Old System of Writing

During the early period almost everyone in the society-male or female knows how to read and write. They have their own method of writing which they use sharp-pointed tools, leaves, bamboo and trunk’s skin. They write from top to bottom and read it from left to right.

Accordingly they have their Alibata which script is different from China, Japan and India. This account was told by one of the first Spanish missionaries who came in the Philippines, Fr. Pedro Chirino.

Another account proved after the discovery of a jar in Calatagan, Batangas. This system of writing came from the alphabet of Sumatra.

The first Visayan, Tagalog, Ilocano and some ethic groups have their own dialect and form of writing too. They have an alphabet composed of 17 letters; 3 of which are vowels and 14 are consonants.

The Muslims have also their own system basing on there dialect. This is called kirim of Maranao and jiwi of the Tausug, which they are still using until this day.

Unfortunately, unlike with the Muslims these old system of writing is vanishing and only some ethnic groups are using it today like the Mangyan of Mindoro and Tagbanua of Palawan.