THE Supreme Court yesterday said sign language interpreters will soon be posted in courtrooms across the country to enhance access to justice of members of the deaf community.
This as a technical working group (TWG) headed by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao convened on May 27 to draft and refine the first ever Rules on Filipino Sign Language Interpreting for the Judiciary.
Also attending the pilot meeting were Associate Justice and TWG vice chairperson Jose Midas Marquez, Court Administrator Raul Villanueva, Court of Appeals Justice Geraldine Fiel-Macaraig, Associate Justice Juliet Manalo-San Gaspar of the Sandiganbayan, representatives of trial court judges, Commissioner Benjamin Mendillo, Jr. of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, lawyer Rhealeth Krizelle Ramos of the National Council on Disability Affairs, and representatives from various deaf organizations in the Philippines.
The High Court said the move is part of a broader effort to ensure equal access to justice for all in line with the State’s policy to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, especially members of the deaf community under Republic Act 11106, or the Filipino Sign Language Act.
The said law mandates the judiciary to create rules that guarantee equal access to justice for the deaf and facilitate their meaningful participation in legal proceedings.
The High Court said it is already working to identify qualified sign language interpreters for proceedings involving deaf and hard-of-hearing Filipinos.
It added that while live broadcasts are absent during court trials and hearings in the country, sign language interpreters will be integrated into in-court hearings and videoconferencing sessions.
