Sydney – The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney celebrated Filipino Heritage Month by organizing a basic Baybayin session on 25 May 2024 at the Bulwagang Rizal, Philippine Consulate General.
A total of 25 participants joined the session with 17 Year 11 and 12 Filipino-Australian students from the Secondary College of Languages at the Bankstown Campus and six children of Philippine Consulate General personnel.
In her opening remarks, Consul General Charmaine Rowena C. Aviquivil expounded on Filipino Heritage Month, which is celebrated every May under Proclamation No. 439, s. 2003, and the theme for this year is “Championing Heritage: Capacity Building to Transform Communities.” She further said that Filipino Heritage Month was held in May in view of the various festivals observed during the month, such as the Flores de Mayo, Santacruzan, and Pahiyas, among others.
Through learning the pre-colonial script Baybayin, the participants will be encouraged to reconnect with their Filipino roots and assist in promoting, preserving, and continuing to celebrate Filipino traditions and festivals.
Mr. Jade Cadelina, Founder of The Filipino Saturday School, spoke on The Filipino Saturday School and said that it seeks to promote Filipino history, traditions, and culture. Mr. Mark Ong, a Tagalog and Baybayin teacher at The Filipino Saturday School, and resource person for the Baybayin session, shared that the Philippines has over 100 languages and gave an overview of Baybayin. Mr. Ong is currently completing his Master of Crosscultural and Applied Linguistics program at the University of Sydney.
During the activity, participants learned to write their name in Baybayin script and were asked to write several Tagalog words, such as their favourite kakanin (rice cake), Ati-atihan (Philippine Festival honouring Santo Niño, the Child Jesus), the title of the Philippine National Anthem, and a tongue twister word, among others.
The Secondary College of Languages (SCL) offers Filipino language classes for Years 11-12 on Saturday mornings at Bankstown Girls Campus with the aim to teach Filipino language and culture among Filipinos in New South Wales, as well as foster cultural understanding. Students from public schools and other educational providers are eligible to enrol at the College. All courses follow NESA syllabuses and contribute towards the HSC and ATAR. More information on the program may be viewed at sclanguages.schools.nsw.gov.au.
