CINEMALAYA Independent Film Festival 2024 featured two films focused on the stories of children with disabilities: deaf-mutism in “The Hearing” and autism in “Love Child.”
The Hearing focused a major social ill: the abuse of deaf-mute children.
Lucas (Enzo Osorio) , a deaf boy from a small fishing village, is sexually abused by Fr. Mejor, an influential priest. After his parents Madonna (Mylene Dizon) and Dante (Nor Domingo) discover the truth, they decided to file a court case against the priest despite the obstacles in their way.
In their pursuit of justice, they cross paths with sign language interpreter Maya (Ina Feleo), who has also witnessed powerful people manipulate the results of cases.
About 70 percent of deaf/ mute children in the Philippines are sexually abused regardless of their gender, perpetrated by neighbors, family members, teachers or other persons in authority.
Rates of sexual assault, rape, molestation, and other forms of abuse are significantly higher against deaf mute Filipinos than hearing Filipinos.
“We want to try to give voice to those who cannot stand up and speak for themselves. We hope this film properly addresses the need to change and improve our education system, laws and the justice system to protect and serve everyone especially the most vulnerable,” according to director Lawrence Fajardo.
People who are deaf mute are especially vulnerable to abuse because predators are confident that they will not be reported. If they get abused, they cannot shout. When they report, no one understands them.
Language barriers affect how perpetrators are more likely to get away with abusing the deaf mute.
These language barriers are caused by a lack of adequate sign language interpreters. There is roughly one sign language interpreter for every sixty deaf mute people in the Philippines, and the majority of them only work in Manila.
Some courts also fail to provide interpreters for deaf mute complainants despite the protection of the right to adequate interpreters in the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.
Interpreters are also considered to be a third-party member which classifies the evidence as hearsay, or when the person testifying has no personal knowledge of the facts. The hearsay defense is usually raised despite the victim himself giving the testimony or statement of facts that are personally known to him/her.
These limitations discourage victims from coming forward with their story.
“Legal language is difficult enough to understand for the average hearing person, so how does one who cannot hear and express themselves understand and be understood as they fight for their rights as human beings?” Fajardo said.
The Love Child is a story of a young couple as they navigate the challenges of raising their autistic son in an increasingly unforgiving world, testing their love and resilience.
College sweethearts Ayla (Jane Oineza) and Paolo (RK Bagatsing ) decide to drop out of school to start a family after a whirlwind romance leads to an unplanned pregnancy.
Four years later, they are devastated to learn that their son, Kali, is diagnosed with autism. As they navigate the complexities of raising a child with special needs, they confront an increasingly unsupportive environment.
Their journey challenges their relationship and the dream of a complete, harmonious family, forcing them to find strength and resilience in the face of adversity.
Autism imposes a significant economic burden on Filipino families, particularly the minimum-wage household earners who spent a higher proportion of their budget ( almost 21%) on autism-related services.
Autism, also called autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in reciprocal social communication and the presence of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior that affect multiple contexts and are excessive or atypical to be developmentally and socio-culturally inappropriate.
Autism is a lifelong developmental exceptionality, which may challenge an individual’s ability to communicate, socialize and adapt to the world around him.
The Autism Society of the Philippines said that one in 100 Filipinos are on the autism spectrum, translating to approximately 1.2 million Filipinos living with autism today.
“The film aims to raise awareness about ASD, emphasizing that it is not an illness but a human condition requiring deep social understanding. It affects not just the individual but their entire family, demanding collective efforts and government support,” according to director Jonathan Jurilla.
(Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)
