I asked my Filipino friends on my idea to celebrate and promote Baybayin for this project and got mixed responses on it more than I expected.
Some said it's a good idea, however some said that it's not highlighting other ancient scripts in the Philippines, and it got me thinking on how I'm delving into my idea and project...
Firstly, as 'Baybayin' is the ancient script used by 'Tagalogs' in the northern region of the country, there are many other scripts used for example the region I'm from which is in central Philippines which is called 'Badlit'. From I know, there are at least 14 others, but due to the Spanish colonial era enforcing Spanish to be spoken and the American occupation in the Philippines they were lost and never used afterwards. They come in as spoken language rather than their original script writing.
The idea that using Baybayin as another way to 'erase' other ethnic cultures in the Philippines is something I completely understand (as Tagalog is also the national language in the Philippines today). However, on the other hand I also believe that Baybayin rather than erasing other regional scripts, it would rather start a wave of inspiration to learn the regional scripts as well. As said by the Chairman of Gov. Commissions on Language and Culture, Virgilio Almario, "We need Filipino(Tagalog) as a bridge language but we should also appreciate the languages of all communities".
It's part of the diverse culture of the Philippines, which is a country that has over 170 dialects today and dozens of ancient regional scripts, however due to strong societal 'colonial mentality'; has shun others against the rise of Baybayin. It's part of our many Filipino cultures and our identity as a Filipino rather than seeing it as erasing other regional cultures it can be seen as the start to a rise in ancient script interest across the country.
Ultimately, I want to create this project as a way to also celebrate and inform people (Filipinos and language enthusiast) about Baybayin, with a neutral approach but lighthearted and relatable approach, which would hopefully make people learn the script thoroughly like other script language and slowly use in their daily lives, as pointed out by Joselito Delos Reyes a professor in University of Santo Tomas, "It will just be a novelty, for display". Learning the script first and foremost in the most important basis in using the script in the modern times now.
https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/the-revival-of-baybayin-an-ancient-philippines-script-ripped-up-by-colonisation-1.892860
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/323262/four-things-you-may-not-know-about-our-baybayin/story/
https://cnnphilippines.com/life/style/design/2018/05/07/Baybayin-New-national-font.html
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