Dios Mabalos

In Bicol, we have a beautiful custom of saying “Thank you”. We say “Dios mabalos” which means “May God be the one to repay you” or it could also mean,  God will be the one to repay you. “ Understood in this context of utang na loob , it means that a favor done to another cannot really be adequately paid off, so it is only a generous God who knows and sees all who can do this.   ( Pamamaraan – Indigenous Knowledge and Evolving Research Paradigms  - edited by Teresita Obusan).

It is in this spirit that we would like to say thank you to all those who attended and supported us in the celebration of the Buwan ng Wika last August 24, 2013 held at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista. sherry Pagay wrote about her experience

Sherry Pagay  and Hibla Sanghabi commented on a status.

Only 5% of world's populace has its own writing system... Fact: Philippines is one of the blessed few... The script was thereby known as the Baybayin, which pre-dates writing system in history... Had a thorough discussion and exposition with the treasured, ancient script; the culture and the dominant role of women prior colonization; then got hyped on the second half with Pangalay - a refined, classic dance from the South, which bears a distinct feature of motion in stillness and stillness in motion... Tranced at the very moment, right at the core of history, right at the exact, same spot -- at the core of Katipunan...

17 simbolo, 5 patinig, 14 katinig... Baybayin: Karunungan ng Bayan... Isang produktibong araw, isang pagtitipon ngayong ika-24 ng Agosto sa Bahay Nakpil-Bautista para sa Buwan ng Wika, na pinasinayaanan ng mga dalubhasa sa Kalinangang Filipino, Katutubong Kalinangan, Sikolohiyang Filipino; Pangalay, Tai-chi at Qi-Gong... — with Hibla Sanghabi and 2 others at Bahay Nakpil-Bautista.

In Celebration of the Word

Pahingalay

The month of August is, for us Filipinos, the Buwan ng Wika, or the Month of Filipino Language. The Filipino language is an ancient language belonging to the Austronesian group of languages. In this ancient language, there is a word that is closely to the concept of contemplation--pahingalay. In fact, we may see it in several places in the bible:

"Itinalaga ng  lumalag sa akin ang lugar ng aking pagpapahingalayan . . ."  (He who created me assigned the  place of my rest) Sirach 24:8

The word pahingalay incorporates the word pahinga which means rest, hinga which means breath and alay which means offering.  It appears that the word pahingalay embodies the concept of prayer and contemplation.

 

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Celebrating the Month of Filipino Language

Closely related to language is the writing system.  Long before the coming of the Spanish colonizers the ancient Filipinos already had a writing system called the baybayin. According to researchers, the Filipinos belong to that small group of countries that already had a writing system of its own. 

In celebration for the gift of language and writing, groups such as the Baybayin Atbp, Kaibigan ni Oriang, Bahay Nakpil, Sanghabi, Baybayin Lahat and Kapitbahayan sa Kalye Bautista  are celebrating the Buwan ng Wika on August 24 at 2:00 in the afternoon at Bahay Nakpil Bautista, Quiapo, Manila.  Part of the celebration is a lecture “Baybayin: Karunungan ng Bayan”  (Baybayin: Wisdom of our Nation)  and a workshop on how to write the baybayin.  There will also be an introductory workshop on the pangalay–a dance that captures the grace of the baybayin writing system.

This is free and open to the public.