QuestionsQuestions (IRR OF Republic Act No. 11106)
The IRR’s purpose is to prescribe procedures and guidelines for implementing RA 11106 to facilitate compliance and achieve its objectives. It must be liberally construed in favor of deaf Filipinos to respect, protect, and fulfill their rights as a linguistic and cultural minority, while focusing on accessibility and nondiscrimination.
All concerned national government agencies (NGAs), bodies, instrumentalities, GOCCs, local government units (LGUs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and other public sector entities; autonomous regions must adopt/adapt similar rules.
It is a national policy promoted to guide implementation of the Act in education, justice, health, workplaces, other public transactions/facilities, and media. It must include minimum standards on: (1) instruction/training of civil service on and about FSL (incl. CPD), (2) FSL competency testing (hearing and deaf prospective workers), (3) interpreting and domain-specific interpreting standards (legal/judicial, medical, broadcasting, educational/academic, etc.), (4) interpreter insets in broadcasting, (5) translation of FSL to print/document needs, (6) development of materials in FSL (incl. copyrighted materials).
Each agency must formulate and implement an Agency Information & Communication Policy for the Filipino Deaf and FSL, including declaring FSL as the national/official sign language for relevant transactions, equipping employees with understanding of deafness/Deaf culture/FSL/interpreting/accessibility, identifying competency needs and training, publishing FSL online materials (e.g., FAQs and typical sentences), and determining financing/resources.
“deaf” refers broadly to persons unable to fully use hearing to process information, including signers and non-signers. “Deaf” refers to deaf Filipinos who identify as a linguistic and cultural community using Filipino Sign Language and supporting its goals and values. The distinction affects who may be prioritized as part of Deaf culture/community within policy implementation and participation.
FSL is recognized/promoted/supported as the medium of official communication in all transactions involving the deaf, and it is also the official language of interpreting (without prejudice to individual preference). The KWF, with Deaf community involvement and stakeholders, must establish national standards, accreditations, and procedures for FSL interpreting (including Deaf Relay Interpreting) within three (3) years.
They must cover: training/continuing education/professional development; assessment and accreditation of individual interpreters; and professional practice policies (compensation rates/benefits, working conditions, grievance procedures, and code of ethics).
The ECCDC, in coordination with DepEd, must issue an Agency Policy that adapts FSL as visual language/medium of instruction in early education, ensures inclusive frameworks and training for teachers/staff, specifies specialized sign language competency based on KWF minimum standards, and coordinates with PRC and Deaf organizations for sustainable implementation (including alternative licensing procedures for deaf teachers).
DepEd must issue an inclusive Agency Policy adopting FSL as medium/language of instruction and review/amend all frameworks and practices for curriculum, teachers/training, materials, ICT, assessment, monitoring/evaluation. It must also operationalize FSL within Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (FSL as L1/mother/first visual language; written Filipino/English/other Philippine languages as L2 literacy), designate Deaf-FSL consultants/specialists, provide qualified sign language interpreters and accessible materials, and discourage assigning interpreting duties to teachers for non-instructional tasks.
Routinely assigning interpreting duties to teachers for non-instructional and auxiliary activities (e.g., law enforcement interviews, affidavit preparation, court proceedings, electoral duties) is discouraged, to preserve teachers’ instructional responsibilities while ensuring accessibility via qualified interpreters.
TESDA must issue an Agency Policy adopting FSL as medium of instruction in its programs and ensure equal access in enrollment/training. It must review/enhance policies on curriculum/standards/assessment and ensure implementation of RA 11106 and IRR requirements; specify specialized sign language competency per KWF standards; plan interpreting training in consultation with Deaf and interpreter organizations; provide qualified interpreters and accessible materials; designate Deaf-FSL consultants/specialists; and promote inclusion of deaf training graduates in transition employment programs.
CHED must issue an inclusive Agency Policy adopting FSL as medium of instruction in higher education for deaf enrollees, review/enhance higher education institutional policies and frameworks (curriculum, teachers, training materials, ICT, assessment, financing, monitoring/evaluation), and coordinate financing and provision of qualified interpreters and accessible materials in compliance with RA 10931 (Universal Access to Tertiary Education). It must also designate Deaf-FSL consultants/specialists and monitor measures to ensure sustainable implementation.
PRC (with CHED) must issue an Agency Policy that reviews licensing policies and provides transitional alternative assessment procedures as affirmative action considering Deaf graduates’ conditions/background; ensure accessibility and language/culture fairness of assessment; promote licensing/mobilization of Deaf teachers; coordinate with ECCDC/DepEd for placement in public schools/daycare/national child development centers; and issue guidelines on FSL competency testing and mandatory continuing trainings.
DepEd Instructional Materials and Council Secretariat, coordinated with relevant bureaus and ECCD Council, must develop guidelines for selecting, producing, procuring, and distributing print and video FSL materials for public schools/day care/national child development centers, consistent with existing laws/IRR. It must also engage LGUs (through DILG and local Deaf people’s organizations/cooperatives) for recognition/capacitation in producing FSL materials. Allowable expenditures may be charged to ECCD Council, LGU Special Education Fund, or other relevant funds.
The Visual Communication Assessment for the Deaf (VCAD) is a tool to determine communication features/preferences through one-on-one assessment by a Deaf administrator, with recommendations submitted to the trial court or relevant agency. DOJ, Judiciary, and DILG formulate standards to institutionalize necessary assessment and ensure provision of appropriate interpreting and support.
DOJ must issue an Agency Policy declaring FSL official in its offices for all transactions involving deaf Filipinos (including arrest situations and correctional facilities accessibility), review/monitor compliance, develop standards for VCAD and provision of interpreting/assistance/transition, and create/maintain a database of cases involving deaf individuals with privacy/confidentiality protection. The Supreme Court must issue policies declaring FSL official in courts/official legal interpreting, formulate interpreting/documentation standards, include FSL modules in mandatory continuing legal education, designate Deaf-FSL consultants/specialists, and develop policies for designation of qualified interpreters/translators/VCAD administrators. DILG must declare FSL official in its offices and LGUs for justice mechanisms involving deaf parties (Katarungang Pambarangay/Lupong Tagapamayapa), review local code sections for compliance, and monitor disaggregated data and LGU implementation.
The CSC must issue an Agency Policy declaring FSL official in the civil service and government workplaces and facilitate reasonable measures encouraging FSL use among deaf and hearing employees. It must specify specialized sign language competency needs. It must also conduct a personnel audit and, together with DSWD and other agencies in consultation with Deaf organizations, recommend staffing measures for an ideal interpreting service-to-deaf client ratio; it must promulgate policies within 30 days for incremental training and placement for interpreters/translators/VCAD administrators, considering internal capacity-building and possible outsourcing/public-private partnerships.
The FSL Inter-Agency Council (with representatives from CHR, Children’s Welfare Council, PCW, KWF, and FSL organizations) leads as oversight/catalyst: it coordinates FSL concerns, ensures overall monitoring, directs agencies to attend/respond to issues, and prepares an annual report to Congress and publishes it in accessible formats on member-agency web sites.