Category: Why Filipinos Should Read
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Why Filipinos Should Read at Local and Community Libraries
by Bryan Meniado G’day! I’m in Gold Coast, Australia temporarily. Beyond the beaches, culture, and wildlife, what has struck me about Gold Coast is its robust and efficient public library system. Over the past months, their local libraries have been one of my most frequented places where I get to enjoy their spaces, services, and […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: Ayala Museum’s (@ayalamuseum) The Diorama Experience of Philippine History
by Bryan Meniado Every time I travel to a new place, I make a conscious effort to drop by local museums as part of my itinerary. Being repositories of objects of historical, scientific, artistic, and cultural significance, museums give a glimpse of the local culture and heritage that help us appreciate the people and the […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on the Human-centered Planet’ by John Green
by Bryan Meniado Apart from reading, I typically spend my free time watching and spiraling into the endless labyrinth of suggested videos on YouTube. One of my favorites to binge-watch is the educational channel started by the brother tandem of John and Hank Green called “Crash Course.” Their channel features diverse topics on history, philosophy, […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘To Be Poor and Obscure: The Spiritual Sojourn of a Mindanawon’ by Karl Gaspar
by Bryan Meniado Last weekend, Dabawenyos celebrated the first in-person Kadayawan Festival after a two-year hiatus brought by the pandemic. The Kadayawan is an annual thanksgiving of life, culture, and bountiful harvest. It is derived from the local term “madayaw,” which loosely translates to good, valuable, and beautiful. This year’s celebration was also my first […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ by Paulo Freire
by Bryan Meniado A recent World Bank report says that “nine out of ten Filipino children still struggle to read simple text by age 10.” This reasserts another report released by the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2019 where the Philippines ranked the lowest in reading comprehension among 79 countries. Coupled with the “history […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Rizal in Saga: A Life for Student Fans’ by Nick Joaquin
by Bryan Meniado I recently attended a writing class with Write Things PH and historian Ambeth Ocampo, author of Rizal Without the Overcoat, on the eve of Jose Rizal’s 161st birth anniversary. In that session, we discussed writing about the past and how to make history more meaningful for everyone, especially for younger generations. It […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: Akin Lang Naman: Mga Tula by Aristotle C. Pollisco a.k.a. Gloc-9
by Bryan Meniado The recent national elections may have been the most polarizing and divisive one in recent memory. While I’m disappointed, I’m not that surprised by the results. With all the miseducation, disinformation, historical distortion, and blatant lies we have been fed over the past years, it’s not far-fetched why many of us still […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
by Bryan Meniado In the previous WFSR, I shared about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee which is a well-loved international classic. Since it’s a masterpiece told from a child’s perspective, reading it reminded me of how much we can learn from our children, even with their seeming youthfulness and innocence. This in turn […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee
by Bryan Meniado I’ve been joining several book clubs online, local and international, to help me explore and diversify my reading list. It’s also an attempt for me to break through from my usual nonfiction niche since many of the club members read fiction. It’s fascinating to see the range of genres, books, and authors […]
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Why Filipinos Should Read: ‘Reportage on Lovers’ by Quijano de Manila
by Bryan Meniado Beyond all the heart balloons and bouquets, it might be unknown to some people that Valentine’s Day is also a Christian feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, who was martyred on February 14. This piece of history is usually overlooked nowadays because people tend to focus more on the celebration of […]
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