MANILA, Philippines?Held in celebration of International Women?s Month, last weekend?s Inquirer Read-Along featured stories about environmental conservation and women empowerment.

The Saturday session, attended by over 70 children, had the 2006 winners of Miss Philippines-Earth and Sophia School students led by their principal, Ann Abacan, for readers.

Miss Philippines-Earth Cathy Untalan, now the executive director of Miss Earth Foundation, Miss Eco-Tourism Reena Sarmiento and Miss Fire Dianne Cervantes read ?Sa Bakawan,? a story about mangroves and the threats they face from pollution and improper waste disposal.

The story was coauthored by Untalan, Sarmiento and children?s writer Mae Astrid Tobias, and published by Adarna House and the Miss Earth Foundation.

Sophia School high school students Trixie Lagdan and Mary Grace Coloma acted out Rene Villanueva?s ?Ang Pambihirang Buhok ni Lola,? also published by Adarna House. Narrated by their principal, the story is about an old woman who saved her town from destruction.

Abacan also read Segundo Matias Jr.?s ?Inay! Inaaay Ko,? a story about a mother who is always there for her children. The book is published by Lampara.

Superb

Vincent Olano, who came from Baseco, Tondo, with his mother and the San Beda College-based volunteer organization Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), said he particularly liked the story, ?Ang Pambihirang Buhok ni Lola.?

?I liked it because the acting of the storytellers was really superb,? he said with a shy smile, adding that he also learned the value of disposing of trash properly.

For 11-year-old Meljon Ginto, however, who also came with the group from Baseco, the story that stood out was ?Sa Bakawan.? ?I really liked the story because it showed the importance of helping each other,? he said.

Also in the audience were 15 exchange students from the Thai school Samroiyod Wittayakhom, who were guests of Sophia School. It was the second time Thai students attended a Read-Along session.

Sixteen-year-old Thanawat Phothirat said his favorite story was also ?Sa Bakawan.? ?We also have mangroves in Thailand, that?s why I could relate to the story,? he said.

Explaining how they came to write ?Sa Bakawan,? Untalan said she and her co-winners wanted to leave a legacy of their reign.

Good idea

?We thought writing a children?s book about the environment was a good idea. Choosing the topic was tricky but then we saw that there was not a lot of material about mangroves,? Untalan said.

Shiela Alvarez, BS Psychology student from San Beda and president of SIFE, said the group saw the session as an opportunity for the Baseco kids to learn and mingle with other children. ?We wanted to expose them to a different world, that?s why we brought them here,? she explained.

The session, hosted by Libre editor in chief Chito de la Vega, was held in cooperation with Hands On Manila, Virlanie Foundation, San Beda College Students in Free Enterprise. Tri-Dharma Corp. served Nutri-C juice, Energen cereal drink and Gandour chocolates to the children.

The next session will be on March 27 at the Inquirer main office in Makati. Interested participants may contact Ellen Caparros at 8978808 ext. 329. Slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Kate Pedroso and Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research