The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) on Saturday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that the next presidential and vice presidential debates should be in a format that will be accessible to the deaf and those with hearing problems.
“We believe that it is our moral duty to provide them the appropriate access to information. It is also their legal right to have equal access to information,” UNA spokesman Mon Ilagan said in statement.
Ilagan said the Comelec should ask media organizers “to include a sign language interpreter during the live broadcast, and a closed-caption format for replays and delayed broadcasts on television.”
“Nais po nating bigyan ang mga kababayan nating hard-of-hearing ng aktibong papel sa eleksyon sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng tamang impormasyon at upang mapakinggan nila ang posisyon ng mga kandidato sa pagkapangulo at pagkapangalawang pangulo,” he said.
(We would like to give our fellow Filipinos who are hard of hearing an opportunity to actively participate in the elections by giving them correct information so they may know the position on issues of the candidates for president and vice president.)
READ: 1st Presidential Debate: Complete transcript
UNA said the debate venue should also be friendly to senior citizens and persons with disability (PWD).
Ilagan said designating seats for senior citizens and PWDs in the debate venue would encourage them to fully participate in their right to know and choose the rightful candidates.
“It is as simple as providing a sign language interpreter for official Comelec or their sanctioned events such as the presidential debates,” he said.
Ilagan said Vice President Jejomar Binay “does not want people with physical impairment, those who are hard of hearing and even senior citizens be excluded from participating in the debates.”
The first presidential debate was held last February 21 in Cagayan de Oro City led by INQUIRER and GMA News. The second installment will be held on March 20 in Cebu City while the third debate will be held in Pangasinan in April.
A vice presidential debate will also be held in April be in Metro Manila. IDL