Buwan ng Wika at Kasaysayan 2020

This month of August is Buwan ng Wika. Many schools and organizations, local government units (LGU) and communities have plans to celebrate this cultural event. Where we are in Binan, Laguna is a historic city. Our LGU has activities already lined up. Not only will it celebrate Filipino language, it will highlight the city's history and cultural heritage.

There is a long list in the LGU's Facebook Page and one activity I look forward to attend is the talk of the librarian of the City Historical And Cultural Office, Ms. Sheila Legaspi. Any news of librarians taking part and leading the way to providing relevant and meaningful information to its learning community is worth drumming up.

Shameless promotion, here we come.

I and Melai Ramirez of the National Library of the Philippines are scheduled to appear in an online storytelling session organized by the San Pedro Department of Education. I will post information and details in the blog and in my social media accounts. So, do watch out for it!

The Binan Public Library and Museum

The stained glass reminds me of my lola's house.

I made the visit to the public library of Binan, Laguna last week. Thanks to Dr. Merlene Alon who accommodated me that afternoon. Dr. Alon is a proud Binanense who volunteered to help develop the library and the museum. The public library is housed in the old municipal hall which is flanked by the public market on the left and the church on the right. There is an azotea overlooking the town plaza and the skeleton of the old Alberto House. That afternoon of my visit, I was given an application form for a library card!

The library has a spacious reading room; a viewing room; an Internet station; and a working area for its staff and volunteers. That afternoon, the reading area was empty but there were teenagers who were using the computers for research and, yes, Facebook.

This poster about Rogelio Limaco is found in a room dedicated for Binan's World War II hero.

There is also a museum on the second floor. It was impressive since it has a gallery of photographs that show Binan's industry and trade since the time of the Spanish conquest. There is a room dedicated for Roger Limaco, one of Binan's local hero as well as past mayors and the memorabilia that are marked by each's term of office. I learned from Dr. Alon that more and more, family members of past mayors have contacted her to donate more memorabilia from their collection. This is good news indeed and the local government unit better take good care of these archival and historical objects, documents and donations.

As a librarian, visiting this library is already a treat. As a member of the community, I feel I need to do more. So, the extra books we have identified for donation in our school library will be having a new home in this public library inside a heritage house. More photos on my next post!