It's just as Neil Armstrong said it when he took the very first human step ever to be taken on the moon: "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." Because thanks to the efforts of Mr. Erwin Olario, the KRIS Library in Manicahan has taken such a step. 

Mr. Olario--an IT expert specializing in Geographic Information Systems--was recently vacationing in Bolong (only minutes away from our Library) when he saw a roadside banner about our advocacy. I had first gotten in touch with him when he e-mailed me offering his time as a volunteer to teach or assist children there. I had him contact my grandmother who is managing the Library so that we could accommodate him there. Having asked him to check out our computers in the library, I expected just an assessment. But what really touched me was that: Mr. Olario went further.

Over the course of the past weeks, he had visited the library several times to continue assessing how we could have our computer system improved. He had recommended the replacement of our current Operating System (Windows) to Linux so that we would have less problems with viruses and malware; he even conversed personally with our local technician, Kuya Julius, and left a trial CD to demonstrate the benefits of Linux. He had also recommended a digital system to track and catalog our books in the Library--which we could look into in the future. Lastly, and most importantly, he had also accomplished the installment of an offline version of Wikipedia to all the computers of the Library--giving our young beneficiaries access to more updated, more comprehensive, and more user-friendly references in their computers.

What Mr. Olario did was an inspiration. In a world dominated by profit-driven scientists, engineers, and professionals, he still found the precious time--during a vacation, no less--to lend his expertise to the less fortunate. Having done this, the KRIS Library in Manicahan is better-equipped and better-informed. Having done this, we know now that there is a need to prepare our Muslim and Christian scholars and students for the age of exponentially-improving technology.

What Mr. Olario did was one small step for the Library because I believe that more changed can be made. However, it was definitely one long leap for the kids who will benefit from it. It will be one long leap towards the future by the future of this nation.

Thank you, Mr. Erwin. :)

I was 6 years old when 9/11 happened. And through the eyes of a 6-year old, two destroyed towers offered the same meaning as a fire, a flood, or an earthquake. I laid the image to rest.

But years later, news stories would continue to carry it. Movies would continue to tell its story. People would continue to shed tears, speak with lumps in their throats, and offer flowers for victims and heroes.

What happened during 9/11? Who was really responsible for it? Why would they do such things? I was engulfed by questions regarding 9/11. I know they should matter; but they did not really matter to me. So many miles away, so unharmed, so unthreatened, I was invincible.

But I was not invincible.

After September 11, 2001, the terror continued not only abroad but here in the Philippines as well. Bus bombings. Kidnappings. The beheading of a public school teacher. You are as familiar with them as I am. However, last year, the attacks literally drew closer to home. A few steps away from our ancestral house in Zamboanga, my province, a young nurse was kidnapped while her grandfather was killed.

Until now, I cannot believe that the street I used to play on is a scene of the crime; that in this little village I call home, neighbours have been labelled as spies and accomplices; that with the atrocity of recent events, we now fear for the safety of my grandmother who lives there.

What is happening in the Philippines is a microcosm of the events that are happening worldwide—a titanic clash between prejudiced cultures and interests. A cornucopia of factors such as poverty, isolation, religious extremism, desire for autonomy, and possibly even mad anarchy boil into the terrorism that likewise binds us to more poverty and further distances on so many levels.

Instead of isolating these reasons, studying, and seeking to explain the complexity of terrorism, one of my most revered teachers and mentors—Sir Martin Perez—offers a divergent perspective.

In a blog entry about 9/11, he shares,”Years ago my professors were caught in a world they can’t explain away. My objective is different: not to explain, but to put in my students the tools they need to help build a world no evil can take away.”

And, now, to my mind arises the often-spoken proverb that the old share with the young. With hope in their voice and dreams in their eyes, our parents, grandparents, and respected elders say, “The only thing I can give you that could never be taken away is your education.”

Subject to attacks, bomb threats, kidnappings, deaths, man is not invincible. But for the sake of progress, for the fight for peace, for the future, a learned man has something that is.

And I believe that this should be shared.

"For my 17th birthday, I'm inviting you
To share with some poor kids the gift of a good book.
Let us be kids again to dust off picture pages
because with little things like these, we can make big changes!"

NOTE: This is a book drive. Not just a one-day event ;)

For my birthday this year, I want to invite all of you to set the calendar back to 1990-something and unearth those Nancy Drew's, Winnie the Pooh's, Adventures of Mr. This and Ms. That, Dr. Seuss's, A-B-C's, Almanacs, and every and any children's book you've ever had. Don't let them go unused this year; let them make someone as happy as they had made you. And let that someone be a less fortunate child.

In line with my advocacy, the Kristiyano-Islam (KRIS) Peace Library, that works towards peace and progress through education, I'd like to knock into your hearts this year to ask for your old children's books. Every last piece will go to the poor beneficiaries of the KRIS Library in Quezon City, Rizal, and Zamboanga. Your old books will be shiny, happy, new treasures in their hands!

Whether you give 1 book, 7 books, or 17 books, you're totally making my birthday this year. ;)

Plus! There might be a book-reading/story-telling session for the same kids in the end of October (sembreak!) so please, stay tuned.

Books may be given to me in UP Diliman. Just text me (09995609435). They may also be brought to our house -- 9 Dona Isidora Street, Don Antonio Heights, Diliman, Quezon City. I'll be accepting 'til forever actually so you can just keep giving. :))

It's time to be a kid again and do the one thing we don't do as much anymore now that we're grown up--and that is: SHARE. ;)