Between stacks of memorabilia of two well-loved sons of Bicol—Raul Roco and Bienvenido Santos—about 40 young listeners huddled for the Inquirer Read-Along session held at the Raul S. Roco Library in Naga City during the program’s fifth anniversary.
Through theatrical presentations interspersed with book reading, the finalists of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) in Bicol, along with students of the College of Education of Ateneo de Naga University (AdNU), came to share their love for reading in the storytelling sessions.
They presented three stories and made vivid the values of thrift, courage, perseverance, cleanliness and curiosity to the pupils of nearby Mac Mariano Elementary School.
Donna Mae Delfino, Daniel Philip Dy, James Robert Macatangay, Reejeem Monsalve, Ramish Baldoza, Clarissa Bombase and Marlon Pontillas took turns in giving life to the stories that included “Si Langgam at si Tipaklong (The Ant and the Grasshopper)” and “Si Ching na Takot sa Dilim (Ching Who Is Afraid of the Dark).”
“Si Langgam at si Tipaklong,” which was written by Alberta Angeles and illustrated by Renato Gamos, is a story of a grasshopper which enjoys his lazy life but doesn’t understand why the ant has to look for food all day. It enticed the audience to listen because the storytellers mimicked the voices of the main characters.
In “Si Ching na Takot sa Dilim,” written by Aleli Dew Batnag and illustrated by Paul Eric Roca, Ching is afraid of the dark and always sleeps with a flashlight on until a power outage in the neighborhood forces him to experience darkness alone as his mother was out for an errand.
The blackout allows Ching to appreciate the things that glow in the dark, including the eyes of his cat and the millions of stars in the sky. He overcomes his fear of darkness.
Another story was an adaptation of “Dora,” a well-known Spanish-speaking cartoon character who likes to explore.
Lessons and values
Ben Secretario, one of the TOSP awardees, said the story-telling sessions intended to impart lessons and good values to the children. “The children should know at an early age that many people care for them,” he said.
Although it was hot, the children actively participated in the question-and-answer phase after the storytelling.
“I learned [from the story of Ching] that I should pray before going to sleep and that I should not fear darkness,” said Regine Maño, 11, who received booklets as souvenir learning materials. The children also received snacks from Jollibee.
Charles Bonito, 6, said he learned from the theatrical presentations that he should be industrious and helpful, especially to his parents. “I must not be lazy,” he said.
Confidence-building
Julie Lucille del Valle, an education instructor of AdNU, said reading stories to children would make them emotionally confident at an early age and help them become more literate.
The College of Education of AdNU, like the Inquirer, has been conducting storytelling sessions for schoolchildren.
“We started it as an outreach program but over the years it became a way for us to give more to the children, aside from the [material] things we give them,” Del Valle said.
The Inquirer Read-Along Session started in May 2007 to spread the love for reading, especially among children. It has been conducted more than 220 times all over the country.
In Bicol, storytelling sessions have been held in Camarines Norte, Albay and Sorsogon through the Inquirer’s Southern Luzon bureau. Jonas Cabiles Soltes