Deaf man prevented from boarding plane to Qatar

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Deaf man prevented from boarding plane to Qatar | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

A deaf person will file a discrimination case before the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) after an airport immigration officer prevented him from boarding his flight to Qatar.

Through an interpreter, Franklin Corpuz said he was supposed to leave for Qatar on Monday after he was invited to train for a week as a chef in the said country. If the company likes him, he could be hired as a chef.

However, Corpuz said he was held by an immigration officer at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Through interpreter Jojo Esposa, Corpuz told Bandila, “Siguro deaf ako or what or hindi ko maintindihan yung pinaguusapan nila. Sana ipinaliwanag nila sa akin ng maayos”.

Corpuz said he talked to an immigration officer by way of writing. He, however, failed to understand some questions and was sent home.

Esposo said it is common in the Philippines for persons with disabilities to have a hard time communicating with others, and being discriminated upon due to lack of awareness by the general public.

“Yung progressive countries like US and Japan, hindi siya issue,” he said.

In a phone interview Atty. Arvin Santos, acting chief of the Immigration Airport Operations Division, said they are now investigating the incident. They are also looking for the immigration officer who talked to Corpuz.

“Para talagang malaman kung anong nangyari, and if there's really a ground para ma-sanction yang aming officer, then we really support that," Santos said.

Santos said the result of the investigation will be released on Wednesday.

 

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Deaf man tries Qatar trip anew

Deaf man tries Qatar trip anew | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

A deaf man will try to leave again for Qatar after he was refused departure by a Bureau of Immigration official on Wednesday.

Franklin Corpuz, who intends to sue the Bureau of Immigration, will attempt to leave again at 10:30 a.m. Thursday on board Qatar Airways flight 649.

He will be accompanied by Department of Justice personnel and an interpreter to ensure his fair treatment.

Lawyer Arvin Santos, officer in charge of the BI’s Immigration Airport Operations Division, said Corpuz still has to follow proper procedures and go through an immigration desk again.

With the help of an interpreter, Corpuz said he hopes Raul Medina, the officer who denied his departure, will meet him because he wants to be able to resolve the issue.

His wife, Marites Raquel Corpuz, said there are no standard operating procedures, documentary requirements, and regulations for deaf people who are travelling.

Corpuz’s wife, who is also president of the Philippine Federation for the Deaf, said her husband has an identification card issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Development that indicates his disability.

She shared through an interpreter that when she got lost at a US airport once, a police officer helped her using sign language. She expressed hope there could be a similar level of awareness in the Philippines.

She urged Philippine airports to improve their services for disabled people.

Some airlines also make their own rules, she said.

According to Corpuz, Cebu Pacific requires that a group of deaf people with 10 or more people should be accompanied by an interpreter.

She said they disagree with such regulations because it is expensive and tends to segregate disabled people from other passengers.

 

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NAIA immigration officer stops deaf-mute baker from leaving

NAIA immigration officer stops deaf-mute baker from leaving RP | The Philippine Star >> News >> Metro

A deaf and mute baker invited for a seminar in Qatar was stopped from leaving the country after an immigration officer decided that he could not explain the reason for his trip since he was “deaf and cannot speak.”

The immigration officer then ordered Franklin Galano Corpuz, 30, to leave the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Corpuz was allowed to depart for Qatar at 10:45 a.m. yesterday after Justice Undersecretary Vicente Salazar found his documents in order.

Corpuz and his wife, Raquel, sought the assistance of Salazar through Dean Raul Pangalanan of the University of the Philippines College of Law and Liza Martinez, Philippine Deaf Resources Center Inc. director.

A company in Qatar had invited Corpuz for business training and orientation on programs for persons with disabilities and eventual employment.

Accompanied by a Qatar Airways flight attendant, Corpuz went to NAIA last Oct. 4 and checked in at the immigration counter.

Upon being told that Corpuz is deaf, the immigration officer at the counter directed him to the immigration office, where he was interviewed.

After the interview, the immigration officer said he would not allow Corpuz to board his flight because he is “deaf and cannot speak.”

Corpuz has no sufficient proof that his trip to Qatar is for business since he was deaf and mute and lacked documents, he added.

To prevent similar incidents, Bureau of Immigration officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said he will recommend the hiring of sign language experts at all airports and sub-ports to allow immigration officers to communicate with deaf and mute passengers.