When a country begins to treat high commodity prices and heavy taxes as normal, even the simplest books become a privilege.
Your favorite Wattpad series that finally gets a physical copy costs so much it drains your wallet. The classic novels you wish to read remain out of reach because of financial constraints, while basic textbooks needed for education are tucked away for safekeeping, for fear they will be damaged and have to be replaced.
These books that help young people develop comprehension and literacy—these very books needed in the country’s free education system—have become too precious for many Filipinos to access. This is one of the primary reasons behind the country’s declining literacy rates among the youth.
Several reports from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) reveal the worsening literacy crisis in the Philippines: 18 million Filipino graduates are functionally illiterate, 1.3 million incoming Grade 12 students struggle with reading comprehension, and proficiency rates continue to decline as students progress through the education system. These figures show how literacy skills remain alarmingly scarce among the youth. While the Department of Education (DepEd) recognizes the country’s challenges in reading comprehension, addressing the literacy crisis is not the institution’s responsibility alone. It is every Filipino’s duty to help secure a brighter future for today’s learners. For one man living along a quiet sidewalk, that responsibility became a lifelong mission.
“Free Reading to the Public”
Sari-sari stores and street food, or tusok-tusok, stalls are common sights along the sidewalks of Makati. Yet on Balagtas Street stands an unusual home displaying a colorful assortment of secondhand books on old bookshelves. It bears the name Reading Club 2000, a roadside public library cared for by the humble Hernando Guanlao, more fondly known as “Mang Nanie.” To him, this responsibility is not a burden—it simply warms his heart because he has books to share.
“I’ve always wanted to put up something like this. I had a mini library at home growing up, also outside,” Mang Nanie shared in a February 2024 interview with Esquire. “It was 25 centavos to rent each book. But my mom didn’t want me to pursue it because she wanted me to take a more practical career path.”
Faced with persistent discouragement over his unusual passion, Mang Nanie eventually gave in. He pursued accountancy at the Philippine College of Commerce. Yet at the age of 50, he found himself wondering how life would continue after retirement.
Amid those uncertainties, he remembered his parents, who, as government employees, had been able to provide their children with an education at no cost. Without hesitation, Mang Nanie gathered every book he could find in his home, carefully arranged them outside with a sign announcing that reading was free, and 26 years later, the ancestral house that once displayed fewer than 50 books now operates 24/7 as a library open to everyone.
Effort for the Future
There were days when Mang Nanie faced immense challenges: empty plates on the table because of financial hardship and the loss of his wife to a stroke. Yet he remained committed to building the library and pursuing his newfound mission—to provide books to the underprivileged who needed them most. It became his fulfillment. It became his quiet source of comfort as he watched groups of eager children rush in after school or after playing outside, searching for books they had never read before.
On slow afternoons, when children stay indoors, Mang Nanie does not dwell on their absence. Instead, he has his own way of drawing them in.
“If there are no children, I use a stroller and go to them to say hello, remind them that we are still here, campaign. It works! You just have to look for them, put in the effort to approach them.”
His efforts, as small as they may seem, play a significant role in shaping the futures of children who otherwise have little access to books—a future where Filipino youth are no longer overshadowed by illiteracy. This is what our country needs: not textbooks hidden away for safekeeping, but educational materials made accessible to everyone, from resource-rich cities to the poorest barrios in the provinces. After all, the true measure of education is not found only on report cards, but also in every crease and fold borne by the well-read pages of a book.
Reading Club 2000 wasn't built to be a business centered on books. Instead, it stands as a humble mission for the children in a country with plummeting literacy rates. Despite his old age, Mang Nanie chose to serve humanity rather than living quietly in peace. His simple mission blossomed into an initiative that continues to make a difference in a nation where being equipped with many books is a privilege to children.
As written in front of his home: “A good book is easy to find.”
Written by Savanna T. Tarraya, Insight PH
Savanna T. Tarraya, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
