Gerbay is a writing system associated with a purported 19th-century manuscript, allegedly discovered in the private collection of Prof. Dr. Kuatshnazeh in Hamburg in 2026. The document, available only as a poor reproduction, is believed to have belonged to Bastardo, reportedly born in 1888 as the illegitimate German-Filipino son of José Rizal.

The writing system combines elements of Baybayin, a precolonial Philippine script, with the visual characteristics of German Fraktura lettering. According to the narrative, Gerbay can only be deciphered by people who speak German with a Filipino accent.

Moving between historical references, fiction, humour, and mythmaking, the project explores linguistic authority, cultural identity, and the construction of historical narratives. Gerbay introduces an alternative form of knowledge in which accented speech becomes a prerequisite for understanding.

Gerbay was developed during Lapina's artist residency at Project Space Pilipinas in Lucban, Philippines, in 2026. Its characters were subsequently incorporated into her artworks and presented as part of her solo exhibition Alles zieht vorbei.