Small reading center in Silang has big ambitions for local children

SILANG, Cavite — In Barangay Biga-I, Silang, Cavite, a modest community center is working to expand children’s access to books and literacy programs.

The Iskolar Reading Center, a community-based children’s organization and nongovernmental organization, focuses on making reading and learning opportunities more accessible to children who need additional support.

The center’s work has drawn recognition from several institutions. In 2025, it was mentioned in a Philippine State College of Aeronautics document related to a meeting with the center in Silang.

The National Book Development Board has also accredited the Iskolar Reading Center as a civil society organization eligible to co-implement programs and projects related to book publishing and readership development. The accreditation is valid through July 31, 2027.

In 2025, the center received a 96,000-peso grant from the National Book Development Board for a program called “Journey Into Reading: Building a Lifelong Reading Culture in Rural Philippine Communities Through a Passport-Inspired Program.”

The grant funded the first phase of a Read-It-To-Win-It Passport Reading Program and reading festival activities that served about 50 children, according to the center.

The center’s reach has extended beyond local literature. In May 2026, Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported the opening of a “Ukrainian Bookshelf” at the Iskolar Reading Center.

Students from Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas partnered with the center to gather books and learning materials to expand its library collection and services for young readers.

Organizers said the center’s impact is measured not by its size but by the number of children it has introduced to reading and learning opportunities they might not otherwise have had access to.