PHILIPPINE FEDERATION OF THE DEAF INC.

in partnership with
PHILIPPINE FEDERATION OF THE DEAF YOUTH SECTION, INC.
September 01, 2019

Hon. Walter Magnum “Bimbo” Dela Cruz

Councilor - District I
2nd Floor, Legistative Building
New City Government Complex
MacArthur Highway, Barangay Karuhatan,
Valenzuela City, Philippines 1440

Dear Hon. Dela Cruz,

Greetings from the Philippine Federation of the Deaf Inc. (PFD)!

PFD is the national federation representing Deaf Filipinos who use Filipino Sign Language as the national
sign language in the Philippines locally and internationally. PFD advocated the linguistic rights and equal
opportunities in inclusion across all aspects of human life.

Our Mission is to represent the Deaf Filipino Community, to preserve Filipino Sign Language and to
promote the Deaf identity through the training of Deaf Filipinos. This is to ensure their equal human
legal, linguistic, and cultural rights.

We are more than pleased to inform you that we are celebrating our International Day of Sign
Languages worldwide on the 21nd day of September 2018 (Saturday) at Valenzuela City People Park,
MacArthur Highway, Karuhatan, Valenzuela. The theme of our said celebration is “Sign Language
Rights for All!”

We are so thankful that Valenzuela City People Park provided us the free use of open campus from
8:00 am to 5:00 pm. We, the International Day of Sign Languages committees would like to ask
some assistance (in cash or in kind) or 300pcs. Lunch meals. The said assistance will be used during
the International Day of Sign Languages. We appeal to your kind consideration on our request

In themes “Sign Language Rights for All!’’ which we have following collection observes from IDSL:

● We, the signatories of the present Charter1 , reaffirm our strong commitment to take all necessary
steps to safeguard the inclusion of deaf people in society, recognition of their needs, dignity and
human rights as provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD), the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW), the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Developments Goals
and all other international human rights treaties.
● We emphasise the paradigm shift from the medical model of disability to the human rights model of
disability in line with the CRPD. Deaf people are human rights holders entitled to equal opportunities
to participate in society in the same way as other citizens..
● We strive to ensure that deaf people have equal access in society, public and private life, through the
use of sign languages, without discrimination, to ensure the full enjoyment of their human, civil,
 cultural and political rights. Through this Charter, we reaffirm our collective will to place deaf people
as actors of their own destiny and inclusion in society.
● For the purpose of this Charter, Sign Language Rights for All includes the rights of deaf people, deaf
children, deaf youth, deaf women, deaf elders, deaf LGBTQIA+, deaf migrants, deafblind people,
families of deaf children, children of deaf adults (CODA), and all other people using sign language to
benefit from full and effective access to the community, including the Deaf Community and
mainstream services through the use of sign language.

To achieve this, part of our celebration includes seminars, debates, games, bazaars, and exhibit of the
PFD-IDSL milestones. We would expect an approximately three hundred Deaf and Hearing supports to
join our celebration together.

We would like to invite you and your staff to celebrate with us together and sponsor our
celebration. We hope to look for your participation as our sponsor.

Please contact the following point person below if you have any further clarification or question

Chairperson, International Day of Sign

Languages: LOUIS CHRISTIAN B. DECARA
Mobile #: +639276559911 (SMS only)
Email: pfd.idslphilippines@gmail.com

Thank you in advance for the response on this matter and looking forward for a successful
celebration of this year’s International Deaf Day.

Sincerely,

Louis Christian B. Decara

Chairperson
International Day of Sign Languages 2019

Noted by:

Carolyn B. Dagani
President
Philippine Federation of the Deaf Inc.