Bulacan Provincial Library

The Bulacan Provincial Library (BPL), the pioneer among all the public libraries in Bulacan, is located in the province's capital, Malolos. It is housed on the first floor of the Gat Blas F. Ople Building which can be found at the right side of the Capitol Park, Bulacan Capitol Compound and currently being managed by the Provincial Librarian, Mr. Marlon Hipolito.

Gat Blas F. Ople Building, the home of the Bulacan Provincial Library

During its establishment, the BPL was first known as the Bureau of Public Libraries - Bulacan Branch. It is an independent office directly reporting to the National Library of the Philippines which was then the Bureau of Public Libraries under the Department of Education. In the recent years, the Bulacan Provincial Library (BPL) was put under the Provincial Youth, Sports, Employment, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office (PYSEACTO) and when that office was split into two in 2015, BPL became under the Provincial History, Arts, Culture, and Tourism Office (PHACTO), presently headed by Dr. Eliseo Dela Cruz.

Aside from the present, other identified Provincial Librarians and OICs are: Carolina G. Santillan, Mrs. Hipolito (first name not provided by the narrator), Jessie Capulong, Vilma Tobias, Veronica Cacabelos, and Veronica Manio.

BULACAN PROVINCIAL LIBRARY AND ITS FIRST LIBRARIAN
Based on the interview with Raf G. Santillan
(Son of Carolina G. Santillan, 1st Provincial Librarian)

The Bulacan Provincial Library (BPL) has been around for 69 years and will already enter its Platinum Year Anniversary on 2019. It is a long time of continuously serving the information needs of the people of Bulacan and it's all thanks to the main woman who persevered to establish the institution: Mrs. Carolina Santillan.

Mrs. Santillan is one fine woman who finished her Education degree and Library Science courses from the University of the Philippines. She first worked as a teacher, then as a Bulacan provincial government employee in the Assessor's Office before becoming the first ever Provincial Librarian of the BPL. It was her who did the paperwork and coordination with the proper government  agencies to establish the first public library of the province of Bulacan.

A surviving photo of the circulation section of the old Bulacan Provincial Library

In the early days of the library operations, the fund was scarce forcing Mrs. Santillan to solicit help or ask for donations from civic organizations (like Malolos Lion's Club which donated narra chairs and tables) and private individuals. While doing that, she also made rounds to the different municipalities of Bulacan and encouraged the executives to establish their own local public libraries.

At the start, the library was located at the 2nd floor of the Bulacan Provincial Capitol, beside the Governor's office and it stayed there for almost 4 years. When 1953 came, the library was transferred to a new location, in a structure standing in the location now occupied by the Marcelo H. del Pilar National High School Main Building. That structure, according to Mr. Santillan (the narrator), was called a cottage, an American Period structure designed to be the quarters of the doctors working at the present Bulacan Medical Center. After just 2 years, the library was transferred again to give way to the construction of the new Marcelo H. del Pilar National High School.

That 3rd transfer brought out the best out of Mrs. Santillan's  capacity as a librarian and a statesman. In order to fund the construction of the new library structure, she sought the help of her fellow UP Alumni including the then-Senator Gil Puyat, who readily helped her in raising the funds needed. A one-storey wooden building was built in the location near the present-day Max's Restaurant. The building has two rooms, each for Mrs. Santillan, and her assistant, identified only by the narrator as Mrs. Hipolito (who will later be the next Provincial Librarian) from Caloocan. It has a large hall serving as the reading area surrounded by bookshelves.

Bulacan Provincial Library's reading area

It was in this location where the library stayed the longest, 16 years, before transferring to its present site. During those times, the library was an independent office complete with its own personnel including janitor and guard. Unfortunately, the guard is stationed there during the day only that's why the library typewriter, considered a very important equipment especially in libraries that time, was stolen one night. When the Hiyas ng Bulakan Building (now the Gat Blas F. Ople Building) was built during Governor Ignacio Santiago's time, the BPL transferred to that building and stayed there until today.

Among all the Bulacan government office, the BPL was the only one open during Saturdays (half day) to cater to the needs of clients who can only visit during weekends as well as to allow borrowers return the books that they have borrowed during the weekdays. The library also serves as meet up place and loitering area for the local reporters and correspondents to check whether their articles or tips were printed in the newspapers.

Because of the undeniable role played by Mrs. Santillan in the organization and establishment of the Bulacan Provincial Library, she was already hailed then as an institution by the many people who has benefited from the use of the library, and should really be hailed as one by all Bulakeños who continue to benefit from it until this day.

THE BULACAN PROVINCIAL LIBRARY THRU THE YEARS
Based on the interviews with 
Mr. Marlon Hipolito (Provincial Librarian, 2013 - Present), 
Ms. Veronica Manio (OIC - Provincial Librarian, c. 2000 - 2013)

Bulacan Provincial Library has already existed for a long time, continuously catering to the information needs of the people of Bulacan as well as researchers from outside the province. In the past decades, two librarians have manned and steered the library into its present status : Mr. Marlon Hipolito, present provincial librarian, and Ms. Veronica Manio, OIC Provincial Librarian from the early 2000's until 2013.

Mr Hipolito started working at the BPL in 2009 as assistant librarian. He is a licensed librarian who finished his Bachelor of Library and Information Science at Baliwag University in 2007. He is a member of different professional organizations for librarians such as Philippine Librarian's Assocaition, Inc. (PLAI), Association of Public Librarians in the Public Sector (ALPS) and the Bulacan Public Librarian's Association, Inc. (BPLAI). On the other hand, Ms. Veronica Manio started serving BPL in 1990 as a library staff under the mentorship of the then Provincial Librarian Jessie Capulong. Later in her career, she was also appointed as the OIC-Provincial Librarian. She graduated from Regina Carmeli University with a degree in Management and has successfully earned a Ceritficate in Library Science. She has also completed the academic requirement for Master of Library and Informaton Science at PNU.

Entrance of the Bulacan Provincial Library before it was renovated in 2017.

One of the most important projects that was accomplished by the BPL during their time is the establishment of BPLAI which primary objective is for all the cities and municipalities to have their own public libraries. Mr. Hipolito became the founding president of this association. Other founding members are Mr. Marlon Mariano of Plaridel Municipal Library, Carolina Guevan of Guiguinto Municipal Library, Resureccion Gaspar of Baliwag Municipal Library and Museum, Salvacion Gimeno of Pulilan Municipal Library, Sarita Rubio of Meycauayan City Library, Jeylin Espino of Hagonoy Municipal Library, Aurelia Garces of San Miguel Municipal Library, Mercedita Orosco of San Ildefonso Municipal Library, Anne Lazaro of Bustos Municipal Library and Jennifer Lopez of Bulihan (Malolos) Barangay Library. After a year, the organization opened up its door to other Bulacan libraries in the public sector such as those of State Colleges and Universities, Public School Libraries, and the Library Hubs of the DepEd Divisions of Bulacan, Malolos, Meycauayan, and San Jose del Monte. Since 2015, BPLAI has conducted annual 3-day conference for its members geared towards library service developments and reiterating the importance of library's role in history and heritage preservation.

Other significant projects and developments of the BPL are the following:

1. Development of the Bulakañana Program that aims to collect and promote publications and research materials about Bulacan and the Bulakeños.

2. Bayaning Bulakeño Program wherein the library purchased copies of a former television show "Bayani" of ABS-CBN. Only episodes pertaining to Bulakeño heroes, artists, and personalities were purchased and the library conducts film showing to student from different schools of Bulacan for them to appreciate and realize the greatness of many fellow Bulakeños.

3. LIS Award which is a search for outstanding library with outstanding program to promote literacy.

4. Friends of the BPL wherein individuals are encouraged to donate books to the library. In turn, BPL will award them certificates as an appreciation for their donation.

5. The library became a Tech4Ed Center with Mr. Marlon Hipolito as the Tech4Ed Manager. Tech4Ed stands for Technology for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurs, and Economic Development (to know more about what Tech4Ed is, please click HERE).

View of Reading Area from the 2nd floor before the Bulacan Provincial Library was renovated in 2017

The BPL owes its continued existence and improvements to many people who supported it through the years. Former and present governors who have shown invaluable support to the library as identified by both Hipolito and Manio are Gov. Josie dela Cruz, Gov. Obet Pagdanganan, and Gov. Willie Alvarado. Dr. Eliseo Dela Cruz (PHACTO Head) and Mrs. Arlene Torres (PHACTO-History and Heritage Division Head) have also supported all the BPL projects and was described by Hipolito as the "father" and "elder sister" of BPL as well as BPLAI. Manio added writers/historians Jaime Veneracion, Virgilio Almario, and Bienvenido Santos as notable supporters of the BPL who have selflessly donated their book collection (of which many are written by them) which beefed up the Local History Collection of the BPL. She also mentioned Toti and Ayie Ople who donated their Blas F. Ople Collection to the library.

Fortunately, the library was spared from any natural calamities that has affected the province in the past and the collection remained intact. The library's service has been continuous except when the renovation of Gat Blas F. Ople Building started last September 2017. It is hoped that the library will be able to open its doors again to the public this coming September, just before the celebration of the annual Singkaban Festival.

The library has won 2 national awards for its excellence in the many years of its service to Bulakeños. The first one was in 1998 when the library won the National Search for Outstanding Public Library in the Philippines through the efforts of then Provincial Librarian Veronica Cacabelos with the help from Veronica Manio and Raf G. Santillan. The second award was won just last year, 2017: 1st place for the Search for Outstanding Public Libraries with Special Program on the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage through the effort of the Provincial Librarian Marlon Hipolito with the assistance of PHACTO.

To listen to the author's whole interview with Mr. Hipolito, Ms. Manio, and Mr. Santillan, you may go to the Bulacan Provincial Library and ask the librarian there about the ORAL HISTORY OF BULACAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES PROJECT. Transcript of the whole interview is also available on site.