Be careful what you say or do because once it’s out there on the internet, it’s virtually impossible to take back. That’s what Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson and her and radio show co-host Drew Olivar have probably learned by now.
A week after the controversial Facebook Live video featuring the two making fun of sign language, the issue is far from being over. In fact, the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights (CHR) just yesterday released a statement saying that they are currently investigating the case.
READ: Mocha Uson video makes fun of sign language, angers netizens
Posted on Facebook, the CHR called the video “utterly appalling and unacceptable especially that it involves a government official and a blogger affiliated to a government office.”
https://www.facebook.com/notes/commission-on-human-rights-of-the-philippines/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-on-the-controversial-video-making-fu/1767251653391372/
In the video, Uson and Olivar — both staunch supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte — are seen making fun of sign language. Olivar copies what he thinks people look like when using sign language while Uson laughs. At one point Uson even says “You’re like a monkey.”
Both Uson and Olivar have apologized for their actions but the CHR said that was not enough.
READ: Drew Olivar apologizes for making fun of sign language
“We welcome the public apology the duo recently issued. However, for an apology to be genuine, it must be coupled with a full sense of accountability, concrete actions to rectify the wrong done, and future actions should manifest efforts to protect and promote the welfare and dignity of the PWDs (persons with disabilities),” it said.
The organization’s statement also called the video “degrading, derogatory, and further perpetuates discrimination of the vulnerable deaf people.”
It reminded that the government is responsible for protecting people with disability, which is why Uson, a public official, should be held accountable for what she did.
“Government officials should be the first in promoting and protecting the rights of [PWDs], not the violator of their rights,” the statement reads.
It even cited Section 4 of R.A. 6713 or Code of Conduct for Public Officials and Employees that states how public officials “shall not discriminate against anyone, especially the poor and the underprivileged.”
The Magna Carta for PWDs also prohibits the public ridicule of PWDs and those caught violating this could face fines or imprisonment, the CHR said.
Apart from the CHR, other groups involved in protecting the rights of deaf people have also spoken out about the video.
The De Lasalle-College of Saint Benilde, an institution that offers programs in deaf education, condemned the video and has called on the government to remove Uson from her post.
The Philippine Federation of the Deaf is also set to file a complaint against Uson today before the Office of the Ombudsman, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
