REKO is helping make Philippine literature accessible
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah was my Grade 5 book report and perhaps the first book that made me cry. It was also the book that sparked my love for reading; I remember spending more of my breaks in the library than in the cafeteria.
Now, I don’t think anyone will see me outside without a book or my Kindle in my bag. But because I had more access to books by international authors, it’s only recently that I delved into Philippine literature—thanks to recommendations from friends or content creators. It was during the Philippine Book Festival media launch in February that I stumbled upon a startup creating a web app for books written by and for Filipinos.
REKO, founded by Engr. Gia Santos, is an online platform that allows readers to access Filipino-authored books right at their fingertips. They aim to make literature accessible, especially for people who are far from bookstores or libraries.
Engr. Gia is also the founder of Book Spine Inc., an e-commerce marketplace for secondhand books, book donations, and books per kilo. “Philippine literature was in demand. Many people would send messages asking for Filipino titles, then laging ubos. We saw the demand, but the supply isn’t enough,” she said. This led her to create a web app focused on local books. Owing to her roots as an engineer, she thought of the tech aspect first: “(I thought) digital might be the best way because everyone has a phone, and it’s what’ll make books more accessible.”
It’s just a matter of finding the right book for you so that you can make reading part of your lifestyle. All it takes is one book to change a life.
Similar to Netflix and Wattpad, REKO has a catalog where users can browse books per genre, author, or language, including Tagalog and Bisaya. Personalized recommendations are also available to match readers with Filipino authors who have published with REKO. There are currently around 200 titles across different genres, including books from 8Letters Books, Josue Mapagdalita, Kahel Press, Kyra Ysabel, Herbert de Leon, and Ozmari Granlund, to name a few.
In building the web app, the team focused on providing a quality and fair experience to all partners while keeping the business sustainable.
“I really want to help Filipinos publish their ideas,” Engr. Gia said. “Even if you say na marami nang gumagawa (ng ganyang libro), no one knows it from your perspective. You’re the only one who can tell your story.”
She wants to make publishing a book easier and to help authors earn a livelihood from what they love doing.
While readers can purchase a book at a time, REKO also offers subscription plans priced at P99 per week, P299 per month, and P2,999 per year, with unlimited reads for all plans. Payments can be made through GCash, Maya, cards, or over the counter. To ensure authors and publishers are compensated fairly, they get 65-75% of each sale; in subscriptions, they are paid per page read by users.
“I believe there’s a book for everyone; you just have to find it for yourself,” Engr. Gia added. “That’s why REKO is short for ‘recommendations.’ I believe it’s just a matter of finding the right book for you so that you can make reading part of your lifestyle. All it takes is one book to change a life.
“There were so many times that my life was turned around because I read a book, and it always happens at a crossroads.”
We just have to find the right book, like how Chinese Cinderella became that book for me when I was 11 years old. It did change my life, and I hope others find that same love for reading I did, just as REKO is here to help make that happen. They aim to release the app by Aug. 28 this year.
