Baybayin: Should We Really Change the Way We Write?
Jasmin E. Francisco
Recently, the resurgence of Baybayin indeed became evident. From T-shirt prints to tattoo designs, Baybayin might no longer be just utilized for aesthetic purposes if the bill that aims to make it as the country's national writing system eventually becomes a law. Baybayin is an ancient pre-colonial script dating back to the 13th century CE. Its usage among the Tagalogs was documented by Spanish friars in the 1600s. However, after imposing the use of the Latin Alphabet, Baybayin eventually died.
The House Bill 1022 or the “National Writing System Act”, authored by Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil of Pangasinan, was proposed to revive the usage of Baybayin and to have a better appreciation for the Filipino culture and spreading greater awareness on the importance and beauty of the said script. It was already approved by the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture and is further strengthened with the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Once the bill gets passed into a law, labels of locally-produced food products, mastheads of newspapers and other print publications, and official signages of streets, buildings, public facilities, fire and police stations, community centers, hospitals, and government halls will all be written using the Baybayin script along with corresponding translations in the Latin alphabet. When the said bill circulated the news, several Filipinos expressed their views, most of which are feelings of incongruity with the changes that the bill entails and its impracticality.
One of the most obvious reasons why a lot of Filipinos are not in favor of the said bill is due to the possible confusion and communication predicaments that it can cause. Certainly, several Filipinos might find it confusing to see Baybayin characters that they do not even understand since only a few Filipinos know how to read and write the said script. Another reason why many are against the said bill is that it can once again foster a sense of Tagalog imperialism. There are other native scripts in the Philippines such as the Pampanga Kulitan, Mindoro Hanunoo, Palawan Tagbanwa, and Visayan Badlit to name a few, so why Baybayin? To turn Baybayin into the country's national writing system might just further divide our nation. Lastly, many critics pointed out that the implementation of the bill will entail a huge amount of cost that needs to be funded. They emphasized that allocating budget for the alterations proposed by the bill will not be practical considering that our fellowmen have other dire necessities that need to be addressed and funded.
Given this, the answer to the question, if we should change the way we write, is clear and simple. We shouldn't drastically change our current writing system. The goal of heightening the appreciation and revival of one of our native scripts is commendable, but probably not to the extent of turning it into the country's national writing system. I believe that there are far more practical and rational ways to promote the Filipino culture and even Baybayin.
If we want Baybayin to be appreciated, we can gradually integrate lessons in the curriculum to enlighten students, as well as hold seminars in barangays to inform locals on how it originated, how it succumbed, how it resurfaced, and how to write it. Most importantly, if we want to successfully introduce Baybayin in our present time, we must ensure that a strong foundation of the Filipino language, Philippine literature, and history is well-established first.
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The author is Teacher II at Pampanga High School