LOOK: Big Bad Wolf Books 2023 VIP Day in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – Bookworms, social media influencers, and dignitaries pushed carts filled with various books and literary masterpieces during the special Big Bad Wolf Books VIP Day on Thursday, September 14, at SM Seaside City in Cebu.

One of the first few people to make an entrance to the grand book sale was David Jones Cua, more popularly known as Bisaya Conyo Girl on Tiktok, who shared in an interview that he was excited to get his hands on books that were priced for as low as P60.

Meanwhile, CJ Bandoquillo, a high school student from the Sisters of Mary School – Boystown in Minglanilla town, told Rappler that he was just happy to be able to attend the VIP Day in person, especially since it was his first experience attending the book sale.

Bandoquillo is one of the many beneficiaries of Big Bad Wolf’s book donation program, in partnership with Gawad Kalinga, whose aim is to nurture a love for reading among children who have little to no access to books.

This year, the Big Bad Wolf pledged to donate more than 1,000 books to children like Bandoquillo in different communities spread across the Philippines.

“The younger a child is being exposed to books, the more opportunity he has to be aware of what’s happening out there. It’s the exposure we envision them to have, to find their path and purpose in life,” Big Bad Wolf Books Co-Founder Jacqueline Ng said in an interview.

The public will get a chance to visit one of the world’s biggest book sales at the SM Seaside City starting Friday, September 15, until Sunday, October 1.