A 19-year-old woman from Quezon City is making a name on TikTok by promoting deaf awareness on the social media platform.
According to Erlinda Maniquis, her daughter Erline started creating content in 2021.
“Siya lang mag-isa ‘yan eh. Kasi nanonood siya ng mga Youtube tapos, ‘What if kaya may deaf na ganun?’ Naisipan niya, nagvideo-video siya,” Mommy Erlinda told The Philippine STAR.
The whole family was also surprised upon seeing that Erline has a large following.
“‘Pag nakakatanggap siya ng reviews na magaganda, nae-encourage siya lalo. Hanggang sa pati Papa niya nagtataka, ‘Bakit siya nakilala doon?’ Kasi parang may sarili siyang content, tsaka pretty eh,” she said.
Erline aims to raise awareness among fellow PWDs.
“Awareness talaga. ‘Eto kami, kaya rin namin ‘yan.’ Gusto niya mag-level up daw ‘yung [hard of hearing] and deaf community,” said Mommy Erlinda.
Mommy Erlinda would sometimes join Erline in creating content especially when she is teaching her to say simple words.
“Napapansin ko nakahawak siya sa chin ko. Kaya ‘pag nag-uusap ako, over-over ‘yung ka-OA-an. ‘Mama’ para marinig niya ‘yung vibrations ko. Ine-encourage namin siya na kahit mga simple lang. Katulad ng names ng brothers niya, nasasabi niya,” Mommy Erlinda said.
Mommy Erlinda recalled the day when Erline was born.
“Naiwan siya nang one week sa hospital. Kasi parang naninilaw tapos parang may kaunting pneumonia. Na-notice namin na kahit anong ingay, hindi siya nagre-respond. Kahit may mabagsak sa kanya, tapos tina-try namin magbato-bato ng mga gamit, wala talaga siyang response,” she narrated.
Erline is the youngest among seven siblings. At first, Mommy Erlinda said that their family found it hard accepting Erline’s condition.
“Sabi ko, ‘Paano ito lalaki?’ ‘Paano siya?’ Di ba? Ayoko na ngang umuwi noon pagkagaling ko ng hospital. Nakatulong talaga sa amin ‘yung napasok siya ng school. Ininvolve ko sila sa sign language, ‘yung mga anak ko. ‘Yung mga ate niya,” she added.
Erline graduated from senior high school at the Philippine School for the Deaf this year. She currently manages her own business.
“Nag-start siya niyan mga online-online noong pandemic. Mga ukay siya. Nag-put up kami dito sa bahay, may maliit na space para doon sa mga items niya,” Mommy Erlinda said.
“Masaya rin ako na nakakuha siya ng sariling [platform]. Keri niya na ‘yung sarili niya. Pwede na siyang mag-isa talaga,” she added.
Mommy Erlinda also has a message to families dealing with the same situation.
“Basta mag-aral sila ng sign language kasi ‘yung mga hindi nag-aral ng sign language, ‘yung mga anak nila, ayaw sa bahay. Labas nang labas kasama ang barkada kasi wala silang makausap sa bahay,” she stressed.
