10T join ‘read-aloud’ in Antique

Pandan, Antique — Residents of Pandan town in Antique read their way into the record books in what was probably the biggest ever simultaneous “read-aloud” activity in the country.

At least 10,000 people, mostly elementary and high school students, joined the community reading held to mark National Reading Day along an 18-kilometer stretch of the national highway, according to organizers.

Pandan, which has a population of 34,000, is located 124 km north of the provincial capital, San Jose.

The participants formed a single line along the highway and, on signal from the community radio station dyNC, read the 11-paragraph text of the popular Anglican hymn “All things bright and beautiful.”

Pandan Mayor Jonathan Tan, along with three reader residents, led the reading through a live radio broadcast.

Children came to school ahead of their teachers. Parents, bringing umbrellas, joined their children, and employees stopped working for an hour to join the event.

“They were excited. They had been practicing for days,” said Lezlie Sanchez, who teaches Grade II at the Pandan Central School.

Sanchez said the mass reading session was significant because the parents came along with their children.

Faustino Castillo, 42, came with his 7-year-old daughter Eirisse. “Reading is important especially now that our children are easily distracted by television and the Internet,” he said.

Hazel Ecol, 35, also joined the affair with her two sons, Kurt Shannon, 5, and John Simon, 12. “We need to read to increase our knowledge and be updated. This is a good way of encouraging parents to also continue reading,” Ecol said. /INQUIRER