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STEPPING OVER THE LINE Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, known for her outbursts, recently offended advocates and parents of children with Down syndrome with her 'mongoloid' remark during a Senate forum.

She may not be aware of it but Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has disappointed and earned the ire of a certain sector of the society with her recent pronouncement at a Senate forum.

Last week, Defensor-Santiago labeled her political enemies as mongoloids, a long outdated derogatory term for people with Down syndrome. News reports have quoted the solon as delivering this statement: I tell all my enemies who just want to get off me, stop molesting me, you mongoloids!

Advocates and parents of children with Down syndrome took to social networking sites to condemn the feisty senators pronouncement. Describing Santiago as insensitive, uneducated and even racist, members of the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. (DSAPI) are demanding a public apology from the senator.

Ferdy Valdivia, parent of a child with Down syndrome, wrote a note on the Senators fan page to get their message across.

On behalf of the Down syndrome Association of the Philippines, I would like to tell you that your behavior using the mongoloid word to describe the members of Congress is very unbecoming of a statesman like you. First, you have denigrated our children with Down syndrome by referring to them as unintelligent, inefficient, and unproductive. In other words, you have described our children as inutile and no use to society, he said in the note.

Valdivia adds that what the senator had said is the exact opposite of who the children and persons with Down syndrome really are.

This is not the case with our loving, sweet, and full of love children. They have always shown how much they care for us parents, to their siblings, and to other people. In fact, they manifest more their humanity than normal people like us. They all have a heart and they all have a brain that they use to love and to care for others. The children with Down syndrome are very functional and have truly shown other people their talents and intelligence which has become so obvious in the way they act and care, he added.

USE WORDS WISELY

For many years now, advocates and parents of children with Down syndrome all around the world are working hard to stop the use of the term mongoloid to describe their children. Like the term retarded, the term mongoloid is a word advocates are seeking to be banned from usage in media and in society due to its derogatory nature.

More here:
PWD advocates score solon for use of word ‘mongoloid’