In a quiet nook in Manila, granddad runs no-rules library to get Filipinos reading again
Mr Hernando Guanlao, also known as Mang Nanie, always welcomes his library visitors with a smile. ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA
Letter From Manila In a quiet nook in Manila, granddad runs no-rules library to get Filipinos reading again
- The first thing that caught my eye was the perfect absence of order, a jumbled mess that oddly felt like home.
In a quiet corner in Makati city, close to the Philippine financial district's towering skyscrapers and gnarly traffic, I stumbled upon my slice of heaven: an open-air library with no membership fees or late-return penalties – just piles of books stacked on rusted shelves or heaped higgledy-piggledy in old wooden crates, along the driveway to Mr Hernando Guanlao's two-storey dwelling.
Before long, I was transported back to my childhood – squatting comfortably and elbow deep in a stack of paperback novels, eyes scanning the titles and debating what to read first.
In the corner of my eye, a spritely, elderly man with a shock of white hair watched with approval and a knowing smile.
'That box of books was just donated... It seems to be waiting for you,' said the 73-year-old unofficial neighbourhood librarian, known affectionately as Mang (Uncle) Nanie.
The book lover's dreamscape, spanning the driveway and the exterior walls of the old house, runs the gamut from self-help guides to sci-fi fantasy. When it rains, the books outside are protected with plastic sheets. In the covered garage area, there are many more books awaiting readers.
All are welcome to browse at Mang Nanie's library and take any number of books home. On an afternoon, the place is calm, yet lively with murmurs of conversation and rustling pages from a dozen visitors. These include street children seeking a quiet refuge, college students looking for second-hand textbooks and collectors in search of elusive volumes on the occult.
The covered garage, which is filled with books under Mang Nanie's loving stewardship, is an organised mess.
ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA
A library is born
It all began in the year 2000, when Mang Nanie simply wanted to encourage children in his community to read, noting the poor literacy skills of young Filipinos. What began with 50 books left on a bookshelf outside his ancestral home has since grown into an informal neighbourhood library in Makati city.
The humble library, which he dubbed Reading Club 2000, currently boasts a collection of around 6,000 books, gathered from friends and donors over the years.
'I wanted to do something meaningful after I retired, so I thought about starting a small library,' Mang Nanie told The Straits Times.
'My vision is all about literacy... because if you don't know anything, how can you be free?'
At this library, there are no membership fees, due dates, penalties for late returns or borrowing limits. In fact, this is one librarian who is happiest when readers keep the books.
'I don't wait for books to be returned. I'd rather they pay it forward and give the books to others so they can read too,' said Mang Nanie. He does not keep count, but believes as many as six million books from the collection may have found homes in the last 25 years.
A former accountant and strategist for local politicians who retired early back in 1986 , Mang Nanie's career path did not initially suggest he would one day devote himself to books full-time.
'As young as five, I was already earning extra money trading books with classmates... I never imagined I'd come back to this,' chuckled the grandfather of two , aged five and 20 .
He did not expect much when he first displayed 50 books outside his home. But a few curious youngsters came by and started hanging out – some began reading and borrowed books, and some never came back. But many returned, bringing more books for the collection.
And slowly, the library grew. Occasionally, repeat visitors would tell Mang Nanie how his library inspired them to start their own reading spaces back home.
Battling the learning crisis
Mang Nanie is among a growing force of community volunteers and non-profit groups attempting to address the perennial issue of poor literacy skills plaguing students in the developing nation of almost 115 million.
The Philippines ranked at the bottom in knowledge and skills for reading, mathematics and science among 15-year-old students in 2022, in a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Programme for International Student Assessment study aims to test literacy levels of students in those three fields.
That same year, the World Bank's data on learning poverty showed that at least 90 per cent of Filipino children aged 10 struggled to read or understand simple text. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic set back students' learning, the pre-pandemic figure pegged learning poverty in the Philippines at 70 per cent. The World Bank defines learning poverty as a child being unable to read and understand a simple story by the age of 10 – a rate that can be as high as 80 per cent in some countries and affects an estimated 250 million children globally.
The country's Department of Education has since declared a learning crisis, launching reforms aimed at boosting literacy, especially among early-grade learners. These include 'Catch-Up Fridays' – in which schools devote the day to literacy activities such as reading clubs and read-aloud sessions – and bolstering teacher training programmes to address students' reading difficulties more effectively.
Government efforts in tandem with ground-up initiatives like Reading Club 2000 will help to shore up literacy skills in the nation. 'That should help some of the kids with reading. It's a positive development, in my opinion,' Education Secretary Sonny Angara told ST.
A safe space
The relaxed and inviting atmosphere of Mang Nanie's library draws people in, said University of the Philippines' Lizamarie Olegario, an assistant professor who specialises in education psychology.
Many Filipinos find formal libraries 'intimidating', with the stereotypical notion of strict librarians shushing readers into silence, dress code requirements and book-borrowing rules, she noted.
'In contrast, Mang Nanie's street library feels more accessible... It reminds us that fostering a love for reading isn't about having the most impressive facilities – it's about creating spaces that are welcoming, convenient and rooted in trust,' said Prof Olegario.
This sign, crafted out of recycled materials, is hung above the entrance to Mang Nanie's library.
ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA
While the Philippines has a 30-year-old law that requires all barangay, or local-level districts, to have their own public libraries or reading centres, implementation is difficult as other issues like poverty and unemployment loom larger.
Mang Nanie has tried to address the matter in his own quiet way, with his modest efforts. His three adult children also help to cover the monthly cost of about 50,000 pesos (S$1,170) for maintenance, utilities and simple meals for the street kids who visit.
Mang Nanie said the library is his personal act of 'bayanihan', a Filipino tradition of helping one's neighbour without expecting anything in return.
He does not ask for donations of any kind, saying that the books come because people believe in what he is doing. Former classmates, work contacts and library users help by donating books or getting them delivered to underserved schools, villages, orphanages and far-flung island communities across the archipelago.
When ST visited Mang Nanie in April, three boxes of new novels and school textbooks had arrived, sent by local non-profit Tiny Blessings Foundation, which helps street kids , with a note thanking him for promoting reading and literacy among young Filipinos.
Mang Nanie receiving a fresh batch of book donations from a non-profit organisation on April 1, 2025.
ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA
But it is not always sunshine and roses. On more than one occasion, a large number of books have gone missing. 'Once, some people stole four boxes of books. But I don't focus on the negativity. The books come back, one way or another,' he said.
Paying it forward
Mang Nanie has inspired others to do the same.
In Cavite, south of the capital Manila, 28-year-old church volunteer Mary Margaret Onate was moved to start a reading corner in February after discovering Mang Nanie's library on TikTok that same month.
There, she found a selection of children's books for the small reading area in her church for young readers. The children are 'delighted', she said.
'They're always on their phones, so I didn't expect much. But the moment they saw the books, their eyes lit up. It felt like they were holding treasure,' Ms Onate recounted.
What keeps her going back to the street library are the stories Mang Nanie would share whenever she dropped by every other week or so. She has found a dear friend in the neighbourhood librarian, saying: 'He opened up to me about his 'mission'. That piqued my interest and pushed me to keep coming back so I can exchange more stories with him.'
Other ordinary folk like Mang Nanie have also taken up the challenge to encourage young Filipinos to embrace books, opening doors to opportunities.
There is daycare worker and volunteer storyteller Percy Tan , who has spent more than a decade spinning yarns to children living in the slums of the capital and its surrounding cities.
And Mr Rey Bufi , founder of The Storytelling Project , travels to remote communities to read to children who have never visited a library. Established in 2012, the local non-profit aims to make reading more accessible and enjoyable for Filipino youth.
There is also ChildHope Philippines – a non-governmental organisation that works to promote the welfare of children, particularly those in street situations – whose bright pink vans transform into mobile classrooms equipped with audio-visual equipment and teachers, to conduct literacy and numeracy classes in the Metro Manila region .
Asked what kind of legacy he wants to leave behind, Mang Nanie just smiled, saying: 'If my grandsons do the same when they grow up, not just with books, but if they use their talents to help the community progress, I will have accomplished enough,' he said.
The Straits Times' Philippines correspondent Mara Cepeda holding some books that Mang Nanie gave her after their interview on April 1, 2025.
ST PHOTO: MARA CEPEDA
Before leaving his library, Mang Nanie insisted I take home a few books: one about dogs (perhaps he noticed my Facebook posts about my pets) ; an account of the 105km Bataan Death March involving more than 70,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war during World War II (I had mentioned to him that I had visited the province recently) ; guides on saving money and inner transformation; and some classics by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Edgar Allan Poe.
'You can keep these,' he said. 'They found you.'
And that is the magic of Mang Nanie's library. It's not just about the books per se, but about a place where anyone may wander in and lose themselves for a time in a journey of discovery through the printed word.
Which is why people keep coming back. I know I will.
Mara Cepeda is Philippines correspondent at The Straits Times.
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