Political advertisements on television may soon come with sign language to help Filipinos who are deaf understand them if the Commission on Elections has its way.
Comelec Executive Director Jose Tolentino recommended to senators during a hearing on Tuesday to require sign language for any ad placed on TV by a politician or party for the coming 2019 elections.
“Hopefully we can include that provision with the technical working group to make the TV ads inclusive [for deaf people],” Tolentino told the Senate committee on electoral reform and people’s participation chaired by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.
Pimentel lauded the suggestion and said closed captioning for such ads should also be considered.
At least 17 percent of the country’s population suffers from a hearing impairment, data from the Department of Health’s National Registry in 1997 showed.