Reading gives you a glimpse of the world, from culture, traditions, arts, history, and science. It helps a person explore life from different perspectives. This immersive experience stimulates the mind and ignites the imagination, enhancing a person’s understanding of the complexities of human existence.
Hernando Guanlao, known by his nickname, Nanie, a 72-year-old book lover, became an inspiration when he started his community Library in 2000 in his ancestral home in Makati, shortly after the death of his parents. This initiative emerged as a way for him to cope with the loss of his parents, who had greatly influenced his love for reading. In the midst of his grief, he sought a meaningful way to commemorate their memory.
“In my 25 years on this free book-giving mission, now as my family community engagement, the structured libraries, public and privately operated, and my unstructured book concept continue to survive in spite of the challenges we’ve been exposed in so many issues on government officials engaged in our educational and literacy advancement,” he said.
Passed in 1994, the Republic Act 7743 establishes public libraries at various levels (congressional, city, municipal, and barangay) across the Philippines to enhance literacy and promote the moral and intellectual well-being of Filipinos. However, as of August 2024, there are only about 1,696 affiliated public libraries in the country.
Initially, there were only 200 books available for circulation each day to serve readers in various communities. As of today, Nanie’s free book concept for literacy enrichment covered more than 250 remote areas throughout the Philippine archipelago.
“Since 2002 and until to this day to include new sites in Laoang, Northern Samar (Reader’s of Barrio) also covering the indigenous communities in the province of Palawan and Coron,” he added.
In today’s digital age, where the Internet and e-books have transformed the way we access information, allowing us to find nearly anything with just a few clicks or taps, Nanie still believes that there’s nothing quite like the pleasure of turning pages and there are still people who like to spend hours browsing shelves.
“For those people, students, and professionals looking and in search of a work and life balance ahead, consider developing your ability to read our personal Akashic Records, using our 6th sense. Hopefully will save a lot of wasted time, money, and effort in this lifetime.”
