Gaddang Bantáyog-Wika rises in Nueva Vizcaya

Gaddang Bantáyog-Wika rises in Nueva Vizcaya

Bantáyog-Wika is a project of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Office of Congresswoman Loren B. Legarda, and Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya, that monumentalizes the native languages of the Philippines through physical structures that symbolize the value of indigenous languages as a treasure trove of indigenous knowledge, values, practices, traditions, and history of the Pilipinos.

This project honors a great national heritage that plays an important role in the formation and strengthening of national identity.

Aside from showcasing the nation’s wealth of languages and the cultural knowledge of their respective communities, it also aims to inflame the Pilipinos’ patronage and appreciation of the wealth embedded in their native languages and cultures.

The province’s first and only Bantáyog-Wika which was unveiled by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) on February 21, 2022 at the Old Provincial Capitol Compound in Bayombong pays tribute to the language and culture of the Gaddang ethnolinguistic group.

Inscribed in “Baybayin” on the bamboo-shaped monument are the following lines in Andres Bonifacio’s “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan” poem. “Baybayin” is a writing system of the Philippines used way before the Spanish colonial period.

Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kayâ
Sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila
Gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinub’ang lupa?
Aling pag-ibig pa? Wala na nga, wala.

Pagpupuring lubos ang palaging hangad
Sa bayan ng táong may dangay na ingat;
Umawit, tumula, kumatha’t sumulat,
Kalakhan din niya’s isinisiwalat.

Kung ang bayang ito’y nasasapanganib
At siya ay dapat na ipagtangkilik,
Ang anak, asawa, magulang, kapatid
Isang tawag niya’y tatalikdang pilit.

Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan
Andres Bonifacio (1863-1897)

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