DAVAO CITY — The House of Congress unanimously approved on Monday a bill promoting traditional writing systems as part of the country’s cultural treasures.
House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Congress unanimously approved House Bill 10469 or the “Philippine Indigenous and Traditional Writing Systems Act.” The Bill was approved with 197 votes without any abstention or opposition.
The measure is primarily authored by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Manila Rep. John Marvin Nieto.
If the Bill becomes a law, it will require the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to include writing systems in relevant subjects of basic and higher education curricula, as well as to create an elective or specialized course in higher education.
Velasco said, “It is time for our country to revisit our past through one of its cultural remnants, our indigenous and traditional writing systems, including pre-colonial writing system called ????????.”
???????? is an ancient syllabary script, which means “to spell.” It is said to be one of at least 16 different writing systems that were used by early Filipinos prior to the Spanish era.“Lost, but not forgotten, ????????, together with other indigenous and traditional writing scripts, should be preserved and promoted as part of the country’s resurgence,” Velasco pointed out.
The House view ???????? and other indigenous writing scripts as representations of Filipino tradition and national identity.
“There is a need to promote, protect, preserve and conserve Philippine indigenous and traditional systems as tools for cultural development, for instilling national pride, and for protecting Filipino cultural heritage and identity,” Velasco said.
He added that promotion and preservation of these writing systems are a must in order to “generate greater awareness of indigenous and traditional scripts and to foster a wider appreciation of their significance and beauty.
”Under the bill, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) are mandated to include indigenous and traditional writing systems in relevant subjects of basic and higher education curricula and to create an elective or specialized course in higher education for the study of the same.
The measure seeks to create or support activities that promote awareness of these writing systems, particularly during ????? ?? ???? and similar occasions and events. It also calls for the conduct of seminars, conferences, conventions, symposia, and other relevant activities on the study of Philippine Indigenous and Traditional Writing Systems, as well as good record-keeping of relevant documents and preservation of oral evidence on these writing systems.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) shall be the lead policymaking unit for the promotion of indigenous and traditional writing systems.
The NCCA is mandated to protect, preserve and conserve these writing systems as National Cultural Treasures, in accordance with Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009. It shall coordinate with DepEd, CHED, and other relevant agencies for the proper implementation of that mandate. Other authors of the bill are Representatives John Marvin “Yul Servo” Nieto (Manila, 3rd District), Cheryl Deloso-Montalla (Zambales, 2nd District), Roman Romulo (Pasig City), and Ruth Mariano-Hernandez (Laguna, 2nd District).
