What is the difference between Baybayin and Alibata?

On Kuya Kim’s “24 Oras” report on Wednesday, University of the Philippines student Bb. Rusell Irene Lagunsad said Alibata was invented by a teacher named Paul Verzosa.

“Ang salitang Alibata, inimbento [ni Verzosa] kasapi ng dating National Language Institute sa pag-aakala niyang yung Baybayin ay hango sa paraan ng pagsulat ng mga Arabe,” she said.

Meanwhile, Baybayin is a Philippine script. It consists of 17 letters, where three are vowels and 14 are consonants. Each consonant comes with a vowel. For a figure’s meaning to change, a stroke is added.

Did you know? Some signages at the Lagusnilad Underpass in Maynila is written in Baybayin. It’s also used in the Philippine passport for the Bible verse Proverbs 14:34.

It was also recently featured on one of H.E.R.’s costumes for the “Beauty and the Beast” special.—Franchesca Viernes/LDF, GMA Integrated News