Yɛn man a nsuo atwa ho ahyia yi wɔ amammerɛ bebree a ɛsono sɛdeɛ yɛn nsupɔw no nso dodoɔ te. Ɛyɛ fie ma amantofo mpɔtam pii a wɔn nyinaa wɔ wɔn ankasa kasa.
Nokware mu no, Philippines wɔ amantofo kasa 175 a wɔda so ka, sɛdeɛ Ethnologue kyerɛ. Ethnologue yi kasa yi nyinaa kyekyɛ fa akuo-akuo sɛdeɛ wɔn tumi te. Wɔ saa kasa 175 a ɛda so yɛ adwuma yi mu no, 20 yɛ "amammerɛ kasa" - eyɛ kasa a wɔde yɛ adwuma wɔ nnwumakuo ne efie ne mpɔtam nyinaa; 100 yɛ "kasa a egyina hɔ pintinn" - yeinom nyɛ kasa a nnwumakuo de di dwuma, nanso ɛyɛ kasa a wɔka wɔ efie ne mpɔtam a mmɔfra da so sua na wɔka; 55 yɛ "kasa a ɛreyera" - anaa sɛ ɛnyɛ kasa a wɔtaa ka bio na mmɔfra nsua anaa wɔnka bio.
Kasa mmienu wɔ hɔ a "awu" dada. Ɛkyerɛ sɛ wɔnhyɛ da nfa yɛ adwuma bio na obiara nni ɔman mu ahomka a ɛfa saa kasa yi ho. Me dwene deɛ ɛyɛɛ amammerɛ ne nimdeɛ a na ɛfa saa kasa yi ho no. Yɛbɛtumi anya anidasoɔ sɛ wɔatwerɛ ne nyinaa agu hɔ mpo sɛ yɛbɛfa ato yɛn abakɔsɛm ne amammerɛ nwoma mu.
Sɛ yɛantumi amfa saa kasa 55 a ɛreyera wɔ yɛn man mu no anto hɔ na yɛamfa antu mpɔn a, ɛnnkyɛ koraa na wɔn nso bɛwu sɛdeɛ nkaeɛ no ayɛ no.
Amanaman nkabom mu nhyehyɛe bi wɔ hɔ a ɛfa amantofo kasa ho tumi a Philippines agye atom wɔ mfeɛ pii mu. Yeinom bɛtumi aboa dwumadie a ɛbɛma kasa a ɛreyera no anya ahoɔden bio. Ɛmu baako ne Convention against Discrimination in Education (CDE), a ɔman no gyee tom wɔ afe 1964 mu.
Saa CDE yi ne mmara a edi kan a ɛfa wiase nyinaa a ɛkyerɛ sɛ adesua yɛ onipa biara ho kwannya. Ɛwɔ nhyehyɛe bi a ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɔman no mu nkurɔfoɔ kumaa bi, te sɛ amantofo nkurɔfoɔ, wɔ ho kwan sɛ wɔyɛ wɔn ankasa adesua dwumadie, a ɛka wɔn ankasa kasa a wɔde bɛdi dwuma anaa wɔde bɛkyerɛ ho.
Apam foforɔ bi a Philippines gyee tom wɔ afe 1986 mu ne International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a ɛhwehwɛ sɛ ɛbɛbɔ nnipa ne politics ho tumi ho ban a wɔ mu ɔhaw biara nni hɔ. Nhyehyɛe baako pɔtee ma ɔman mu nkurɔfoɔ kumaa, nyamesom anaa kasa fa ho kwan "sɛ wɔbɛdi wɔn amammerɛ, wɔbɛsom wɔn nyame sɛdeɛ wɔpɛ, anaa wɔbɛka wɔn ankasa kasa."
Philippines nso de ne nsa hyɛɛ Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (CSICH) ase wɔ afe 2006 mu, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) wɔ afe 2007 mu, ɛne United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) wɔ afe 2008 mu.
CSICH no nhwɛsoɔ titiriw ne sɛ ɛbɛbɔ amammerɛ ahorow a yɛntumi mfa yɛn ani nhu no ho ban. Ɛyɛ yei ɛnam so ma nnipa te aseɛ wɔ mpɔtam, ɔman mu ne amanaman nkabom mu nyinaa, ɛma wɔbu mpɔtam no mu nkurɔfoɔ amammɔbra, na ɛma mmoa ne aboafoɔ wɔ amanaman nkabom mu.
Saa Apam yi ka sɛ amammerɛ ahorow a yɛntumi mfa yɛn ani nhu no da adi ɛnam akwan pii so, te sɛ atetesɛm ne kasa ahorow, a kasa yɛ akwankyerɛ titiriw a yɛfa so de amammerɛ yi bɔ abɔnten.
Saa bere no ara mu, UNDRIP yɛ apam titiriw a aboa paa wɔ amantofo nkurɔfoɔ ho tumi ho ban a ɛbɔ ho. Ɛma wɔn ho kwan "sɛ wɔbɛtena ase wɔ animuonyam mu, sɛ wɔbɛkora wɔn nnwumakuo, amammerɛ ne amammɔbra so na wɔahyɛ no den, na wɔadi wɔn ankasa nkɔanim ho dwuma, a ɛfa wɔn ankasa ahiadeɛ ne apɛdeɛ ho."
Awieeɛ no, UNCRPD san ka bio sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ ahoɔden tɔyaren biara wɔ ho kwan sɛ wɔnya onipa biara ho tumi ne fawohodie a ɛhia, a ɛka adwene ne nsɛm ka ho fawohodie ho. Ɛsɛ sɛ aban boa yeinom nam akwan a obiara bɛnya mu kyɛfa so, te sɛ wɔgye nsa kasa tom na wɔboa ma wɔde di dwuma, ne nnoɔma foforɔ pii.
Ɛfa yei ho no, Philippines amantofo kasa 175 a ɛda so yɛ adwuma no mu baako ne Filipino Sign Language (FSL), a ɛyɛ kasa a asomufo a wɔwɔ mfeɛ nyinaa de di kan di dwuma.
Ɛwom sɛ ɛyɛ adeɛ pa sɛ yɛagye saa apam yi atom deɛ, nanso ɛsɛ sɛ yɛte aseɛ sɛ saa amanaman nkabom apam yi gye tom yɛ yɛn adwumayɛ mfitiaseɛ pɛ. Deɛ ɛhia paa ne sɛ yɛbɛdi bɔhyɛ a yɛayɛ no so. Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛyɛ nhyehyɛe a ɛbɛma yɛatumi de saa apam yi adi dwuma yiye, ama yɛn nhyehyɛe ne mmara a ɛbɛbɔ kasa a ɛda so wɔ Philippines nyinaa ho ban, titiriw no wɔn a wɔreyera no. Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛhwɛ na yɛde yɛn ho hyɛ amanaman nkabom apam foforɔ mu, a ɛbɛtumi aboa ama yɛagye yɛn kasa nkwa.