Senator Nancy Binay on Monday criticized the latest video of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson and Drew Olivar supposedly making fun of sign language.
“Hindi nakakatuwa ang huling video ni Asec. Mocha Uson at Drew Olivar (Asec. Mocha Uson and Drew Olivar’s latest video is not funny),” she said in a statement.
“It is disrespectful to the sizeable deaf and mute community who already struggle in airing their concerns and aspirations,” she said.
READ: ‘Degrading, disrespectful’: Mocha Uson, Drew Olivar get flak for making fun of sign language
Binay, who authored the Filipino Sign Language Bill, said she is alarmed by the possible effects of “mockery” and “discrimination” shown in the video.
“Such discriminatory actions set back our efforts to make our society more inclusive by providing a more conducive environment for deaf Filipinos to exercise their right to expression without prejudice,” she said.
The senator also reminded Uson of her position in the government, saying that “as a public official, it is paramount that she refrain from mocking the people she serves.”
According to Binay, making fun of people with disabilities is a violation of the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons or the Republic Act No 9442.
“Sign language should never be made an amusement piece,” she said. /ee
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