The people of Antique are admirable in their many noble nedeavors of protecting their environment, preserving their traditions, and, as the Leocadio Alonsagay Dioso Memorial Public Library has demonstrated for many years now, making information available for all people, especially for the children.
Since 2004 Pandan has been home to a library that, according to the National Library of the Philippines, is among the best in the entire country. The Dioso Library was built by retired United Nations official Leo Dioso, who operates it with his wife Chiqui from the United States, assisted by a local staff of five headed by a Director (a position currently occupied by one-time Pandan Mayor Arthur R. Dionela). The library is named in honor of the founder's late father, Leocadio A. Dioso, whose long career included service as Justice of the Peace, presidential legal adviser, and Philippine diplomat. Following retirement from the Department of Foreign Affairs, he had settled with his wife in the late 1970s in the United States, where he died in 1996.
Housed in a two-story building on 1,700 sq. meters of land in the town center, the Library has a separate Main Collection Hall, Reading & Reference Room, Computer Room, Children's Room, a "United Nations Corner", and an external stage area for public presentations. It offers all visitors free entry to the building and grounds, and free use of or access to computers and the Internet, plus more than 20,000 volumes of (a) fiction, nonfiction, and self-help/how-to books in English, Filipino, and a few other languages, for both children and adults; (b) encyclopedias, atlases, dictionaries, and other reference materials; (c) audiobooks; (d) popular movies and documentaries on DVDs and videotapes; (e) Philippine newspapers, and (f) a large selection of international magazines.
The Library holds regular storytelling, puppet shows, and read-aloud programs to promote reading among children, as well as free movie shows for the general public. In addition, the Library organizes other programs that promote education, culture, and the arts, either directly or in cooperation with local groups.
Although privately-owned & operated, the Library functions officially as the municipal public library of Pandan. Its full-time local staff is supported by around 100 active and retired school teachers, day care workers, and other local professionals who volunteer their services as storytellers and puppeteers. They received special training — organized by the Dioso Library in cooperation with the National Library of the Philippines — on how to entertain and promote reading among children through storytelling programs and puppet shows.
In addition to funding provided by the founder, the Library receives financial and in-kind contributions from the municipal and provincial governments, as well as from private individuals and institutions in the Philippines and other countries, particularly the United States of America.
Accommodations
Here is the list of beach resorts that offer rooms for everyone who wants to stay in the town. The resorts are located in the town of Pandan.
Location: Barangay Dionela, Pandan, Antique
- Phaidon Villas and Resort
Location: Pandan, Brgy. Tingib, Antique, Philippines
- Mag-aba Beach House
Location: Brgy. Mag-aba, Pandan, Antique, Philippines
- Malumpati Cottages
Location: Sitio Malumpati, Brgy. Guia, Pandan, Antique
How to get there:
From Manila, flights are available to airports in Iloilo City, Roxas City, Caticlan or Kalibo.
Pandan is about thirty kilometers from Caticlan Airport. Sea transport via Iloilo Port in Iloilo City, Culasi-Lipata and San Jose Ports in Antique, or Dumaguit and Caticlan Ports in Aklan are widely available.
Pandan can also be accessed taking buses and jeepneys from Kalibo, Aklan and from sea transport also available.