Baybayin Bill: Protection against Identity Degradation

Slobodan Milosevic once said, The loss of national identity is the greatest defeat a
nation can know, and it is inevitable under the contemporary form of colonization.
Today`s society is highly governed by massive advancement in technology in response to
the rising tide of globalization and modernization. However, the reality behind this technological
advancement was masked with the promise of making everyday life better. The unspoken
reality was haunting us for the past couple of years; yet still, promises of Spaniards and better
living blinded the Filipino race. Without us being aware, we are losing our true national
identity. We are not even sure if the history we claim is genuine did not really exist.
A new act which shall be known as the National Script Act of 2011, was currently on
its way of ratification in the senate. This act promotes the Baybayin Script as the National Script
of the Philippines (Kabuay, 2011). Declaring policy of the state to inculcate, propagate and
preserve cultural heritages and treasures, this act is a timely and strong protection against cultural
and historical degradation brought by globalization and rapid modernization. This act may also
encourage deeper historical investigations and researches as the secrets of the Philippine ancient
time are still left undiscovered.
Baybayin trademark
Writing is an ancient form of communication in the Philippines. Early Filipinos wrote on
bamboo segments, barks of trees and palm leaves. Baybayin is an ancient pre- colonial
Philippine writing system being used by early Filipinos in the 16th century up until the late 19th
century1. This is one of the early writing techniques of Filipinos which is believed to have played
a significant role in trading and communication. It proves that the ancient Filipinos have their
own version of Chinese calligraphy and Egyptian hieroglyphics.
According to the Section 2 of Baybayin Bill or House Bill no.4395, Baybayin also
known as Alibata is hereby declared the national script of the Philippines. The official adoption
of Baybayin as the national script shall be promulgated by inscribing Baybayin in all products
locally produced or processed in the Philippines. Manufactures of processed or food products
shall include on the label a translation in Baybayin. The Department of Trade and Industries
shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this
Act.(Kabuay, 2011). This promotes the use of Baybayin in the further promotion of Philippine
products. This is just another way of saying that Philippine products should have a Filipino
trademark for it to be recognized as a proud Filipino product in the world market. This can also
help Filipino consumers to acknowledge that there is a purely-Filipino writing style existing and
later on educate them about the said script. An act authored by Senator Loren Legarda is also

united with this section of the bill. Baybayin Act of 2013 is An act institutionalizing the use of
baybayin in all official logos of all government agencies, departments and offices.2 Even if this
act does not really say something about the use of Baybayin on Philippine products, it`s purpose
is for the promotion of Baybayin as the national script of the Philippines.
Of Masks and pests
All the things do not end at Baybayin. Baybayin bill`s section 2 says It is a declared
policy of the state to inculcate, propagate and preserve our cultural heritage and treasures for the
evolution and development of patriotism among our citizenry. The state shall give utmost
priority to the conservation and promotion of arts, letters and culture of our nation as a tool for
cultural and economic development. (Kabuay, 2011)
Philippines underwent dramatic changes throughout the years. As these changes take
place, history seems to erase itself. Elementary books on history always include the Spanish
colonization without even focusing on the pre-colonial history, which contains the Philippines
real historical accounts; but it seems that even a single student cares. Why is this so? It is simply
because nowadays, Filipinos find a hard time in appreciating the Philippine history. Most are
being hooked up by the computer: Facebook, Twitter and other social- networking sites. Nobody
cares on how the ancient Filipino managed to survive during the pre-colonial and colonial times.
It seems that Filipinos are just Filipinos by nationality and not by identity.
The advent of technology, although unintended, somewhat threatened the true national
identity of Filipinos. The Baybayin Bill or the National Script Act of 2011 is a wise and timely
move; protecting every single piece that makes up the Philippine history as well as its culture.
Ratification of the said bill would be the first step in the preservation of the Philippine culture
and history and later on, the preservation of the true Filipino national identity.

Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baybayin

Retrieved from: http://lorenlegarda.com.ph/senate-bill-no-1899-baybayin-act-of-2013/
Kabuay, J. Baybayin Bill. Retrieved from: http://blog.baybayin.com/2011/03/16/baybayin-billnational-script-act-of-2011/
2