Language (FSL). It is a natural language that incorporates gestures, facial expressions, and hand and body movements that reflect Filipino culture [1].

The existence of FSL was first recognized through linguistic research in the 1990s [2]. Although it is a language used by the Filipino Deaf, it is not the same as or related to the spoken Filipino or Tagalog languages [1].

FSL was officially recognized as the national sign language of the Filipino Deaf through the virtue of Republic Act No. 11106 or The Filipino Sign Language Act in 2018 [3].

FSL in Broadcast Media is Required by Laws

While existing laws do cover the use of insets in broadcast media, the ambiguity of the provisions and lack of definitive guidelines for implementation leave much to be desired for media accessibility.

Major news outlets also see no urgency in its implementation, citing logistical concerns in hiring interpreters and allocating space for them within the newsroom, as well as aesthetic concerns about adjusting and potentially disrupting their existing graphic elements [4].

Media governing bodies have also failed to take significant steps toward collaborating with the Filipino Deaf community to create implementing guidelines, reflecting a systemic failure that extends beyond words enshrined in the law.

FSL in TV News Programs

The Filipino Sign Language Act declared FSL as the official language of Philippine broadcast media interpreting, requiring FSL interpreter insets in television news, public affairs programs and videos published online [3].

While Philippine television news programs now include FSL interpreter insets, they remain too small. This poses another problem for the Filipino Deaf community in accessing information because they cannot clearly see the interpreter’s arms and hands, making it difficult to follow the signs—and the news [5].

This challenge remains unaddressed as television networks fail to provide platforms wherein members of the Filipino Deaf community can send their feedback and concerns regarding FSL interpreter insets [5].

Media is essential in making well-informed choices everyday and perpetuating barriers to access effectively violates their right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas on an equal basis with others,” according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [6].

The evident deprioritization of the needs of the Filipino Deaf community, not only by the media but also in education, healthcare and other sectors of society, impedes the fulfillment of the ultimate goal promised by the FSL Act: to ensure the Filipino Deaf’s “full and effective participation and inclusion in society [3].”

While personal efforts to build inclusive communities are always welcome, there must be a stronger push towards enacting institutional changes—moving beyond subtitles to the widespread use of FSL in news and media—to create a more substantial impact on the quality of life of the Filipino Deaf community.