The first step — acknowledging the reading crisis in Filipino students — is done. The next steps must, first, alleviate teachers’ taxing circumstances so they can focus on teaching; second, rebuild the schools’ curriculum and literacy programs; and, third, strengthen teachers’ ranks.

Shamaine openly admires Floy Quintos as a genius playwright who gave actors not just complex and rich characters but a guide in knowing themselves as Filipinos.

Jose P. Alcantara (1911-2005), described as “the last maestro of traditional wood carving,” is best known for his masterpiece, a large-scale relief narra wood panels that used to adorn the Philam Life Auditorium in Ermita, Manila. Today, Alcantara’s masterpiece is displayed at the National Museum of the Philippines.