Filipinos are not book lovers

November 8, 2011

According to this essay by Arlene Babst-vokey, Filipinos are not book lovers because we hate to read books, hate solitude and are just impatient. Do you agree?

Filipinos are not book lovers (more...)

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  • Joyce Roselle Isidro

    When the author said that reading a book requires time, patient and endurance, she’s right. I also agree on the ningas-cugon thing. :)

    Maybe the author is just implying that it would be great if Filipinos will engage on book-reading to have a better nation. :)

    In my opinion Philippines focus more on commercials that’s why you rarely see a good library. It saddens me to read this article, knowing that it was written during 1987 and I can’t believe that Filipinos isn’t already a book lover/reader.

    The author could have put “Why Filipinos are not book lovers” instead of Filipinos are not book lovers or other title that doesn’t give the conclusion of all Filipinos not being a book lover. As I read the article, the term book lover becomes a book reader. Not just because you don’t “like or love” reading a book doesn’t mean that you don’t read books anymore.

    This part in the article that says: “It seems certain now that Filipinos will never become book readers” I kind of don’t agree. Human itself is a book reader, FOR ME. The term “book” have many definitions. It could be a collection/division of literary works it could be just set of things bound together. And I know that the author is focusing on the literary thing. I think that line right now in our generation is 50:50. Technology sort of replaced the books in our generation now but still thank you for the movies who base their story on books, people become interested on it. Since the movie is a big hit on people now a days, the movie is like saying two things to the people. Either “Hey, don’t read the book since we sort of summarize it already” or “Hey, you need to read the book cause its better compare to us, like for instance we can’t fit in all those good moments in just a one and a half hour film.”

    The author is also right when he/she said that: “we don’t mean sheer poverty either, for even among the richest Filipinos, they hardly read books.” :)

    The article really is neither yes nor no for me. Well, everything have a good side and a bad side anyway. :D

  • Lea Santos

    Some content of the article make sense because it is stating the fact that most of Filipinos are not fond of reading books nowadays. But I don't totally agree that Filipinos are not book lovers. Despite of being dependent to technology, there are still people care to read a literary piece of work that can feed their minds with thoughts and ideas. This article is like a big degrade for Filipino writers because there are so many aspirant Filipino writers that are truly intelligent and hardworking in such field of literary. Granting all the factors that was written in this article that are all proven true, we cannot say that Filipinos are not book lovers. However, we can say that most of them, are not really into reading books. Some literary pieces just don't get the interests of some Filipinos. People have different interests and point of views. We cannot say that if someone doesn't want to read a certain piece of literary, he/she is not fond of reading books anymore. People have diverse interests and we cannot come up with just one idea or thought. For me, we can still be fond of reading books if we just sort and comply to our field of interests

  • Jennilyn Tote

    I agree with the article's content. You can really count few Filipinos who loves reading books(i think i'm one of them). But in my perspective, i think maybe Filipinos now a days are just being practical. Reading books really requires a lot of time and money. Sometimes, instead of buying books, Filipinos would think more carefully about spending, of course they would end up buying things that is a priority than a book.

  • Hannah Rissa Cortez

    We can’t deny why Filipino’s are not book lovers, because there are technologies everywhere and its influence made people dependent. And honestly, I must admit that I'm not a book lover so I totally agree with this. Because why do we need to give such time and effort to read a hundred or even a thousand-page book? If we could actually search for a shorter version of it on the internet or better look for a video/movie version of it by that we could understand the story more, right? Less time and effort, if this is the only solution to finish a story without getting bored or sleepy, then go! No one can blame you for that, because it’s what you’ve used to.

  • miguel tanedo

    its not enough to say tht filipinos dont like to read. its just that for one to read a book the book has to pique interest to the reader. one reason why there are less filipinos tht read is tht foreign writters have a diff view in things and what may be interesting to them might not be interesting for us. here we see a how a culture can diverse with another. there instances where foreign writers shared interests with the typical filipino. an example would be twilight. here we find a love story of a different nature. it was greatly welcomed by the filipino readers because filipinos have had an attraction to this kind of genre. we see plots like this in pocketbooks tht our maids are fond of. even in television there where stories that involve love and the strange or mystical.

    another point that would maake this essay quite agreeable is the educational environment tht the majority have. educational environment not only pertains to what is in school but it starts with our homes. only a handful of parents would encourage their children to read. from my point of view, early encouragement to read is a must to start a fascination for people to read. as we know, we would rather watch than read. so without this encouragement, how would one start reading. although we are asked to read in school, it is very rare where one would be interested in school readings. i myself didnt even read this selection in its entirety. this is because of the culture where we have a negative attitude towards school.

    all in all, i find this essay agreeable but it is not what the reality is. it is some what exaggerated and clings to a pessimistic point of view.

  • AngelicaJudiel Reyes

    I do not agree in some parts of the essay. First of all, we do have our great leaders in our country. A person will never reach that kind of position without having enough and a broad knowledge. And by having these kind of gifted talents and brilliant minds, books are needed. Next, so what if Imelda Marcos was never seen reading a book from cover to cover? Does being a book lover needs to finish reading a book from cover to cover right away? Does everyone watches her as she sleeps or before she closes her eyes at night? No right? We can never tell that maybe she's reading books before having a rest. And so what if she's powerful? Like, hello?! It's just because of her husband. And for my straight to the point opinion, is she the basis of our society and civilization? Perhaps, she may not be a book lover, but i believe there are a lot out there, who are willing to read a lot as they can if they were just given the chance to have some books.

  • AngelicaJudiel Reyes

    I do not agree in some parts of the essay. First of all, we do have our great leaders in our country. A person will never reach that kind of position without having enough and a broad knowledge. And by having these kind of gifted talents and brilliant minds, books are needed. Next, so what if Imelda Marcos was never seen reading a book from cover to cover? Does being a book lover needs to finish reading a book from cover to cover right away? Does everyone watches her as she sleeps or before she closes her eyes at night? No right? We can never tell that maybe she's reading books before having a rest. And so what if she's powerful? Like, hello?! It's just because of her husband. And for my straight to the point opinion, is she the basis of our society and civilization? Perhaps, she may not be a book lover, but i believe there are a lot out there, who are willing to read a lot as they can if they were just given the chance to have some books. Nowadays, teenagers are forced to do their school works by using computers and gadgets because it's easier than reading books. And how come these high technologies were invented? It's all because of BOOKS. Science taught us to develop and make new things that would make our life easier and faster. We all know that everyday, there are a lot of changes. For me, being a book lover must not only be through our eyes, but it must also be applied. You can't just read without understanding and learning from it. The fact that we are being a better person means that we have the power to listen. Lastly, being a book lover doesn't require all your time. It's the effort that counts. As a student, or rather should i say, as a busy person like the rest of us, we have different hobbies and interests but at least, we find time to read books sometimes.

  • Joan Leary

    After reading the article, I might say that there are still some people I know who are FILIPINOS that are bookworms. They enjoy reading a lot of pocketbooks and Japanese Anime Comics and would bother to buy expensive booklets just to read them. In contrast to what the article had stated that Filipinos are not book lover, it must not refer to all Filipino citizens though most of us Filipinos are not that bookworms just like the other races because I myself would honestly say that I love to read but I am not a bookworm and it may take up to months just to finish reading my thick pocketbook but my mood is still the boss I would love to read when I feel like reading something and if my interest goes the other way like the usual Filipinos do (unwinding and not being alone) I would really not read even a word. But still this article surprises me because it is very alarming that most of us would not bother to take a book and seat with it. I would admit that reading is very helpful and books are cost-effective. In addition, the article motivated me to continue reading books that would help me understand life in a more mature way. I hope others would be inspired and will start reading too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/studentblogger Georg Kevin Paquet

    Test. trying to add a comment to this post which has almost 1K comments.

  • Ana Ripa

    I love to read books and there are times when I prefer to read than to mingle and go out with my friends. There are also some instances where people think that you are a loner or a nerd when they see you in a corner and reading a book. Filipinos, in my opinion, are not book lovers because it requires money and time. Sometime, we tend to think that reading is just a waste of our time but it is not. It even helps us widen our understanding on how we see things in life and it even helps us to be a better person. The sad part is that we just prefer to watch the book’s movie adaptation than to read the book itself. This article encouraged me to read more books even though it require a bit of your time because it enables us to give a different perspective on how we view life.

  • paolo

    well…it's not possible to say that all people that Filipinos don't like to read. But it's a huge generalization. I do have a friend however, who hates reading. xD

  • Madel <3

    READING is indeed something optional, which requires our beautiful minds to work to be able to comprehend (that in which it involves not only understanding but as well as appreciation) a particular topic. I’d say that there is a real need for us to comprehend because a topic turns from being plain to being opulent when the reader both understands and at the same time appreciates it. Why do I say so? A very perfect example would be READING THIS ARTICLE ALONE. Technically speaking, a person reads a certain topic if it is within his scope of interest, if it directly affects him/her or to be exact if that person feels like involved given that he/she can relate unto it. However, it is not surprising as to know this fact because it is human nature.

    Personally, when we were given the task to read and comprehend this article, I didn’t feel like I was going to face the guillotine for my execution. Why? It is because I am interested in it. And why would that be? Because simply, I am a Filipino which means that I am directly involved to it. I have read the article for a couple of times. I did that with fervent hope that I will be able to grasp the writer’s point of view so as to avoid being bias when I would put my so-called punto de vista also in here which I am doing right now. The very first reaction that you’ll ever get after reading this, especially if you are a Filipino like myself, is indignation. You will feel like you are being misjudged for something which you believe is really not your doing, from here on, you will start to think for reasons on why you tend to do this thing instead of that one and you’ll feel that it should be left at that because it is a valid excuse or at least that is what you think. This action is what we are all familiar with yet we tend to disregard it and that is DENIAL.

    I must admit that it would rather be difficult for someone like me(given that I am a Filipino, a very involved person on this) to just freely express my thoughts or more likely my feelings towards this article without being prejudice. Thus after hitting on Google so as to clarify some of the few things that have to do on the said article, I was able to come up with this:

    You might all be wondering on why I kept on blabbering about topics, articles and the like when in fact the issue here is about being a booklover, that which encompasses BOOKS. Well folks, you need not to worry because I believe that I am still on the right track. See, it is not just the book as it is which is the issue on this, it is actually READING itself which is the very core on this matter. Besides, what do we basically do with a book is that we actually read it and what do we read in it is its content which focuses on a specific topic. Therefore it all boils down unto one thing: its topic.

    Now, with regard to Filipinos being an anti-solitude people which makes us less interested to reading books, I must say that it is true. That would be because being in a state of solitude is so not Filipinos. In fact, it is a common knowledge that we are known worldwide for being hospitable. This is due to the fact that we love to interact or should I say, we long to socialize. But that is purely cultural. Even the author herself points it out on culture and it is as they say that Culture defines us for who we are. So, basically I must agree to that. Maybe, it is one of the reasons at all.

    The next point would be that which has to do with ideas. Well, we love ideas actually, at least I do know some people who does including myself. Isn’t it through ideas that we were enlightened during the Spanish Colonial era to claim on what we believe is ours by right? Relating this to modernity, a great proof that we still give ideas with high regard is the fact that during supper time which we consider also as important, members of the family gather to not only eat together but to also share and exchange ideas over an exact issue, may it be something that has happened on that day. We love ideas but maybe it is just that we are not aware of it, that we are actually giving them with a great deal of importance.

    The author has also made mention on poverty being not a hindrance to reading books. Now, having been able to find out that this article was written two decades ago, in the year 1987 to be exact, I must say that it is indeed a hindrance because it is by this time which our country faced its major crisis in terms of economics. It is during this time that there is a must for Filipinos to really work hard to support their families with the basic necessities in life. Basically, is it a wise thing to do to spend a lot of your time reading when you know that your family is on the verge of ending up with hunger?

    Lastly, I would also like to point it out that this issue about being a booklover is not only an issue that Filipinos alone are responsible to. It is quite rampant to some regions in the world.

    But, really, does being not a booklover make someone less civilized? I guess that’s all for us to find out but if it is so, then good thing, I AM A CERTIFIED BOOKLOVER. 

  • paolo quiming

    well…it's not possible to say that all people that Filipinos don't like to read. But it's a huge generalization. I do have a friend however, who hates reading.. xD

  • pao_28

    well…it's not possible to say that all people that Filipinos don't like to read. But it's a huge generalization. I do have a friend however,who hates reading….xD

  • Celinda Mercado

    Saying that "Filipinos are not book lovers" is absolutely preposterous. But then again, this article was written decades ago, so who am I to argue or interfere with the writer's thoughts and opinions. Although, I admit there are still maybe some or perhaps many Filipinos at this time and age who do not find reading as a good enough hobby or leisure for them despite of probably having a lot of time for them to do so. I believe that the most common reasons why some Filipinos do not read are because of technology, work, and laziness.

    First of all is technology. Almost everything about the world can be found with just one click. It's as easy as that. Indeed, there is no problem on just searching online for information but then the main problem is on how the Filipinos make use of the internet. They would probably just spend most of their time visiting online social networks most popularly Facebook or simply play online games which are both quite distracting. They tend to use the internet as an instrument of fun but not of research and learning.

    Second is work. Filipinos tend to forget the essence of reading due to their busy work schedule most especially those who are employees and sometimes the students. This is why they tend to miss out the joy and fun of reading because they actually lack time.

    Lastly, is laziness. Yes, books need a lot of patience to finish so Filipinos would rather watch movies instead of finding the essence in reading of reading it.

    Of course, not all Filipinos are necessarily this way. I appreciate reading as I am also a bookworm myself. I really admire those people who manage to insert reading whenever they have the spare time and those who think that reading books is valuable or essential in their everyday life.

  • pao_28

    well…it's not possible to say that all people that are Filipinos don't like to read. But it's a huge generalization. I do have a friend however,who hates reading….xD

  • Jazaj Reyes

    I couldn’t help but agree with some points that the article pointed out. For starters the part of the article that said that reading requires time and effort, and that fact about Filipinos having short attention span. However, I would not agree with that statement in which the writer said that Filipinos will never become book readers because there has been increasing number of teenagers who are turning their interest in reading books, be it graphic novels, ‘chick lit’ books, or some other genres of it.

  • Celiña Perez

    I disagree to the article stated above that Filipinos are not bookworms. Filipinos are intelligent race that can cope up with every situation they encounter. Poverty seems to have an effect on the everyday life of every Filipinos but it does not affect their interest to read books. They may seem to avoid buying expensive and latest book but they compensate themselves in buying other books that are cheaper but with similar informations.

    If Filipinos are not fond of reading books all the bookstores in the country should have been closed due to lack of buyers but they still persist to proliferate because they are widely patyrinize by Filipinos and it is a positive indication that Filipinos love to mread books.

    Take a look at our OFWs who are considered the best workforce in the world, they gained their knowledge by reading books in order to improve and maintain their intellectual capability. We should also consider that no household in the Philippines that does not have books in it. Filipinos also hate to throw away books and as much as posible they continue to preserve their books for reference. These are indications that Filipinos remain as book lovers contrary to the articles stated above.

  • Justine A.

    I don't think that Filipinos does not read books. They do read books, but because of the technology nowadays, they prefer watching movies or the internet than reading books because Filipinos, as what in the essay was said, have short attention span.

  • Sarah Hernandez

    It is true that in Japan, you can find several bookstores along the street or block, while here in the Philippines, instead of bookstores, you will see sari-sari stores and computer shops. I think technology is one main reason why some Filipinos don’t read that much. I do agree with the author but not entirely. The phrase “Filipinos are not booklovers” apply to the whole Filipino society, and not all Filipinos hate to read books. There are some Filipinos we can also classify as bookworms, which means they love books. Honestly speaking I, myself, am not fond of reading books. I tend to get bored easily when reading books especially if its very long. I lose my patience easily, and sometimes I also find it hard to understand some of the words which make me really bored of reading it. I’d rather watch TV or a movie because it’s more fun to do. There are other means of printed media like newspaper and magazines which some Filipinos love to read. But I do think that I should start reading books to help me expand my vocabulary.

  • Belle Basco

    It is wrong to say that every single one of us is a bookworm. It is also wrong to generalize, here we go again, that the entirety of our nation does not enjoy to read. (Alas, if it would've been any other generalization that is positive, we wouldn't have minded.) Sure, the average 21st century Filipino may not spend a great deal of time with his nose in a book, but that is not enough to say that we appreciate books any less. We can do nothing about what the author has written, what the world has thought of us, no, it is a lost cause. But, it is well within our capabilities to change what future authors, and communities, will write of us and will think of us. That is the true response that all of this calls for: a change, a revolution.

  • Jeff2728

    This really tells the sad reality that more and more Filipinos are getting illiterate because they don't think of books as their basic learning process. Instead, they think that it's useless to read because it's just a waste of time. SINCE WHEN DID LEARNING AND DEVELOPING YOUR INTELLECT BECAME A WASTE OF TIME I WONDER? :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1450091037 Reigno Jose Dilao

    Reading is really one of the issues of our nation today. Lesser people nowadays spend time to open a book and let the magic of the printed letters enchant them with wisdom and to every single emotion known to man. However for me, this is not really a big problem. Mind you, this is not the cause of the apocalypse. Honestly, I am not a fan of books. I have grown preferring movies, music and pictures over reading. Perhaps, it is only because of a school requirement that I read and never as something to do when bored. I can help but react while reading this blog. A part of me just agreed and a part of me just screamed and said, “Stop pretending that reading is the only source of knowledge and the only good thing in this world!” Let me remind you that not all people are the same; and that we have multiple intelligences. You might like reading because you have that linguistic intelligence while some might like listening to music for they have that musical intelligence. Every person has a different way of learning – it depends on his/her intelligences. All I’m trying to say is that, reading a book might work for you but for others, it may not. We cannot just force people to read.
    Stop saying that people who read are the only ones who achieves greatness. I believe that a person should learn in a way that it is parallel to his/her intelligences – this way we will have a better chance of bringing out the best in an individual. Just let them be my friend, let them be.

  • Ariane Arbolado

    This article accurately elucidated how Filipinos view novels and books .Well, it is in our nature to choose a particular task which would be exhilarating and more physical, which is exactly the opposite of sitting in a quiet corner, holding a book and concentrate on understanding what the book is all about. As it says above, it requires patience which we, the new generation, actually lacks of. Nevertheless, this article was way back then, If I were in that time then I would’ve agreed, but nowadays, Filipinos are starting to get involved in the literary world, we became aware of the benefits and advantages we could gain from it.

  • JMV

    I agree with the statement: “Filipinos are not book lovers.” But with the idea that the Filipinos do not read, I don’t think so. Their reading process just not focus on literary works but maybe mostly on tabloids, magazines and whatever entertains their unaware mind. Honestly, I haven’t read a good book for so many months now. And I can feel my vocabulary slowly deteriorating. Reading makes one’s mind critical and enriches its decisive way of thinking. Maybe this is also one of the reasons why the Philippines has shown no growth. Its people need to educate themselves even with just a simple good book.

  • Jozelle

    I admit that this article is true and it is really saddening what happened to the fate of reading Filipinos. The majority, has to give his/her all in trying to find ways and means to earn a living, whether young or old, giving them less time for a solo encounter with a book.

    The school, especially the public ones, teaches pupils to read the supplied books which are often outdated, thereby making them lose interest in reading. Also their libraries doesn't have books that will make students pick on then take home to enjoy reading. The government should make a drive to boost reading awareness of the Filipino youth, so when they grow old, the habit sticks with them.

  • Josh N

    “It seems certain now that Filipinos will never become book readers.”

    Given the benefit of hindsight, it can be easily said that this statement is wrong. In fact, I would even dare say that Filipinos are actually more into books now more than ever. Even as I write this, I am looking at a shelf full of books (albeit written by foreign authors) that further makes it ironic just how wrong this statement truly is.

    With that said, I would have to say that this statement is fallacious. Not only does it make the hasty generalization that just because one is Filipino, he or she will never become a book reader, but it also reeks of self-deprecation and a dose of colonial mentality that befall some Filipinos.

    The most glaring problem with this article is the lack of support for the claims made by the author. How is one supposed to believe in what the author is saying if he or she does not even know the basis of the author’s claims? Did the author use statistics and research that led him or her to conclude that Filipinos are destined never to become book readers? Were there even statistics and resources from which the author found information that helped him or her to draw such a conclusion?

  • Josh N

    Pardon my skepticism, but it just seems so easy to present an opinion (which I wholeheartedly believe that everyone is entitled to) as a matter of fact. Especially when one considers that this article was written in 1987 (24 years previous from the time that I’ve read this article) does one have doubts already forming in his or her mind.

    Personally, I am insulted at the conclusion that the author has come to. Being a teenage Filipino student who considers himself to be well-read, I cannot fathom how the author presented Filipinos. As a matter of fact, I actually do value the three things that the author pointed out as being detriments for Filipinos to read books- solitude, ideas, and silence.

  • Josh N

    Furthermore, I question the author’s thought process at the time he or she wrote this article. Did the author consider other factors (which, I have to point out, was mistakenly spelled as “facters”) for Filipinos not taking an interest to reading? Perhaps it is because that the value of reading books had not been imbibed in the average Filipino yet. It could even be because the Department of Education did not place much importance on reading books then as much as it does now. Whatever the reason/s may be, it seems narrow-minded to simply blame the average Filipino for being overwhelmed by the prospect of facing solitude, ideas, and silence when reading a book.

  • Josh N

    Then again, this is 24 years ago that the author is referring to. Perhaps the passage of time truly has developed and imbibed in Filipinos a sense of love for reading books. If not, then how can I even begin to explain the sheer number of people I encounter whenever I enter a branch of National Book Store, Power Books, or Fully Booked? Am I to believe that Filipinos are wasting their time importing foreign books (or even writing their own books) when their time and the national resources would be better off used elsewhere? Were my childhood memories of throwing temper tantrums whenever my mother refused to buy me a storybook all just figments of my imagination? And what am I supposed to think of whenever my sister and I would always go check out the book store first whenever our family goes to a mall?

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