HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RECEIVED
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Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives

Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress

REGISTRATION UNIT
BULLS AND iNDEX SERVICE

First Regular Session

69
House Bill No. 1022

Introduced by Hon. LEOPOLDO N. BATAOIL

EXPLANATORY NOTE

“While a people preserve its language; it preserves the marks of liberty.”
~ EL FILIBUSTERISMO, 1887

Pedro Chirino (1557-1635) served in the Philippines for 12 years. He arrived in
May 1590 and left in July 1602, and thus saw and described the Philippines and
the Filipinos during the early years of the Spanish conquest. Perhaps the most
cited chapter in his work concerns the pre-Spanish writing or baybayin.

In “Relacion de Las Islas Filipinas” by Pedro Chirino, which was originally
published in Rome in 1604 and made more accessible in a bilingual edition of
1969 with a translation from the original Spanish by Ramon Echevarria.

Here Chirino stated that: “So accustomed are all these islanders to writing and
reading that there is scarcely a man, and much less a woman, who cannot read
and write in letters proper to the island of Manila, very different from those of
China, Japan, or India.” He even drew the various letters of the baybayin,

explaining how this was written and read.

The importance of writing in general and of the alphabet in particular for the
preservation and progress of civilization is incalculable. As University of Chicago



scholar |. J. GELB has declared: “Writing is so important in our daily life that i
should be willing to say that our civilization could exist more easily without
money, metals, radios, steam engines, or electricity than without writing.” Before
the invention of writing, the preservation of history, literature, and tradition was
dependent upon fallible oral transmission and faulty human memory.

It is no wonder that the seven ancient peoples (Sumerians, Egyptians, Elamites,
Indians, Cretans, Hittites, and Chinese) who devised the earliest forms of true
writing considered the art of writing to be a gift or invention of God or the gods.
"Writing is among the greatest inventions in human history, perhaps the greatest
invention, since it made history possible." Thus Andrew Robinson, literary editor
of the (London) Times Higher Education Supplement, introduces his scholarly
and fascinating study of alphabets, hieroglyphics and pictograms.

Thus, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

/ .

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Republic of the Philippines
Rouse of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

99
House Bill No. _1 O22

Introduced by Hon. LEOPOLDO N. BATAOIL

AN ACT
DECLARING “BAYBAYIN” AS THE NATIONAL WRITING SYSTEM
OF THE PHILIPPINES, PROVIDING FOR ITS PROMOTION, PROTECTION,
PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

SEC. 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National Writing
System Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared the policy of the
State to inculcate, propagate and preserve the cultural heritage and treasures
of the Philippines for the evolution and development of patriotism among the
citizenry by giving utmost priority to the conservation and promotion of arts,
letters and culture. Towards this end, there is a need to promote, protect,
preserve and conserve “Baybayin” as the National Writing System of the
Philippines, using it as a tool for cultural and economic development to create a
consciousness, respect and pride for the legacies of Filipino cultural history,
heritage and our authentic identity.

SEC. 3. Declaration of “Baybayin” as the National Writing System of
the Philippines. — To generate greater awareness on the plight of “Baybayin”


and foster wider appreciation on its importance and beauty, “Baybayin” is
hereby declared the National Writing System of the Philippines. As used in this
Act, “Baybayin” shail refer to all existing and discovered ancient and traditional
scripts of the Philippine indigenous peoples.

SEC. 4. Promotion of “Baybayin” as the National Writing System of
the Philippines. - “Baybayin” as the national writing system representing
Philippine traditions and national identity shall be promoted through the
following:

(a)by requiring all manufacturers of locally produced processed
produced food products to inscribe “Baybayin” scripts and their
translation on the containers or labels;

(b)by mandating the local government units (LGUs) to include the
appropriate “Baybayin” script in their signage for street names, public
facilities, public buildings, and other necessary signage for other public
service establishments such as hospitals, fire and police stations,
community centers and government halls;

(c)by requiring newspaper and magazine publishers to include a
“Baybayin” translation of their official name; and

(d)by directing the appropriate government agency to disseminate
knowledge and information about “Baybayin” script by distributing
reading materials in all levels of public and private educational
institutions and all government and private agencies and offices to instil
awareness of the declaration of “Baybayin” as the national writing
system and to conduct staff trainings for the proper handling of these
important documents.



SEC. 5. Protection, Preservation and Conservation of “Baybayin”
Script. — The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is hereby
mandated to protect, preserve and conserve “baybayin” as a National Cultural
Treasure.

SEC. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days
after the approval of this Act, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts
(NCCA), in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of
Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), shall
promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this
Act.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules
and regulations and other issuances or parts thereof that are inconsistent with
the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.

SEC. 8. Separability Clause. — If any part, section or provision of this
Act shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other part, section or

provision not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 9.- Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.