Bulilağ (Tolentino's Tagalog Numerals)

Guillermo Tolentino, a National Artist for Sculpture being interested in the possible origins of the Philippine script, he introduced in his study the Tagalog Numerals known as Bulilağ (ğ pronounced as ng) but he did not state its origins which is missing in his book. Below is the set of numerals 1 to 0 with corresponding meanings:

Mga Bulilağ (Bilang) ng Tagalog: Tolentino 1937 (English insertions: Sevilla & Alvero 1939)

Sevilla's digits (1940)

Although its origins is unknown, the then Department of Education Culture and Sports (DECS, now Department of Education, DEPED) printed the Bulilağ in one of its first edition of high school Algebra book cover in 1980. In the cover of the book, it shows how Bulilağ is written when the digits start in two level (10 and so on) which starts from right to left. Below is the Bulilağ sets from 1 to 13 with meanings written in baybayin:

Bulilağ 1 to 13

Source:

• Baybayin Dance: Script Forms Through Time by Bonifacio F. Comandante Jr, Ph.D. 2011
• Algebra For High School 1st Edition 1980 
• Numbers and Units in Old Tagalog by Jean-Paul Potet 2013