In April 2016, JP Maunes became a household name in the Philippines when his sign language interpretation for a heated presidential debate led a number of prominent media personalities to name him as the winner.
Memes with JP’s exhausted hands bursting into flames went viral on social media.He was under the spotlight. And ready to play along.
JP became a hero when just years before, the presence of sign language interpretation and many other mechanisms for inclusion of persons with disabilities were absent from the national discourse.