Araw ng Pagbasa: Reading towards Nation-building

Ms. Santiago and the employees of Target Outsourcing Services conducted a storytelling sessions at Mines Elementary School (QC)

Volunteer storyteller Ms. Krz Lopez, of Ateneo Scholl of Government, enjoys her time with the kids

"One of the most fascinating and enriching things I have discovered when I was still young was learning how to read.", writes Herbel Santiago, a recent graduate of AB Literature in English from Ateneo de Manila University, currently the program officer of AHON Foundation. "Being able to read is indispensable in navigating our everyday lives--we read the signages on the road, at restaurants and shopping malls. We read instructions on how to cook the most delicious dishes, or to install the newest applications in our computers"



"But more than that, reading is a sublime activity that takes us beyond what we see in our physical surroundings. It inspires us to reach our goals and the seemingly unimaginable. In reading, ideas cease to become intangible. Abstract notions such as values, aspirations and creativity become concrete in the pages of our books"

Through Araw ng Pagbasa, a program initiated by the QC 3rd District Rep. Jorge "Bolet" Banal, we realize that reading is a strategic step towards nation-building and poverty alleviation. Rep. Banal says, "November 27 need not be another day in the calendar because it stands for both history and opportunity. We collectively look back and find lessons in what Ninoy has done. We also look ahead. For the youth, each story becomes a window to another way of seeing the world"

To read more, please grab a copy of Manila Bulletin or visit http://mb.com.ph/articles/291025/flexaraw-ng-pagbasa-reading-towards-nation-building. You may also visit www.ahonfoundation.org.

To learn more about Araw ng Pagbasa and its other programs, please call 02-9315989.

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