‘Mister Nanie’ and his street library aim to bridge Philippine literacy gap

A sign outside Hernando Guanlao’s garage entices passersby to step inside:

“A good book is easy to find. FREE READING TO THE PUBLIC.” 

Guanlao, a 72-year-old grandfather popularly known as “Mang Nanie” (“Mister Nanie”), has run a street library for the past 24 years out of the garage of his modest home in Metro Manila.

His mission is to provide free books to anyone in the hope that the jam-packed and eclectic collection of books and reading materials in his library will help bridge a learning gap among Filipinos in the time of Facebook.

Guanlao, a former accountant, has kept the doors of his “Reading Club 2000” open to the public ever since he started his street library in that millennial year. His goal then was to contribute toward improving literacy among Filipino children.  

By word of mouth, his project spread like wildfire, and soon, people of all ages began dropping by to look for reading materials – from school textbooks dealing in history, to mathematics, science, and rare books dealing in metaphysics and the occult. 

“There is no money here of course, but then again, there are better things than money in this world,” Guanlao said as BenarNews visited him in his neighborhood on the outskirts of the Makati financial district.

“Other than the benefits of my free book-giving missions, it has become a legacy for my family, not only for the community that I serve,” he said. “So, it is very important that you learn your purpose and mission in life.”

On a typical day, his library stays open until the last of his patrons leaves late at night.  

Guanlao started out with a small number of books from his own collection. Nowadays, he relies on a stream of donations. 

At his reading club, there are no limits to how many books people can borrow at a time. Patrons can also hold onto them for good, if they like.  

An accountant by training, Guanlao quit the profession after only a year of crunching numbers. Instead, he took on other jobs to support his wife and three children, including as a street vendor, photographer, and media consultant to local politicians. 

Guanlao said his family never had much money to begin with, but he had traveled to so many places in the books he read. He shared his love for the written word with his wife and three children, who all championed reading in their circle of friends. 

Books ‘versus’ Facebook, TikTok

His mission has taken on more significance in this era where many children and students are hooked on the internet and social media platforms, such as Facebook and TikTok. 

Seven out of 10 Filipinos are using social media (73.4%), according to a 2024 study by Meltwater, an online media monitoring company. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are among the most popular social media apps for Filipinos, including students.

In its latest report, the World Bank said there was “learning poverty” of 91% in the country – meaning nine out of 10 kids struggle to read simple text.

But learning could involve both books and technology, Guanlao said.

“If you have the printed materials on your left hand and, on your right hand, the technology, you have these as your weapons,” he told BenarNews. “You can be more confident, more work and life balance can be achieved, and you can be more dedicated to serving your community.”

“What I have found out is that many are looking for books to read, and facilities where they can get these books for a song, especially in the remote barrios,” he said, referring to the thousands of villages nationwide.

A vast collection

After he started his library with 50 books from his private collection, patrons soon began donating books. As the years went by, his garage was transformed into a little library that spread out onto the sidewalk.

His children helped out and tried to organize the library, but since none of them were experts in the cataloging and data management of books, the project soon faltered. Now, they just remember where the sections are.

“These are the law books, reference materials, research books, textbooks for engineering, accounting, economic finance, and computer education,” Guanlao said, pointing to a dimly lit section of his garage as one patron asked for directions. 

“And in that corner, you can find medical, pharmaceutical and health sciences. Just look for what you need.”

A patron, Bea Villamor, said she was looking for books on seamanship, in preparation for a job abroad. She left with one book in hand.

The library’s vast collection also includes tomes on sports, including an autobiography by American basketball rebounding legend Dennis Rodman, hardbound titles by Stephen King, and even a comic book by The Simpsons.

There are times that Guanlao would load his trolley and backpack to distribute books to street children. He has also been invited to share his passion for books in other places. His library’s books have reached as far away as Tawi-Tawi, the country’s southernmost tip.

But the sheer number of titles he has collected has spilled over into crates and boxes of books piled outside his home. On the day when BenarNews visited, some of the titles were being dried out in the sun after days of heavy rains.

Friends from the community have lent him a green van converted into a traveling library on wheels, which is aptly called “street scribes.”

“Sometimes, you have to find a home for these books,” he said.

Jojo Riñoza in Manila contributed to this story.