‘Reading should be democratically accessible to all and enjoyed by all ages. Our children deserve the fundamental right to read and write.’
WHILE the world grapples with the threat of another world war amid a fragile US-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the country wages its internal war against a “reading poverty” that threatens our future.
A sobering 2022 World Bank (WB) study revealed that a staggering 90% of Filipino children aged 10 struggle to read or comprehend simple texts—a shocking increase from 70% pre-pandemic.
This throws us far behind our ASEAN neighbors like Brunei, Singapore and Vietnam, which boast near-perfect reading literacy rates.
The push to address this crisis has ironically come from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) rather than the Department of Education (DepEd).
While DepEd’s “Catch Up Fridays” initiative aims to bridge learning gaps with a focus on reading, its effectiveness is hampered by a fundamental speedbump – some of our public school teachers lack the basic competencies required to teach reading, as highlighted by studies from the UP College of Education.
This disconnect underscores a systemic problem that demands an immediate overhaul.
The DILG, operationalizing Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code, has ordered all its barangays to establish Information and Reading Centers (IRCs) under its mandate to task LGUs to set up basic services and facilities.
The DILG lamented that only 13,648 of the 42,045 barangays across the country have IRCs in their city, municipality or neighboring barangays.
But as per the June 2025 audit, it was learned that only 5,027 barangays have access to working IRCs, leaving barangays in most of the 1,489 municipalities, 145 cities, and 81 provinces bereft of a functioning reading center.
The reading centers, envisioned as hubs for early learning and access to reading materials, are crucial for fostering a culture of literacy at the grassroots level.
But the current reality is grim, with only a fraction of barangays having operational IRCs.
Aside from reading centers, we must also revitalize our near-extinct public library system.
Once vibrant intellectual hubs, many of our public libraries have faded into obscurity, replaced by digital distractions as our children turned to their gadgets as their virtual librarians.
While Republic Act (RA) 7743 mandates the establishment of public libraries in every nook and corner of the country, the current number of public libraries makes up only three percent of what was required by law, a 2023 study by the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) revealed.
Only about 1,640 public libraries have survived as of today and are still under NLP’s supervision.
The NLP study also said many existing libraries are poorly maintained, lack resources, and suffer from low public awareness and patronage.
To combat “reading poverty,” we need a concerted and multi-pronged approach.
For example, we should invest heavily in training programs for teachers, ensuring they possess the pedagogical skills to effectively teach reading.
A strong collaboration among the DILG, LGUs, DepEd and the NLP should also deliver the necessary funding and support to establish functional IRCs in all barangays and revitalize public libraries while driving awareness through digital channels.
The national government must ultimately lead the reading revolution to highlight its importance and encourage communities to demand their own IRCs and public libraries.
Reading should be democratically accessible to all and enjoyed by all ages. Our children deserve the fundamental right to read and write.
French poet, journalist and human rights activist Victor Hugo captured the liberating essence of reading when he said: “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”
