Ayra Mariano returns to Inquirer Read-Along for Int’l Women’s Month

“Real beauty is one that comes from the heart,” GMA young actress Ayra Mariano said at the end of her interview with the Inquirer.

She had just read the story “Bakit Hindi Naka-Lipstick si Nanay?” by Grace Chong at the Inquirer Read-Along held on Saturday at the Inquirer main office in Makati.

It was a special session to mark Interntional Women’s Day. Appropriately, the book that Mariano read is about a girl who learns to appreciate her mother’s odd job as a tricycle driver.

A returning storyteller, Mariano’s candid storytelling easily won the hearts of about 60 kids children from Laura Vicuña Foundation, Virlanie Foundation, and Dagdag Dunong Foundation.

“It’s different when you communicate with children,” Mariano said. “If you ask something, they sincerely answer. And their answers are very honest, very raw.”

Asked what she thought about the story, she said she found the mother and daughter relationship very touching.

“The mother in the story was a different kind of mom,” she said. “She was very strong and I think that made her being a woman even more beautiful. The story reminded us that real beauty is one that comes from the heart. It can be seen in the good acts that we do and the sacrifices we make for the people we love.”

“In the time of social media, everything we do can be seen and judged so it’s easy to feel insecure,” she added. “I feel that modern women are made to be stronger, braver and more confident. Every woman is considered beautiful.”

Saturday’s session, the third Read-Along for this year, also feature two other storytellers – Bianca Umali, another GMA actress, and Ann Abacan, principal of Sophia Schoo.

The program, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in May, aims to promote love of reading among children aged 7 to 12 through storytelling sessions with celebrities, role models and professional storytellers. /atm