Ilonggo Kids Bring ‘Batchoy’ to Life at NMP Iloilo’s Immersive ‘Magbasá Kita’ Session

The National Museum of the Philippines Iloilo capped off its 2026 ‘Magbasá Kita: A Reading Program for Young Learners’ with an immersive storytelling session at the museum’s Book Nook on September 23, 2026. The activity introduced the local dish batchoy to daycare pupils from Brgy. Rizal Pala-Pala and Brgy. Baybay Tanza, Iloilo City.

Batchoy is a heritage food that traces its roots back to Iloilo City’s La Paz district. It features noodles in a savory broth topped with pork innards, crushed chicharon, toasted garlic, and scallions. It is a favorite dish among locals and tourists visiting Western Visayas, particularly Iloilo City as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

The final Magbasá Kita session of the year began with a storytelling of the Hiligaynon children’s book Dako nga Yahong sang Batchoy (A Big Bowl of Batchoy) by Jennie Arado and Rayah DizonManiago, published by Aklat Alamid. The story follows Leon as he explores batchoy, its ingredients, and its preparation. Museum guides read the story to the pupils and demonstrated how the dish is prepared using art materials like yarn, beads, colored paper, and plastic basin.

This was followed by a hands-on activity where each pupil created their own craft bowl of batchoy using the same materials. The immersive experience taught the pupils about colors, shapes, and textures, while helping them develop cognitive, social, and motor skills through imaginative role-playing. To wrap up the event, each participant received custom bookmarks and notepads from NMP Iloilo as souvenirs.

Heritage food is both tangible and intangible. The tangible aspect comes from the dish itself as it is enjoyed by diners while the intangible aspect lives within the process of creating it. Beyond simply eating and preparing batchoy, one of the best ways to preserve and ‘serve’ it to future generations is by continuing to write and tell stories about it.

Magbasá Kita is a visitor engagement initiative by NMP Iloilo that aims to reduce learning poverty and improve literacy among young learners in Iloilo. The reading program is set to return next year, expanding its reach to even more young learners to share the wonderful stories of our heritage. – Phillippe Angelo T. Hinosa

Author’s Note: The faces of minors in the accompanying photographs have been covered to protect them from digital tracking, data profiling, and the potential misuse of their likenesses by artificial intelligence technologies.