Bam Aquino pushes for Filipino Sign Language bill in Senate

Senator Bam Aquino. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

Senator Bam Aquino said the use of Filipino Sign Language (FSL) during President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) should pave the way for an appreciation of the language and the passage of relevant measures.

“Nagpapasalamat tayo sa sign language interpreters sa SONA sa kanilang pagsisikap na maihatid ang mensahe ng ating Pangulo sa ating mga kababayang bingi,” Aquino said in a statement released Saturday.

(We are grateful for the sign language interpreters during the SONA because of their efforts to deliver the message of the President to our fellow Filipinos who are deaf.)

“Maraming humanga sa mga interpreters sa mahigit na dalawang oras na SONA ng Pangulo (Many admired the interpreters who were at the two-hour SONA of the President). We hope this also translates to a better appreciation of Filipino sign language,” the senator said.

Aquino is the author of Senate Bill No. 966 or the Filipino Sign Language Act, which seeks to declare FSL as the national sign language of the Filipino Deaf and “the official language of the Philippine government in all transactions with the Deaf.”

If enacted into law, the measure will require the use of FSL in schools, workplaces and broadcast media.

There are several similar measures proposed in both chambers of Congress.