Here is an executive summary of my talk with PASLI sponsored by Tuttle Publishing Philippines.
Resource Speaker: Zarah C. Gagatiga, RL – Teacher Librarian, Award-Winning Author, PASLI PRO
This seminar highlights the importance of nurturing
Filipiniana collections that mirror the oral traditions and diverse lives of
Filipino children, promote bilingual literacy, and design community programs
that bring stories to life. It draws on Rosenblatt’s Transactional Theory and
Reception Theory to affirm reader agency and position reading as both a
personal and social act.
Connection of Activities to Objectives:
Curate Filipiniana Books: The Mini-Curation Challenge
directly engaged participants in selecting titles that preserve oral traditions
and meet children’s cultural and developmental needs. This addressed the first
objective by encouraging thoughtful, purposeful collection building.
Promote Bilingual Literacy: The Dual Language Read-Aloud
made participants experience firsthand how language shifts between Filipino and
English affect rhythm, imagery, and meaning, sharpening bilingual awareness and
appreciation of cultural registers.
Design Community-Based Programs: The Story-to-Program
Workshop challenged groups to transform folktales into inclusive community
activities (e.g., puppet plays, barangay storytelling circles), concretizing
how libraries can bridge culture and community.
Integrative Activity: The Reading Roulette embodied all
three objectives at once. By rotating books, participants saw reader agency in
action, experienced the value of diverse Filipiniana texts, and built a sense
of community by sharing insights with peers and the larger group.
When school libraries center Filipino folktales and works by Filipino creators, they affirm children’s agency, nurture social reading, and uphold access and representation as acts of justice. Folktales sharpen metalinguistic awareness, preparing children to engage digital and AI-driven tools with reflection, responsibility, and cultural grounding.
