Filipino Sign Language Act

Filipino Sign Language as national language

Section 3 declares Filipino Sign Language (FSL) as the national sign language of the Philippines.
Section 3 requires FSL to be recognized, promoted, and supported as the medium of official communication in all transactions involving the deaf.
Section 3 requires FSL to be recognized, promoted, and supported as the language of instruction of deaf education.
Section 3 preserves the use of other forms of communication based on individual choice or preference, without prejudice to such choice.

FSL in education and teacher development

Section 4(a) tasks the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and all other national and local government agencies involved in deaf education to use FSL and coordinate on its use as the medium of instruction in deaf education.
Section 4(a) requires FSL to be taught as a separate subject in the curriculum for deaf learners.
Section 4(a) requires teaching of reading and writing of Filipino, the national language, other Philippines languages, and English to deaf learners.
Section 4(b) directs the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and teacher education programs nationwide to employ alternative assessment procedures as affirmative action measures for deaf teachers, considering conditions, abilities, and social barriers of deaf teachers.
Section 4(b) requires these alternative assessment procedures to be language-appropriate and culture-fair for deaf education graduates.
Section 4(c) requires that, in inclusive education and Universal Design, FSL learning be a curricular or co-curricular offering in teacher education programs as deemed appropriate.
Section 4(d) requires national and local government agencies and centers providing education to deaf students to undertake regular pre-/in-service training and evaluation of teachers, designed and taught in partnership with representatives of the Filipino deaf community.
Section 4(d) mandates UP, together with KWF, professional sign linguistics and linguistics researchers, in collaboration with CHED, DepEd, and the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, to develop guidelines for training materials in deaf education for use by all state universities and colleges (SUCs) and their teachers and staff.

Standards for FSL interpreting

Section 5 requires KWF, with involvement of the deaf community and other stakeholders, to establish a national system of standards, accreditations, and procedures for FSL interpreting.
Section 5 preserves other forms of communication while requiring that FSL interpreting frameworks respect a deaf person’s accessibility rights and right to seek, receive, and impart ideas on an equal basis.
Section 5 requires the national system to include policies on interpreting as a profession, including compensation rates and benefits, working conditions, and procedures for grievances.

FSL in courts and legal interpreting

Section 6 declares FSL as the official language of legal interpreting for the deaf in all public hearings, proceedings, and transactions of the courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals.
Section 6 mandates courts, quasi-judicial agencies, and other tribunals to ensure the availability of a qualified sign language interpreter in all proceedings involving the deaf.
Section 6 preserves the right of the deaf to choose other forms or modes of communication if the deaf person so prefers.
Section 6 defines “hearings, proceedings, and transactions” to include police stations and proceedings before the Lupong Tagapamayapa under the Katarungang Pambarangay, and includes preliminary investigations and other initial stages in courts, quasi-judicial bodies, and other tribunals.
Section 6 requires the Supreme Court and other concerned agencies to promote appropriate training for those administering justice, including hearing interpreters, deaf relay interpreters, and other court personnel, police and prison staff.
Section 6 requires support staff training in translation from FSL to written English or Filipino.
Section 6 tasks the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Judiciary, with involvement of the deaf community and other stakeholders, to create a national system of standards, accreditation, and procedures for legal interpreting in FSL.

FSL in workplaces and civil service

Section 7 declares FSL as the official language of the Filipino deaf employed in the civil service and in all government workplaces.
Section 7 requires all government offices to take reasonable measures to encourage the use of FSL among deaf and hearing employees.
Section 7 requires reasonable measures to include awareness and training seminars on the rationale and use of FSL.
Section 7 mandates UP, together with KWF, professional linguistics organizations, and deaf linguistics researchers to formulate guidelines for training materials for employees of the DOJ, Judiciary, DOH, DSWD, PCW, CWC, and CHR in conducting their mandates and activities.

FSL in the health system

Section 8 requires state hospitals and all health facilities to take steps to ensure access of the Filipino deaf to health services.
Section 8 requires health facilities to provide free provision of FSL interpreters.
Section 8 requires accessible materials to be provided upon request of deaf patients or individuals with family members who are deaf.
Section 8 encourages private health facilities, as part of corporate social responsibility, to provide access to health services to all deaf patients and their families.

FSL in other public transactions and facilities

Section 9 directs all national agencies, including government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and local government units (LGUs) to use FSL as the medium of official communication in all public transactions involving the deaf.
Section 9 requires the provision of qualified FSL interpreters and accessible materials whenever necessary or requested during fora, conferences, meetings, cultural events, sports competitions, community affairs, and activities conducted by government agencies and GOCCs.

FSL in broadcast media interpreting

Section 10 declares FSL as the language of broadcast media interpreting.
Section 10 requires the KBP and the MTRCB to require FSL interpreter insets that comply with television accessibility standards in news and public affairs programs within one (1) year from the effective date of the Act.
Section 10 tasks the MTRCB to take steps to promote progressive use of FSL in all other broadcasts and programming, especially educational television programs for children, in conjunction with the National Council for Children’s Television and the DepEd.
Section 10 tasks the KBP and the MTRCB, the deaf community, and other stakeholders to create a national system of standards, procedures, and accreditation for broadcast media interpreting in FSL.
Section 10 requires that all videos published online, including those on social media, conform to Philippine web accessibility standards.

Promotion and expansion of competency

Section 11 directs the DepEd, CHED, UP, KWF, Linguistic Society of the Philippines, and other national agencies and LGUs, in consultation with language policy and planning experts and the deaf community, to propagate sign language competency among hearing people.
Section 11 requires propagating sign language competency through offering FSL as an elective subject in regular or mainstream curriculum, particularly in SUCs.
Section 11 directs, in coordination with KWF and SUCs led by UP, continuing research for the development, propagation, and preservation of FSL and its cultural history.

Instructional materials for schools and centers

Section 12 tasks the DepEd Instructional Materials and Council Secretariat, in coordination with the Bureau of Learning Resources and the Bureau of Learning Delivery and the ECCD Council, to develop guidelines for selection, production, procurement, and distribution of print and video materials in FSL to public schools, day care centers, and national child development centers.
Section 12 requires that seventy-five percent (75%) of all procurement contracts be reserved for deaf people’s organizations, including regional or provincial enterprises and cooperatives run by the deaf and recognized by LGUs.

Implementing rules, monitoring, and reporting

Section 13 requires KWF to promulgate the necessary Implementing Rules and Regulations for effective implementation.
Section 13 mandates coordination with the Secretary of Education, the Chairperson of CHED, the Director General of TESDA, the Chairperson of PRC, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice, and heads of other relevant agencies, and consultation with representatives of the deaf community, teachers with knowledge and experience in FSL deaf education, the academe, interpreters, and other persons concerned.
Section 13 sets the deadline: the Implementing Rules and Regulations must be issued within one hundred eighty (180) days after the Act’s effective date.
Section 13 requires publication of the Implementing Rules and Regulations in accessible formats in the respective websites of concerned agencies and through other necessary means.
Section 14 creates an Inter-Agency Council for strict monitoring and implementation, consisting of one (1) representative each from the CHR, CWC, PCW, KWF, and FSL organizations or institutions.
Section 14 requires the Inter-Agency Council to make an annual report on monitoring and implementation and submit copies to both Houses of Congress, and publish in accessible formats on their respective websites and through other necessary means.
Section 14 provides that failure to comply with any provision of the Act is a matter that can be referred to the Civil Service Commission, DILG, Sandiganbayan, or the Office of the Ombudsman, or other pertinent offices or bodies, for appropriate sanctions pursuant to existing laws and regulations.

Funding, separability, and effectivity

Section 15 provides that initial funding shall be taken from the current year’s appropriations of the concerned agencies.
Section 15 requires that thereafter, the amount necessary for continued implementation be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Section 15 allows relevant and allowable education expenditures to be charged to the ECCD Council, the LGU Special Education Fund, or other relevant fund.
Section 16 provides that if any provision is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining parts not affected remain in full force and effect.
Section 17 repeals or amends all laws and executive issuances inconsistent with the Act.
Section 18 provides effectivity fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in one (1) newspaper of general circulation.
Approval occurred on OCT 30 2018 under the signatures of the President of the Philippines (RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE), with House and Senate approval marks and standard legislative signatories.

Legislative timeline and identifiers

The Act is identified as Republic Act No. 11106.
The Act was approved on October 30, 2018.
The Senate passed the measure as Senate Bill No. 1455 on August 28, 2018.
The House adopted the measure as an amendment to House Bill No. 7503 on September 10, 2018.