ANGELES CITY – In a continuing effort to introduce a culture of reading among the youth, the 2nd Kuliat KAbataang KAbasahan Festival or Kuliat KA.KA. is now underway until October 10 at the City Library and Information Center here.
“This aims to make Angeles City as thereading capital of Central Luzon,” said festival director Roilingel Calilung. Formerly named Children’s Book Festival, Kuliat KA.KA. is marked every October in line with the national celebration of children’s book month. It is organized by the Technical Service Unit and Children’s Library of the city.
Highlighting the series of activities in the festival is a memorial to Angeleño writer Renato “Katoks” Tayag dubbed “A Road to a Birth Centennial in Angeles: The Inauguration of Renato ‘Katoks’ D. Tayag Memorial Lectures Series/Inter School Kapampangan Essay Writing” on October 9.
Calilung said a “Junior Readers’ Conference” was also held on October 7 as well as an inter-school contests the following day. Other activities include a forum on Best Practices in Library Services and a forum on Creative Storytelling on October 10.
A Book Fair Exhibit by Circular Books Trading, Great Books Trading and Philippine Christian Book Store is showcased throughout the four-day event. Private and public elementary schools in the city as well as in the cities of San Fernando and Mabalacat were also invited in the Junior Reader’s Conference which aims to encourage the public to read especially the children.
“I think we need to go back into the basics and go back to encouraging our youth to love reading. They say knowledge is power, where do you get knowledge if you don’t read, said Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting who formally opened the festival.
Noted Kapampangan hostess and staunched environmentalist Cecile Yumul said “when we get tickled, we become alive. All of our cells are awaken and therefore we want children to become tickled to life.
When I say tickle it is a ticket to travel around your imagination at the same time, using the word tickle enables you to gain knowledge by the virtual power of reading books.”
Dr. John Jack Wigley, director of the Institute of Creative Writing at the University of Santo Thomas, said “it’s important that we have to inculcate and develop our students’ love for reading because you don’t see children reading anymore.”
The festival is supported by the Librarians’ Association of Metro Pampanga (LAMP); De La Salle University Library Manila; Department of Education (DepEd); Makati Medical Center and the Katipunan da ring Talasaliksik at Talaturung Kapampangan (Katatagan Inc.)
– Anthony Makaeran, LarricaCunanan, Cindy Naval SPCF-OJT
