Actress Ayra Mariano of GMA 7 reads “Apolakus” during Day 2 of this year’s #MyInquirer Read-Along Festival. —ROMY HOMILLADA
For a first timer, nerves would have definitely taken over, but this was not the case for actress Ayra Mariano when she wowed the crowd during the second day of the #MyInquirer Read-Along Festival which was held on Nov. 12 at the Inquirer main office in Makati.
Mariano treated the kids to an exciting performance of “Apolakus” written by Alice Mallari and illustrated by Leo Agtuca, a story about how a group of children learned to settle their differences and get along.
“The kids gave me the energy for my performance. When I saw that they were with me in the story and that they were enjoying, it fueled me to give it my best,” Mariano told the Inquirer.
“I’m so happy I was able to participate. I’d like to do it again,” Mariano said.
According to her, being in the Read-Along felt like she went back in time to when her mother used to read her stories, among them the tale of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” which is her favorite.
“I would never forget the song from the story,” Mariano said as she sang a small part of it. “Fee Fie Foe Fum/ I smell the blood of an English man …”
Mariano said she was also close to children and this was clearly seen as almost every kid inside the room listened attentively as she read. The same kids would later on approach her and ask to have a picture taken with her.
Even as she was leaving the building, the kids still kept coming, one of them was a little girl who walked up to her and gave her a hug. “I just really wanted to hug you,” said the student from Chair of St. Peter school.
The actress had this message for the kids: “Develop your love for books because you will learn a lot from them, from moral values to ways to improve your personality as a reader and as a speaker. You will also learn tons of new words through reading, which will enhance your vocabulary.”
Reading is important and Mariano agrees with it. “We need to engage the youth to love our own books and support our local writers especially now that almost everything is going digital.”
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