BACOLOD City – The Bacolod Integrated Deaf Association (BIDA) is appealing to critics to help them instead of criticizing their kiosk situated at the city’s public plaza.
The group has occupied one of the waiting sheds and turned it into a kiosk purposely to serve as livelihood, where they can sell their goods.
But, the kiosk has earned several criticisms after some netizens posted on social media photos of the waiting shed.
Joan Briones, BIDA coordinator and interpreter of BIDA president La Fonsa Marie Latosa, said in a media interview yesterday that “if people are against of what we did to the waiting shed, we just ignore it. We are proud that we have achieved this project.”
Interpreting the sign language of Latosa, Briones added: “Just please help the deaf because we’re showing you that we can, do not be against us.”
Briones, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.
“I want you to know that we are proud that we are here, and we would like to thank you for giving us the chance to have that kiosk at the plaza,” she said.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said that BIDA has requested to the city government to provide them an area where they can place their learning language skills and materials, and it was approved by the mayor.
Following the circulation of BIDA kiosk online, Mayor Benitez called the attention of the city’s Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) and the General Services Office (GSO) to look for an area where the group can be transferred.
Ting added that the city government prohibits selling in plazas and the Diocese of Bacolod also prohibits such activity within their property.
Briones, however appealed that in case they will be transferred, they prefer the area just across their current kiosk, which is still within the vicinity of the plaza.
She added that the plaza is a suitable place for them to converge where they can also share information./PN
