Re: The Role of Giant Clams in the Development of Baybayin

Lecture conducted by Mr. Bonifacio Comandante, Jr.
Tambunting Hall, Museum of the Filipino People
National Museum of the Philippines
3 March, 2010

Baybayin was the alphabet of the early settlers of the Philippine archipelago. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian / Austronesian group of languages. Records and documents written in baybayin were almost completely obliterated and destroyed during Spanish colonial rule which explains why there are only very few artifacts in the country exhibiting the old system of writing. Among these are the writings found in Angono caves, the Laguna Copper Plate, Calatagan Pot, Butuan Silver, Paris Codex, Doctrina Christiana, Vienna Codex, artifacts from the Tagbanua and Mangyan, and artifacts used in rituals by the people in Banahaw.

Mr. Comandante's study about the baybayin focuses on its origin. He postulated a theory that the forms of the bayabayin alphabet came from giant clams. He said the baybayin characters are based on the forms or shapes that Filipino ancestors found on giant clams. He further discussed the relation of the distribution of giant clams and global extent of betel nut chewing with the extent of Austronesian/ Malayo-polynesian speaking cultures. He argued that there is a relation since the three factors' extent of distribution seem to coincide.

He also conducted an extensive archival research about baybayin. The information from substantial documents and resources he presented, among which are copies of the Doctrina Christiana(1593) and the Vocabulario de Lengua Tagala San Buena Ventura(1613), proves clearly that early Filipinos have their own syllabic system of writing even before Spaniards introduced western system of writing, culture, and language. There is also evidence that early Filipinos, even before they were called Filipinos, had their own calendar (Povedano Calendar, 1572) based on the 'kaingin' agricultural cycle and numeric system ('pamilangan' or 'bilangan') which is also based on 'taklobo'/'kabibe' or shells.

One interesting part of the lecture was when he applied the baybayin system of writing to the incised forms on the lid of the Manunggul Jar. He suggested that the curvilinear forms on the Manunggul Jar are baybayin characters which can be read either clockwise or counterclockwise.
He then transliterated it as 'mahababawayana i wa babawa haiga' when read counter clockwise and 'masasailangababanga i ka sangaba balama' in clockwise.

His conclusion includes that the curvilinear forms incised on the lid of the Manunggul Jar are syllabic 'baybayin' inscriptions which are poem-like, much like other existing baybayin inscriptions, and that the Manunggul syllabary inscriptions are multi-directional.

Many are skeptical about the idea that baybayin characters originated from the form of giant clams. But the concept was equally amusing. The first thought that came into my mind was that 'Are early Filipinos giant clam people?'
Is it possible that a culture be based on giant clams? Are giant clams that important to the early settlers of the archipelago?

However, more are skeptical on the speaker's proposition that incised curvilinear forms on the Manunggul Jar are baybayin scripts which can be deciphered. Personally, I think the curvilinear incisions are decorative art forms. Nothing more.