What is considered the earliest form of writing in the Philippines?

The term "baybayín" means "to write" or "to spell (syllabize)" in Tagalog. Also known as “Alibata”, baybayin has been a core part of our culture and heritage for centuries. It has been the spiritual essence of our ancestors through writing.

Rooted from the word Baybay, our ancestors used our very own writing script to sign documents, write poetries, communicate, and write letters to one another.

Baybayin is the pre-colonial beautiful ancient writing script of the Islands of the Philippines used during the 16th and 17th centuries. There are multiple theories exist on how Baybayin originate. These are the influences of Greater India, South Sulawesi scripts, Kawi Script and Cham Script. Baybayin could have been introduced to the Philippines by maritime connections with the Champa Kingdom. Geoff Wade has argued that the Baybayin characters "ga", "nga", "pa", "ma", "ya" and "sa" display characteristics that can be best explained by linking them to the Cham script.

In 2018, the Philippine House of Representatives approved Baybayin as the national writing system of the country. House Bill 1022 or the proposed "National Writing System Act" is authored by Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil. The measure seeks to declare Baybayin as the Philippines national writing system, generating greater awareness on the plight of Baybayin and foster wider appreciation on its importance and beauty.