LEGAZPI CITY??Is the basura (garbage) monster real?? asked the second-graders who attended the Inquirer Read-Along here on Friday.

The children said the ?Basura Monster,? a story read by Jeremy Cruz, officer in charge of Oro Site High School, reminded them of images they had seen on television?floodwaters with garbage, dead animals and furniture parts swallowing up communities in the aftermath of Tropical Storm ?Ondoy? and Tropical Storm ?Pepeng.?

Penned by Christine Bersola-Babao, ?Basura Monster? is the story of human disregard for and insensitivity to the environment that spawns the allegorical monster that wreaks havoc on the lives of the people.

A monster is born in the river. At first he is small but grows bigger each time people throw garbage in the river. One day the monster has become so huge, it attacks the community.

Realizing the error of their ways, people clean up their surroundings and dispose their garbage properly. With the mayor leading the cleanup, they destroy the garbage monster.

Cruz, an exceptional storyteller, employed different voices for the characters of the story, mesmerizing the second-graders of Albay Central School (ACS).

Coming to life

The garbage monster would come to life when people irresponsibly dump waste and garbage, Cruz said during the fifth Inquirer Read-Along of the Southern Luzon Bureau held here at City Hall.

The read-along session was conducted in cooperation with the Legazpi Jaycees, Daraga Jaycees, the Integrated Bar of Philippines headed by lawyer Marilou Castillo and the city government here through Mayor Noel Rosal, who gave an inspirational speech to the 50 students.

Reaching dreams

Rosal emphasized the importance of reading and how it helps children reach their dreams.

Artus Cesar Zara, 8, described how he felt while listening to the garbage monster?s tale of destruction. ?I was afraid, it seemed so real,? he said.

James Christian Chua, 7, said he could imagine the monster growing bigger and more angry with every piece of garbage thrown at it.

The story taught Cherry Andrea R. Collao, 7, how bad things?if left unchecked?could grow big like the garbage monster. ?We have to take care of our environment. I am really afraid the monster will come alive,? she said.

Gabriel Tadashi, 8, said the story imparted an important lesson: Everyone must take care of his own garbage, dispose of them properly so they would not harm to the environment, he said.

Importance of trees

Katrina Villanueva, first runner-up of Miss Bicolandia 2009, also read ?Huling Punongkahoy,? the story of how a single tree can make a difference.

A man wants to cut down the last mango tree in the neighborhood. The children and other living creatures get together to stop him and save the tree.

Afterward, the ACS school kids answered questions posed by Villanueva, which made the session a highly interactive one. Class adviser Matilde T. Guillermo said this helped the children better understand the story.

Guillermo told the Inquirer about their reading program in the curriculum called DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) wherein children are taught to read silently books written in English and Filipino.