THE WRITE STUFF

I am fascinated with anything pre-colonial. I also happen to be a calligraphy enthusiast. And so when a Baybayin Seminar Workshop was posted on Facebook, I had no second thoughts about signing up for the event. Organized by the Social Sciences Club of the Philippine Normal University under the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the workshop was a half day affair that was open to the public. Surprisingly, there were other students from different universities in Manila who made the effort to join the workshop. I was, however, the only one past the half century mark. it was  rather amusing for the adviser of the Social Science Club;  Prof. Arsenia Gomez to have mistaken me for one of the speakers.

It wasn't difficult to find the venue. The Geronima T. Pecson auditorium is right smack on the second floor of the  main building. The security were friendly and well-informed of the event. I just needed to sign on the master list when they could not find my name on the master list and they waved me through. Like any other school program, it didn't start on time. They had to wait a little for  the two speakers to arrive and then a little more for some of the students of the other universities. By two p.m., the national anthem was played and an invocation followed.

The first speaker was Mr. Leo M. Batoon of the National Museum. His presentation, The Origins and Prospects of Baybayin, was indeed an eye-opener. He clarifies the differences between baybayin and the alphabet. Incidentally, the word "alibata" which referred to our particular script is a misnomer. The term itself  is a coined word referring to the alphabet: the first three letters alpha and beta. Not quite an exact term for our way of communicating.  Baybayin is not an alphabet. Baybayin is a syllabary. An alphabet combines letters to form sounds... sounds into words    and words into ideas. Baybayin represents a syllable. They form words when put together according to the sound the words make. We spell words as pronounced  and so baybayin makes it easier for us to convey what we want.

Mr. Leo Batoon of the National Museum

Leo Batoon does one better by saying that Filipinos relied more on the spoken word and oral tradition to convey thoughts and emotions rather than write them down. Ergo, we have intangible world heritage traditions like the Hudhud of Ifugao, the Darangen of the Tausugs and the Hinilawod of Panay. These are passed on from one generation to the next by virtue of our oral tradition.

Our method of writing originated from the Hindu missionaries from India during the reign of King Ashoka (268-232 BC). This written script eventually filtered down to us by way of Indonesia.  And so, the script has undergone a modicum of adaptation and alteration. we developed Baybayin to become our own. And so the earliest evidence we have of our written script is the Laguna Copperplate that dates back to 900 A.D. Accidentally found in the river banks between Pila and Liliw, Laguna, the piece of metal relates how a slave and his family earned freedom by repaying their debt in gold. The next archeological find was the Butuan Ivory seal which was dated at 1002 A.D. The Ticao Tablet was found, then the Butuan Paleograph (14-15c). The most recent find was the Calatagan Clay pot that had baybayin inscribed around the pot's lip (15c.).

At the moment, four groups of indigenous people still use baybayin as a written form of communication.: Palawan, Tagbanua, Hanunoo Mangyans and Buhid Mangyan. The awareness for  baybayin is re-emerging. This interest has prompted no less than Representative  Leopoldo Bataoil to file House Bill 1022 seeking to make Baybayin as the National Writing System:

"The bill declares 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 the country's authentic identity."

• The bill also requires newspaper and magazine publishers to include a Baybayin translation of their name in Baybayin.

• Lastly, the measure shall direct the appropriate government agency to disseminate knowledge and information about Baybayin by distributing reading materials in all levels of public and private educational institutions and government and private agencies and offices.

• Bataoil said that this shall instil awareness of Baybayin as the national writing system and to conduct staff trainings for the proper handling of these documents.

• The NCCA is tasked to protect, preserve, and conserve Baybayin as a National Cultural Treasure.

 
• The NCCA, together with the DepEd, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Commission on Higher Education shall formulate the implementing rules and regulations of the bill.

The next speaker was Leo Emmanuel Castro. He is an accomplished artist (Hibla Sanghabi), an advocate of baybayin and an NGO administrator (Sanghabi). He further expounds on  Mr. Batoon's presentation with facts regarding the earliest acknowledgement by the Spaniards of Baybayin. 

• Mr Castro reinforces the early acknowledgement by the Spaniards in 1613 when the term baybayin is mentioned in the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala.
• The term alibata was coined by Paul Versoza (1913) taking into account the first three letters of the Arabic script; alef ba ta, because it oddly looked similar to the arabic. While the alphabet is coined from the first two letters "alpha" and "beta" taken from the Greeks.
• Spanish historians Fr. Pedro Chirino, S.J. and Antonio de Morga notes in their own accounts that Filipinos had established their own method of writing that was easy to learn and that everyone could read. However, Mr. Castro avers that writing was a personal pre-occupation amongst friends and acquaintances. And that baybayin had its counterparts in  other regions. In Ilocos the scriptis known as "kurditan". In the Visayas, it was called "badlitan" while in Pampangathey called it "kulitan"
• The very first book printed in the Philippines in 1593, Doctrina Christiana were printed iin Spanish, Tagalog and Baybayin

And so, as an artist, educator and advocate of baybayin, Mr. Castro taught the participants the mechanics of learning how to write in baybayin. In more than 15 years of writing and teacing baybayin to enthusiasts and now, millenials he is such an expet at baybayin he doeasn't need to copy the symbols from a "codigo". It is worth remembering that baybayin is phonetic. Ergo, the words are spelled as pronounced. It is therefore possible to apply the use of  baybayin for other languages. Consisting of only 17 syllables, putting them together is easy to recall. To pause for a sentence a slash/line is drawn (/). To end a statement, the slash or line is doubled (//) . To indicate an a strong or mellow accent, a symbol (>) is placed above or below the syllable. The use of Baybayin actually progressed into the Spanish colonial era. The Spanish friars actually added the symbol(+) beneath or at the right of the syllable to indicate that a syllable's letter can stand alone along with other syllable to spell a word. Since there were no punctuation marks, the syllable ba was used to mark an interrogative statement.

I had so much fun learning how to write in baybayin in one afternoon that I now spend at least 30 minutes a day using it to write words.After all, once baybayin in re-introduced into the mainstream, one should be able to understand what the syllabary really means. I actually appreciate it for its simplicity and fluid lines. Once it gets re-introduced into our school system, it will be seen in all public places and in dailies and transport. My experience tells me I should practice more...

MOROCCANS IN MANILA

Mention Morocco to any individual and immediately, they conjure up exotic images of grand mosques, starry nights in the desert, romantic escapades on a dromedary's back, a cacophony of smells and sounds in a busy market place,  or a wistful love story of a helpless heroine desperately falling for a masculine sheik as pictured in those paperback romance novels. Whatever it is, Morocco is on my bucket list.

I have had the privilege of meeting and touring the ambassador of Morocco; His excellency Ambassador Fassi along with his friend, Mr Jacinto around Intramuros. Eventually, it led to two more tours when his wife and son swung by Manila during Spring break and when his in-laws arrived for a short holiday. Another opportunity came up when I received a call from Ms Lulu Casas to guide guests of the Rustan's Group of Companies around a rainy Manila at the height of the monsoon season.

Head of delegation is  Mr Khalid Fathi (Director, Moroccan National Tourist Office in China), Mr Mchachti Adbelaziz and wife Mrs Belmoudden Kharmisssa, Mr, Charhaoui Youssef, Mr. El Azali Soufiane, Mr Issarghine Badr and Mr. Chaaroun Zakaria. Unfortunately, the only English speaking member of the group and the lady guest opted to stay in the hotel and the gentlemen who went on the trip neither spoke nor understood any English. I don't speak Arabic but broke ground with my faltering French and passable Spanish. That's how the commentaries were   delivered and we got the tour underway. This was a fun group of young guys accompanied by a more mature gentleman who served as our interpreter. I spoke in Spanish and he would relay the commentaries in either French or Berber. We stopped in the parking area near Harbor Square at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex after  going through the Mall of Asia and the sites at CCP. It was odd for me to witness non-Filipinos to whip out their mobile phones and start taking selfies. That was really amusing but i made an offer to take their photos with the marina as their backdrop.

From there, we went to the Rizal Monument where obligatory photos were taken and they even had photos taken steering a calesa. the rains remained intermittent but the group's mood was lightening. someone asked if there were mosques in Manila. I took my queue from there and asked the driver to take us to Quiapo where the Ahlan Wassalan Grand Mosque is located. Apparently, they had wanted to do morning prayers in the mosque where our Muslim brothers welcomed them with open arms. Then it was off to Intramuros where I showed them around San Agustin church. They were receptive to seeing the church, taking photos in the contemplation garden. Meanwhile, my interpreter showed a lot of interest in the details of the vestments and the religious artifacts. Apparently he is himself, an artisano... a jeweller by trade. It had started raiining again so this group called it a day and headed back for a luncheon with Ambassador Tantoco at Rustan's in Makati.

The second group of Moroccans happened to be a smaller group. This time, they spoke English and so there was no language barrier at all. My guests on this Sunday were Fatim Zarah Ettalbi, her brother Mohammed Ettalbi and Houda Touil. Zarah is a fashion designer whose line of clothing is making its maiden appearance in Rustan's super stores. Her fashion label is Zain. It introduces traditional Moroccan design aesthetics updated to fit the modern woman. The luxe label aims to preserve traditional weaves and embroidery that will help empower women in Moroccan rural areas.

Designer Fatim Zarah Ettalbi and her collection. *photo from Metro.Style

I met them at the lobby of   the Ayala Museum to view the Gold of Our Ancestors collection which I am very proud to show to visitors to the country. They marvelled at the craftsmanship of the jewelry pieces and inspected the details on some featured pieces under magnifying glass. Right next to the gold collection is the textile exhibit which we pored over with sheer interest. At the start of the exhibit, we started talking about the embroidery and the detail of the head scarves. The Arab influences in the design did not escape them. It actually became a point of interest in our discussions. 

Moroccan designer Fatim Zarah Ettalbi. Photo from Metro Style*

The Moorish- Spanish connection and the Hindu-Arab-Spanish-Manila connection as far as influences could not be denied. They observed this fact when I showed them around the Ayala Museum's dioramas. These Moorish influences reached Manila when Hindu  and Arab traders introduced the Islam religion way before the arrival of the Spaniards around the tenth century. On their part, The Moors were in Morocco up to the time that they conquered Spain for eight hundred years. And so the cross-cultural exchanges continued unabated. The design influences in Spain and the Philippines has many similarities... even words for garments surprisingly sound almost alike. The Moroccan word for trousers is sarawal... is it any different from our own term salawal?

We then went to the National Museum of Anthropology where I showed them the textile exhibits. We talked about the same back-strap looms and the embellishments on the Muslim garments from the south of the Philippines. Apparently, we follow a certain pattern in the manner of adornment and design very uncannily similar to theirs. That made the tour more meaningful on my part. Distant  as Morocco and Manila may seem...there is a continuing thread in our histories that bind us together! Zain is now available at Rustan's. 

                                               

*photo from Metro.Style