Manila: Voting 266-0, with one abstention, the House of Representatives on Wednesday night approved on third and final reading the Philippine Indigenous and Traditional Writing Systems Act. This legislative measure aims to protect, preserve, and promote the country's indigenous and traditional scripts, recognizing them as a vital part of Filipino cultural heritage. According to Philippines News Agency, House Bill 8699 establishes a state policy focused on the preservation, enrichment, and evolution of a Filipino national culture. This includes promoting indigenous and traditional writing systems as a means to foster patriotism and social consciousness. The bill acknowledges these scripts as cultural treasures and expressions of national identity, advocating for their promotion through education, research, cultural programming, and documentation. The proposed law mandates the inclusion of these writing systems in relevant subjects across basic and higher education, with options for elective or specialized co urses in colleges and universities. Additionally, it requires the development and publication of reference materials such as dictionaries, grammar guides, textbooks, and scholarly works on these writing systems. To enhance accessibility, the measure calls for digital learning resources, online courses, mobile applications, and digital archives to support wider access, documentation, and long-term preservation of these scripts. House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander 'Sandro' Marcos of Ilocos Norte and Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III are the principal authors of the bill. In a statement, Sandro Marcos emphasized the commitment of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Speaker Dy to safeguarding Filipino identity by integrating indigenous and traditional writing systems into educational settings and digital platforms. Marcos underscored the value of these systems as living elements of Filipino culture, intended to be appreciated by younger generations. Marcos highlighted the bill's practical benefits, trans forming heritage protection into a public education initiative accessible to students, teachers, local communities, cultural workers, and indigenous peoples. The bill instructs the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and local governments to promote awareness of writing systems, especially during cultural events like Buwan ng Wika. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is designated as the lead agency for crafting policy guidelines to promote, protect, preserve, and conserve these writing systems as national cultural treasures. The NCCA will coordinate with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino for technical assistance and collaborate with relevant government agencies for implementation.