A stone is disturbing the beautiful island of Ticao. Make that two stones.
In May, a cousin, Dr. Roger Lim, was already talking about a slab of stone with pre-Spanish writings. In his conversation with noted historian, Dr. Danilo Gerona, who visited Dr. Lim in the town of San Fernando, there were other details the narrative of which had the making of an engaging apocryphal.
The story was that a school project in the elementary school in the town of Monreal encouraged children to explore the surroundings in search of stones that they could use for landscaping. It is said that schoolchildren chanced upon the slabs and brought them to the teacher. In some account, a Grade Four pupil of Lucas Espiloy in the barrio/village of Rizal in Monreal found the stones. The word “discovered” is interchangeably used in the tale.
The slab was utilized as doormat because of its flat surface. As the story goes, one day, the teacher asked the pupils to clean the stone. After the stone was washed, some noticed the inscriptions or kudlit (carving) on the surface. The story was not clear whether there were initially two stones, and whether they were placed side by or not.
Cleansed of the soil and other dirt, the stone showed the forms of the pre-Spanish syllabary. Soon, people were inspecting what looked like baybayin (from baybay, which means “to spell”). The news caught the interest of bloggers and other denizens of the Internet. The news became viral. Blogspots carried the news and bloggers were quickly updating the Philippines and the world about the discovery.
The debate about the Ticao Stone is also revealing one fact: there are people active in learning, propagating and using baybayin.
Experts on the baybayin became a dominant presence on the Internet. Facebook became the rallying site, with an account bearing the name “Ticaonon, Ticao, Masbate, Philippines” focusing on the stone. Meanwhile, there is a blog sporting the label “batongticao.blogspot.com”. The site is virtual history.
On the Wall, it posts the short article “Ticao: A Short History.” The short essay begins with these lines: “Amo ini an konkreto...na ebidensya na an mga apuyon san Ticaonon dili mga mangmang. Dugay na an nakaligad na panahon, hataas na klase an kinaadman kag mayaman an kultura na igwa kita.” (This is the concrete evidence that the ancestors of Ticaonon were not dumb. Many years had passed already, and we had already a high level of knowledge and a rich culture.”)
The Ticao Stone has become a rallying point now. Where photos of isolated islets and rushing waterfalls unite the Ticaonon (among my kin, we say “Tigaonon” as label for those linked to Ticao) in their memories of the island, now it is the Ticao Stone that is serving as an anchor of identity.
And also the source of new conflicts and discussions.
Across the ocean, the reception given to the news that an artifact with pre-Spanish syllabaries was discovered is still mixed. News releases carried lines about how foreign experts on the Philippines (yes, there are foreigners who specialize on us and are acknowledged to know the island more than any one of us) questioned the credibility of the find. Some were pretty straightforward, calling the stone a hoax. The locally-based social scientists reeled against what they felt were hasty conclusions. Besides, these experts had not yet seen up-close the artifacts.
Last week a team from the University of the Philippines (UP) and the National Museum arrived in Monreal to do the first systematic investigation of the phenomenon. With the team was Dr. Francisco Datar, himself a Bicolano. The anthropologist had gone back and forth to check the stone. This time, he came with paleographers and physicists. With the group were journalists from GMA.
On August 5 and 6, the first Philippine Conference on the “Baybayin” Stones of Ticao, Masbate, will be held in Monreal, Masbate. The convenors are the following: the UP Ticao-Masbate Anthropological Project Team; Department of Education, Region 5; Local Government of Monreal, Masbate; The Masbate Provincial Government; The National Museum; and the 170+ Talaytayan MLE Inc.
As their web site states, the 170+ Talaytayan MLE is a consortium of education stakeholders from UP and Philippine Normal University. It also includes nongovernmental organizations like Save the Children, Nakem International, DILA Philippines, SIL and the Translators Association of the Philippines. It is headed by Dr. Ricardo Ma. Nolasco of the UP Department of Linguistics.
The conference has enumerated the following objectives: 1) To make a preliminary but comprehensive report on the baybayin artifacts found in Ticao, Masbate, including but not limited to its probable origins, geo-socio-cultural context, age, authors, authenticity and transcriptions. 2) To heighten awareness among Filipinos on the historical and cultural importance of the baybayin script and other cultural artifacts. 3) To provide a forum for stakeholders on how to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of the peoples of Ticao and Masbate.
The Ticao Stone if proven to be authentic will be a great spot to return to when we attempt to go back to the past for identity-enhancement. As of now, Monreal is becoming the more popular town in the entire island of Ticao. The Manta Ray Bowl located near the island remains the diver’s paradise but people are more obsessed about this artifact that will prove to the world, that we already had literacy and civilization then.
People always ask me: Do I believe the Ticao Stone is the real thing? In my heart, I wish it is real. But even if experts cannot validate the authority and authenticity of the stone, the present interest with it just shows how much we value our identity and the sense of the community/nation that comes with it.
Ticao must be one of the best-kept secrets of Bicol. At present, the Ticao Stone is threatening to steal the thunder from the loveliness of this enchanted isle. Even as I say this, the good mayor of Monreal, Mayor Ben Espiloy, should already be prepared to receive guests and tourists interested in the sea and sun and sand...and the magical stones of Monreal in Ticao Island.
