Stories of new beginnings and finding one’s purpose marked the first session of Inquirer Read-Along for this year on Saturday morning at the newspaper’s office in Makati.
Attended by some 70 schoolchildren, the monthly program featured celebrity couples Gelli de Belen and Ariel Rivera and Sophia School teachers Ellie dela Vega and Lorna Darilag as guest storytellers.
For actress and TV host Gelli de Belen, the desire to be of service to others makes life’s journey more meaningful than simply pursuing one’s personal growth.
She added that it pays to show gratefulness to people who have helped in reaching our destination.
“We meet a lot of people in our journey and these encounters are not coincidence,” De Belen said. “Their influence makes us who we are to enable us reach our goals.”
The celebrity couple read “Luntian, Ang Bungang May Pakpak” by Liwliwa Malabed. It tells of a seed pod, which aspires to become a giant tree so he could provide home for birds.
Rivera, meanwhile, encouraged kids to continue learning even after graduating from school to keep them motivated on fulfilling their dreams.
“I always encourage kids to engage more in reading books than using social media. It’s the effective way to gain knowledge and be aware of what’s going on in the society,” he said.
For De Belen, adopting love for reading at a young age improves creative imagination.
“When your creativity is at peak at a young age, you develop greater understanding and greater hope for better things not only for yourself and your family but for the world,” she said.
The couple are casted in the comedy film “Ang Sikreto ng Piso” showing on Jan. 30.
Dela Vega and Darilag read Russell Molina’s “Umaga na, Tala,” which is about a little star which learns to live by its purpose and responsibility.
Saturday’s session, hosted by Inquirer Lifestyle writing editor Ruth Navarra-Mayo, was held in cooperation with MPJ Entertainment Productions. /jpv