MESSAGE ON THE DEAF AWARENESS WEEK
November 10-16, 2019

As we mark this year's "Deaf Awareness Week", let us raise awareness not just on preventing and rehabilitating deafness, but also strive to create inclusive opportunities for the deaf community.

Kasabay ng pagkalinga at pagbibigay-malasakit sa ating mga kababayan na may kapansanan, hangad natin na gabayan sila sa mga pagsubok na kanilang pinagdadaanan, maitaguyod ang marangal nilang pamumuhay at ang maayos na pakikisalamuha sa lipunan.

To this end, I have filed the National Commission for Disability Affairs (NCDA) Bill which seeks to transform the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) into a full-fledged commission that will bridge the gaps in promoting the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and their families.

It will ensure that PWDs, including the deaf community, have access to their basic needs, including healthcare, education, employment, and other necessary interventions.

I have also spoken out last year in defense of Robelyn and Emmanuel, a deaf couple who were discriminated against when they were prevented from entering a mall by a security guard. This is but one incident out of the many challenges they face and overcome on a daily basis.

We should take it upon ourselves to make their voices heard, their rights upheld, and their welfare safeguarded. To empower our deaf Filipinos is a move towards a just society and genuine national development.

(Sgd.) LEILA M. DE LIMA

PNP Custodial Center, Camp Crame

10 November 2019