KIDAPAWAN CITY – “If children cannot reach the library, then the library must find a way to reach the children.”

This was how Cotabato province Gov. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza envisioned the mobile library back then.

For six years now, the province’s mobile library has been rolling out to remote schools and barangays to provide less-fortunate children an opportunity to learn beyond the four corners of their classrooms.

“I knew it was not going to be an easy road,” Mendoza admitted while referring to the journey of bringing the library closer to the people, even to the hinterland barangays.

As someone who grew up in one of the conflict-affected towns in the province, Mendoza knew first hand that many of the children in the remote communities have no access to proper libraries or even books beyond their school requirements.

“Yet I have always believed that education is the foundation of lasting progress,” said the governor who hails from the town of Carmen, a former battleground of government forces and Moro rebels.

This has motivated Mendoza to roll out the Cotabato Province Book Mobile Library Program.

The book mobile project was designed to break barriers and bring the joy of reading wherever it is needed most, she added.

“Since its launch in 2017, the book mobile has traveled across our province, carrying not just books and learning materials, but hope, curiosity, and opportunity.”

The mobile library has served 31 schools and 3,841 learners in different parts of the province.

According to the provincial government, the program is on track to serve a total of 6,480 learners from 54 barangay schools in 17 towns and one city of the province.

The program was suspended when the pandemic hit in March 2020.

Three years later, the mobile library resumed and served 7,824 learners from 39 schools in 13 towns.

In 2024, the mobile library served 8,300 learners from all of the 17 municipalities of the province covering 54 schools.

Mendoza said it is not about statistics though the provincial government is proud of the numbers they have reached. “It is about planting seeds of imagination and curiosity, knowing they will one day grow into leaders, innovators, and builders of our province.”

Mendoza said that the children discover more than just shelves of books.

Aside from books, the mobile library is also equipped with computers and tablets powered by the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Technology Academic and Research-Based Openly Operated Kiosks (DOST-STARBOOKS).

According to the DOST, STARBOOKS contains thousands of digital resources on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Book mobile personnel also teaches learners to explore puzzles to help the children exercise patience and teamwork.

School children also get to enjoy coloring book activities, too.

With the growing population, Mendoza said that the provincial government is looking forward to expand to one mobile library per district. The province has three districts.

She added that the provincial government is eyeing a fully staffed with licensed librarians, stocked with quality resources, and ready to serve even the most remote sitios.

“This is not just about scaling up; it is about ensuring sustainability, efficiency, and long-term impact,” the governor said.

She added that the provincial government is driving literacy forward, one barangay at a time, one child at a time.

Mendoza acknowledged the challenges in this age of gadgets and social media.

“We cannot abandon the simple yet powerful act of reading. Books open doors that no algorithm can replicate—they teach empathy, sharpen critical thinking, and nurture creativity,” she said.

Even as the provincial government invests in fuel, manpower, and reading material, Mendoza believes that it returns a thousandfold in the form of empowered children, stronger schools, and more resilient communities. “I believe the true measure of a government program lies in its ability to change lives.”