HOUSE OF REPRE: Ei
RECEIVED
28 vb 215

“ © Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

arcs,
BULS ado ATX
Introduced by Hon. LEOPOLDO N. BATAOTL

2139
House Bill No, 2239

EXPLANATORY NOTE

"If Ilearn to write well, my language will never disappear."
— Machiguenga man at a writer's workshop in Peru

“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,

Dr. Ambeth R. Ocampo is the chair of the Department of History at Ateneo de Manila University
wrote an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on August 22, 2011 titled, Did young Rizal
really write poem for children? In 1892, Jose Rizal began a new novel in Tagalog. He realized
that in order to reach a wider readership in his country, he had to write in his native tongue
During this time of exile in Hong Kong, his elder brother, Paciano, had completed a translation
of the “Noli Me Tangere” from the original Spanish into Tagalog that was corrected and
finalized by Rizal. Envisioned as a popular edition with illustrations by Juan Luna, this book was
never to be. The original manuscript translation by Paciano has since been missing.

Rizal spoke and wrote in Tagalog fluently and writes this poem at 8 years old, “Sa Aking Mga
Kabata,” traditionally believed to be his first poem. Isn’t the most quoted line from Rizal“s many
poems that from “Sa Aking Mga Kabata” that goes, “Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling
wika/masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda.” (He who loves not his own language/is worse than
a beast and a stinking fish.)



SA AKING MGA KABATA
Jose Rizal, 1869
Kapagka ang baya'y sadyang umiibigsa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit.
Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapit katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid.

Pagka't ang salita'y isang kahatulan sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian,
at ang isang tao'y katulad kabagay ng alinmang likha noong kalayaan.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda,
kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusana tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala.
Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin, sa Ingles, Kastila, at salitang angel,
ang Poong maalam tuminginang sivang nag-gawad, nagbigay sa atin.

Ang salita nati’y tulad din sa iba na may alfabeto at sariling letra
na kaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

To honor the memory of the Rizal family and Rizal’s way of thinking, to celebrate the birthday
of my hero, let me tell you about a neglected poem of his. It is now my favorite example of
misplaced emphasis on detail, this poem that Jose Rizal wrote when he was only 8 years old
(Asuncion Lopez-Rizal, 1994, Indio Bravo, page 24),

Rizal subtlety imparted what he knew in Baybayin in many forms and the most explicit was his
Catapusan or end notes of Rizal’s translation from German to Tagalog of Wilhelm (1804),
Ramon Guillermo (PhD) 2005.

Through his Novels, On Pilosopo Tasyo: One is tempted to smile at the philosopher's timidity.
He lives in subterfuge, writing in hieroglyphics (actually Baybayin) to hide from the authorities
and their collaborators. He writes, he said, for future generations, which he knows will be
enlightened enough to understand him. (Manila Bulletin Editorial 2004)

On the cover of Noli Me Tangere, Jose Rizal imbedded Baybayin scripts on the cover of his
novel Noli Me Tangere to mislead the Spanish authorities of the real intent of his writing. The
novel depicts the status of the Philippines as shown by the Baybayin scripts ba ya a ni u or "anyo
ng bayan." Rizal finished Noli me Tangere in 1887 when he was just 23 years old and while in
Germany.

It is therefore fitting to commemorate the birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal by declaring
June 19 of every year as “Araw ng Pagsulat”. Araw ng Pagsulat aims to promote baybayin and
writing, motivate our people to learn from the life and writings of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, uphold our
own heritage and values, and generate awareness about our cultures and philosophies. It also
seeks to make writing and writing baybayin a shared physical experience, thereby increasing its,
relevance amidst the proliferation of online activities specifically the youth

Thus, the approval of this measure is earnestly sought.



- Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

io. 2139
Introduced by Hon, LEOPOLDO N. BATOIL

AN ACT DECLARING EVERY 19" DAY OF JUNE AS “ARAW NG PAGSULAT”,
A SPECIAL WORKING HOLIDAY

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as “Araw ng Pagsulat”.

SEC. 2. The State recognizes and supports endeavors that promote "baybayin" and
writing, motivate awareness and uphold our Filipino heritage and culture, including educational
activities focusing on the life of Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal, whose role in our country’s history was
influenced by great writings of different individuals.

The State likewise recognizes the importance of promoting writing as a shared activity
among the youth, families, educators and the private sector, thereby emphasizing personal
interaction and facilitating the exchange of ideas throughout the country

SEC. 3. June 19 of every year is hereby declared as “Araw ng Pagsulat”, which shall be a
special working holiday, to be celebrated in all elementary and secondary schools in the country.
In the event that the holiday falls on a weekend, the holiday shall be observed on the Friday of
that week,

SEC. 4. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Komisyon sa Wikang
Filipino, other government agencies and units, and writing associations concerned, shall plan and
implement activities for the observance of “Araw ng Pagsulat”, such as writing-sessions and
writing skills modules. In addition to Filipino Orthography, "baybayin" as our ancient, pre-
Spanish writing system and the use of regional languages in the celebration shall be encouraged.

SEC. 5. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation

Approved,