Supreme Court hires first deaf-mute employee

MANILA, Philippines - The application of a deaf-mute for a position in the Supreme Court was recently approved by Chief Justice Reynato Puno, citing his policy on avenues for the poor and marginalized groups such as persons with disability (PWD).

Upon recommendation of Justice Arturo Brion, who has a hearing impairment, Puno approved the hiring of Arthur Principe, 35, as the very first deaf-mute employee of the Supreme Court.

Principe was hired as a co-terminus utility worker II at the office of Brion. He started working at the SC last March 12.

Principe is now part of the more than 2,000 personnel of the Supreme Court.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Management degree from the CAP College School for the Deaf in Pasay City.

Principe manages files, encodes and photocopies documents and does errands.

He had a brief working stint as a sales crew of a popular clothing brand at SM Harrison Plaza prior to his judicial appointment.

Clerical work is not new to Principe, as he had done this during his on-the-job-training at the CAP College and the NOVA-CBM ICT Training Center, a school of the Nova Foundation for Differently Abled Persons Inc., a Philippine-based non-government organization.