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The team sharing their insight on FSL literature during their visit to the National Tsukuba University of Technology
Photo release
MANILA, Philippines — Three Filipino educators from De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (DLS-CSB) recently took part in the inaugural Tokyo International Deaf Arts Festival (TIDAF) held at the Za-Koenji Public Theater in Suginami City, Japan.
They joined groups of participants from Australia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, who also extended their support for the event organized by the Deaf Arts Society of Japan.
Making up the lean but mean Philippine delegation were the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) full-time faculty Michael Vea and SDEAS-Center for Partnership and Development (CPD) associates Shaquille De Guzman and Francis Ethelbert Pagaduan. The three educators participated in the festival’s Fringe Program, which showcased independent and unique artworks in exhibitions to highlight the important role that Deaf arts play in Japan and across the global community.
They also shared stories in Filipino Sign Language (FSL) and delivered a lecture on the development of FSL literature in the country. The latter is a field which DLS-CSB has been actively championing through the years.
Aside from the collaborative participation of the Philippine delegation, Pagaduan competed in the festival’s Sign Slam in his individual capacity. Originally referred to as ASL Slam, Sign Slam is a thrilling international sign language battle where Deaf artists faced off by showcasing their visual poetry and storytelling skills. He is became the first Deaf Filipino to compete in the festival’s Sign Slam.
“I realized how exciting it (Sign Slam) was and how much it allowed me to express my skills in FSL. It made me even more interested, and now I wish to bring something like this back home. I’m truly grateful for the chance to compete on a world stage,” Pagaduan noted. “I hope this experience will inspire more Deaf Filipinos to join and, someday, to win.”
The Philippine delegation also had the opportunity to meet with some members of Japan’s Imperial Family, particularly Crown Princess Kiko of Akishino and Princess Kako of Akishino.
After the event, the DLS-CSB team stayed in Japan a little longer to enable Vea, De Guyzman and Pagaduan to visit their partner school, National Tsukuba University of Technology (NTUT). NTUT President Yasushi Ishihara and Deaf educator Dr. Yoko Kobayashi welcomed them upon their arrival, and the team also had the opportunity to interact with NTUT’s faculty and students to share insights from their TIDAF experience.
Vea finished his master’s degree in literature at De La Salle University (DLSU) and is now a doctoral candidate in anthropology at University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. On the other hand, Pagaduan and De Guzman teach Filipino Sign Language (FSL) under the Filipino Sign Language Learning Program (FSLLP) and are currently taking up Master of Learning and Teaching (MALT) at DLSU.
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