Reflection of the Video Entitled “#WordOfTheLourd – Baybayin”
After watching the short video clip showcasing Baybayin being committee-level-approved in the Philippines, I have reflected to agree to the few things mentioned in the video. The committee-level-approved House Bill No. 1022 or the National Writing System states that Baybayin will be the official writing system in the Philippines. What is Baybayin, you ask? Baybayin is the old writing system of the Philippines before the Spanish colonization. It was used by our ancestors back in the beginning of our history.
Having Baybayin brings great pride to us, the countrymen; because it is our own written language before any colonial influences that came to our country. But the question is that, “Would Baybayin be very accommodating to each and every Filipino if it will be used completely as the official writing system in the Philippines?” Because if you think of it, there are a lot of types of Baybayin. And one of the biggest issues here, which was also mentioned in the video, is that there are a lot of dialects here in the Philippines. Plus, there are missing characters in Baybayin that we all use a lot which are the letters “j, v, and, f.” Not to mention, it is very complicated to write. So, how can we start learning Baybayin considering all these contradicting factors?
It is very understandable that historians and major protectors of the Philippine culture are opposed to the declaration of this bill because if you really think of it, Baybayin is an information that is too much to be in-sync with in this modern age. Maybe it was easy back in our early history when times weren’t too complicated and our culture, still being virgin. But now, after being through years of colonization, influence is inevitable. Our culture became flexible; it became adaptable through countless changes, and has found the medium of written and spoken language that we all use up until this age. I’m not saying that Baybayin is impossible to learn and be used as the official writing system here in the Philippines, but is it really that necessary to the point where we change our current writing system?
For our culture’s preservation’s sake, it is deeply necessary and important. Neglecting such beautiful, ancient, and unique writing system of our ancestors is a foolish and disrespectful act for the modern Filipinos. It’s one of the biggest innovations of ancient communication. Maybe giving importance, recognition, and awareness to Baybayin to all Filipinos is needed, but for it to be our writing system now is not really necessary, in my opinion. It is a thing from our history, that us, millennials, are honored to know and treasure. But practically speaking, necessity of using it the official writing system is not customary.