 |
Baybayin is just one of at least 16 different writing systems that were used in pre-colonial Philippines. Illustration by ELLE BATTUNG |
Excerpts from the article by Chang Casal, CNN Philippines
It is believed that there were at least 16 different types
of writing systems present around the Philippines prior to our colonization.
Baybayin is just one of them, which was said to be of widespread use among
coastal groups such as the Tagalog, Bisaya, Iloko, Pangasinan, Bikol, and
Pampanga around the 16th century. One theory is that “Baybayin” got its name
from the word “baybay,” or seashore in Tagalog.
When the Spanish arrived, they studied and used Baybayin to
communicate with early Filipinos and teach them Catholicism. This could be why
Baybayin is arguably the most popular and heavily documented of scripts. As
Filipinos began to learn the Roman alphabet from the Spanish, the use of
Baybayin, especially in lowland areas, began to disappear.
But in upland areas and remote villages that were difficult
for colonizers to reach, some scripts remained intact. There are only two
places left in the Philippines that have preserved their ancient syllabic
scripts: Mindoro, where the Hanunó'o-Mangyan and the Buhid-Mangyan simply call
their scripts “Surat Mangyan,” and Palawan, where the Tagbanua and Pala’wan
groups share a writing system they simply call “surat” — a word meaning
“writing.” Some ethnolinguists and advocates argue that “suyat” and “surat” are
the best neutral term to use as a general descriptor of our writing systems.
Meanwhile, small groups around the country are making
initiatives to popularize scripts that are no longer in use, like the Kulitan
script of the Kapampangans.
 |
| Two of the last scripts that remain in use today belong to the Mangyan group of Mindoro, who simply called their writing system "surat." Illustration by ELLE BATTUNG |
Surat Mangyan
The Northern Script of the Hanunó'o Mangyan and the Southern
Script of the Northern Buhid remain in existence today likely due to the
Mangyan’s relative isolation in the mountains of Mindoro. Dutch anthropologist
Antoon Postma, who lived with the Hanunó'o Mangyan for many years, is also
credited for helping document and preserve their scripts.
There are 18 basic syllables: three vowels (a, i, u) and 15
consonants followed by the vowel ‘a’. In Hanunó'o, a diacritic or kudlit
written either at the top or on the right of the symbol changes the vowel to
‘i’ and ‘u’ respectively.
 |
| The scripts of the Hanunó'o and Buhid Mangyan have likely remained in existence until today due to the groups' relative isolation in the mountains. Illustration by ELLE BATTUNG |
A “cutting-off” symbol, or pamudpod, was introduced by
Postma to eliminate the vowel or indicate a final consonant. Hanunó'o is
written vertically from bottom to top and left to right, though it can be read
from left to right in horizontal lines.
In Buhid, the accent is placed above or below the symbols
and is written left to right horizontally.
These scripts are traditionally engraved on bamboo with the
use of a small pocket knife, and can also be found on wooden objects like
tobacco containers, lime containers, house beams, and musical instruments,
which are used to accompany the incantation of traditional poems written in the
scripts: the ambahan and urukay.
These poems are used by Mangyan parents in educating their
children, by young people during courtship, and by a host greeting a visitor,
among others. They tell of the experience of birth and infancy, parental love
and the intimate ties of the family union, of death and decay.
These poems are, according to Mangyan poet and National
Living Treasure Ginaw Bilog, the key to the Mangyan soul.
Postma wrote that the writing system helped the ambahan stay
alive, while the existence of the poetry provided the script with “sufficient
reason (and material) to be used over and over again.” Thus, the syllabic
script and poetry have “mutually assisted each other not to become extinct and
forgotten.”
 |
| Tagbanwa/Tagbanua/Apurahuano is the writing system of the Tagbanua group residing in Palawan. Illustration by ELLE BATTUNG |
Tagbanua and Pala’wan
Similar to the surat Mangyan, the script of the Tagbanua
(also known as Tagbanwa) and Pala’wan groups is a syllabic alphabet consisting
of three vowels (a, i, u) and 13 consonants accompanied by the letter ‘a.’ The
script also makes use of a kudlit written above and below the symbol to
indicate a change in vowel. Tagbanua script is written in vertical columns from
bottom to top and left to right, and read from left to right in horizontal
lines. A small knife called pisaw is used to write the script on wooden slabs
and bamboo.
The script is believed to have originated among the Tagbanua
people, who then introduced the writing to the Pala’wan when Tagbanua workers
were taken to Brooke’s Point in Palawan before the second world war. Both
groups are said to have recalled the use of their script in relaying messages
and asking for basic goods from friends and family in far off places, as well
as in signing legal documents, casting their vote during local, provincial, and
national elections, and in writing ownership on animals and trees.
 |
| Tagbanwa kinship terms from Fletcher Gardner and Ildefonso Maliwanag's "Indic Writings of the Mindoro-Palawan Axis." In English, these words translate to "sibling / cousin / second cousin / the mother / the father / my aunt / uncle / my grandchild / my older sibling / my younger sibling / my relative / my child." Illustration by ELLE BATTUNG |
The scripts were also reported to have been used in the
planting and harvest ritual called “lambay it init bau uran,” which is done to
induce the sun to shine and for the rain to fall during the harvest and
planting seasons, and in the “pagbuyis,” which is done to protect the community
from epidemics. The ritual is performed on a large ceremonial platform which a
bamboo pole is erected next to and inscribed with syllabic scripts near the
top.
Today, in contrast to the Mangyan of Mindoro, the Tagbanua
and Pala’wan script is preserved as a cultural relic rather than a
communication tool.
***
The National Museum and the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts (NCCA), along with organizations such as the Mangyan Heritage
Center, have also worked towards preserving these scripts by establishing
schools and other initiatives, encouraging the youths in these communities to
learn the scripts of their ancestors.
