Baybayin: The Key to Understanding Filipino Identity

“The identity of the Filipino today is of a person asking what is his identity.”

-Nicomedes “Nick” Márquez Joaquín

Language and culture have always been a part of one’s identity. It builds a nation and bridges its

people. Often, it is associated that the language we use is a representation of and a fundamental

aspect of our cultural identity (Rovira, 2008). To quote Khaled Hosseini “If culture was a house,

then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms inside.” In a country like the

Philippines, rich culture and ethnic groups flourished that resulted into the diversity of dialects

being spoken nationwide

But different reports have shown that most of us Filipinos cannot express ourselves purely in the

language. Surveys
 Baybayin: The Key To Strengthening Our Filipino Culture And Identity

"The identity of the Filipino today is of a person asking what is his identity.”

-Nicomedes “Nick” Márquez Joaquín (Joaquín, n.d.)

According to the Merriam- Webster Dictionary, the word Identity pertains to the distinguishing

character or personality of an individual. In our case, we pertain to the individuality of Filipinos.

Which brings us to the question: What shapes our identities as Filipinos? Is it the food that we

eat? The beliefs and values we uphold? Is it our history? Or our diverse culture and adaptability?

What makes a Filipino a real Filipino?

A study by Rovira (2008) shows that language is a fundamental aspect of our cultural identity.

Language and culture have always been a part of one’s identity; whether they are an immigrant

or not. It builds a nation and bridges its people. To quote Khaled Hosseini “If culture was a

house, then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms inside.”

In the Philippines, rich cultures and ethnicities thrived which resulted in a diversity of dialects.

Different provinces have unique languages they use. This resulted in different native writing

systems, there are 16 to be exact. Tagalogs have Baybayin, Kapangpangans have Kulitan,

Bisayas have Badlit, and Hanunó’o for Mangyans.

According to Victoria Gugol's "Ortography (Evolution)," the Baybayin script is syllabic. It

contains fourteen consonants and three vowels. The vowels are 'a', 'i' (or 'e'), and 'u' (or 'o'). Each
consonant is pronounced with the vowel 'a' unless a symbol called kudlit is placed over it. The

kudlit is a cross or a dot, that denotes the use of a different vowel. If the sign is written over the

letter, the consonant is spoken with an e or an i. The consonant is pronounced with an 'o' or 'a' if

the kudlit is under the letter. Unlike other alphabets, named after their first three letters,

Baybayin is named after the sequence of letters. To quote, Virgilio Almario (in his introduction

to Spanish clergyman Pedro Andres de Castro’s Baybayin: Ortograpiya at mga Tuntinin sa

Pagsulat sa Wikang Tagalog.) He defined it as "Ang Baybayin...ay nangangahulugan ng

'pagkakasunod-sunod ng mga bagay sa isang hanay' (sucesion de cosas como en fi la)."

Despite the confusion in the origin stories of Baybayin, a new plausible theory emerged. In a

study by Guilermo Tolentino, he associated the role of giant clams in the development of

Baybayin. It is possible that they have taken inspiration from the clam's shapes. In a similar way,

they have named and mimicked nature. The most significant evidence of the relationship of

Giant Clams to Baybayin can be found in Arsenio Manuel's (UP Faculty) 1971 book, A

Lexicographic Study of Tayabas Tagalog of Quezon Province. The word "haha" (p. 133) defined

as "cut wide" and "hahain" as "bukahin ang manglit" (open the manglit), while manglit

interpreted as "higanteng kabibe" (giant clams).

Baybayin is going to be the National Writing System, as stated in House Bill 1022. Pangasinan

Representative Leopoldo Bataoil wrote the bill last April 23, 2018. The House Committee on

Basic Education and Culture approved the proposal and implementation. It is going to be on road

signs, structure signage, replacing product labels, and masthead. It created headlines and grabbed
the attention of the public. Now they have split opinions on the implementation of the bill since

Baybayin was not taught nor utilized before.

Considering the future full implementation of House Bill 1022; DepEd should include Baybayin

in its curriculum.

First, it is because through baybayin we can decolonize our language. Long before the Spaniards

called Filipinos "indyos" or changed our perception of our ancestors, Filipinos are smart and

honest traders. According to a video done by Kirby Araullo, a Filipino- American historian, our

ancestors picked up multiple languages to communicate with foreign traders. Back then,

foreigners will leave their shipments on docks and Filipinos will not take anything from them

unless they ought to exchange or trade it with something else. Yet, this part of history was never

taught nor is common knowledge.

Moreover, what parts of our pre-colonial history were erased or changed? Through this, we can

seize an opportunity to erase misconceptions. The incorporation of Baybayin into our writing

system has far-reaching implications for Filipino identity. The young will have a chance to learn

more about their Filipino identity and understand the language/ writing system itself. "Language

is the house of being," philosopher Martin Heidegger once said, implying that language is how

we experience the world (Acosta, 2018).

Besides that, some Filipinos are willing to study other writing systems like hangul, hiragana,

kanji, katakana, etc. They can also exert the same effort and time in studying baybayin. Several

Filipinos have confessed that learning baybayin is easier than kanji; which is the hardest writing

system in Japanese. It could be a minor subject alongside Filipino to further grasp the concept.

Moreover, once baybayin is added to the curriculum, this could help the other ancient scripts

emerge. take note that baybayin only represents 1 group which is the Tagalogs. There are more

writing systems used by our ancestors. 16 scripts in counting, created in different provinces. This

is an opportunity to also implement their province's own ancient writing system instead of

baybayin. Since Filipino shouldn't represent the Tagalog dialect alone but the vast majority of

dialects in the Philippines. It should go the same with studying baybayin.

Some of the most outspoken critics of the bill argue that it will only be an aesthetic change.

Some think that we have far more concerns regarding the educational system that must be

addressed first rather than adding another subject to the curriculum. While the latter is that we

are too late to develop our own national writing system.

I'll start with the former: Yes, more time should be devoted to improving the writing system. I

concur that baybayin should initially be taught in schools because it is still in its infancy.

Additionally, teachers need extra time to study so they can instruct pupils effectively. But if such

adjustments are made, it might function effectively for the following generation. Furthermore,

they will also learn the language, which will enhance their understanding of Filipino. Yes, we

have much better things to address regarding our education system. But I think DepEd and other
government officials should be the ones responsible for answering that. Since, in the end, it is

still their responsibility and obligation. Second, it is not too late to develop our own writing

system. Similarly, other countries such as Turkey. After a thousand years of using a Perso-

Arabic script, they adopted a Latin-style alphabet in 1927. If the colonizers were able to instill a

foreign writing system in us, we can do the opposite.

In conclusion, if they are going to implement House Bill 1022, DepEd must include baybayin in

the curriculum. In addition to that, this could be an opportunity for us to strengthen our Filipino

identity and culture. A chance to save our dying language and a chance to save our identity. We

must take action on this matter to save our developing country's roots and heritage. Thus, we

must learn and remind ourselves of who we are and what we came from. Take on the challenge

to educate yourself and learn more. More than what they teach us, more than what they tell us.

Who we are, and where we came from, are all in the past. Without the past, we would not know

who we are today.