“ Bato Balani helped me get rid of my fear of science as a subject.  I think kids are, by nature, very science-oriented, because they spend a good deal of time figuring out how things work,” recalls the great grandson and namesake of President Manuel Quezon. Manuel L. Quezon III remembers his not-too-distant high school experience with fondness. “Bato Balani demystified science for me because it discussed many topics that were interesting to me as a kid -- how insects lived, how a top spins on its head, and even allayed our fears about Skylab crashing down on us.”

Manuel would have been one of the first users of this handy science magazine, then a relatively plain black-and-white publication. Drawing from its pool of science writers from top universities and a team of hard-working editors, it featured easy-to-read articles about the latest scientific developments. For many young users, it not only supplemented classroom lessons and textbook readings, it guided them through discussions of difficult concepts in a language they could understand.

Two decades since Manuel replaced his copies of Bato Balani with college textbooks, talented young Shaira Luna was just about to start reading hers. “ Bato Balani helped me understand my science lessons better.  It has a way of making difficult concepts easy to understand and in a manner that is interesting and fun.”

Of course, like Manuel and Shaira, Bato Balani had also evolved during that time. Manuel would not have recognized Shaira's copy of Bato Balani, were he to compare it with his 25 year old copy, not only because of age, but because the magazine had undergone significant improvements.

“Today's Bato Balani magazine is a pretty sophisticated piece of learning tool, you might say,” says Eric Caballero, Executive Director of Diwa Scholastic Press, publisher of Bato Balani. “From its humble two-color origins, Bato Balani has evolved into a slick, full-color and digitally-supported publication, complete with augmented website support, companion CD's and interactive features.”

Behind this impressive 24-page, full-color publication, is an even more impressive process of academic publishing. “Even as the pace of scientific innovations and development continues to accelerate, we have been consistent in working with some of the best science teachers and scientists in writing articles that bring these concepts down to a level that our readers can grasp and understand,” continues Caballero. “Every page of the magazine is rich with learnings, making use of photographs and graphics to reinforce the concepts.”

Bato Balani, certainly has impressed many of its readers. Majority of private high schools in the country are subscribers to this leading-edge magazine, a testament to the enduring and value-laden contribution that Bato Balani has given to the education of the country's young minds.

“Bato Balani helped me to expand my knowledge of science and technology and at the same time, challenged my creativity and imagination, which are, after all, important aspects of science and discovery.” So says wunderkind Shaira. Hers is a fitting tribute to a publication that may have spurred a whole generation of intelligent and inquisitive kids to a better understanding and appreciation of the many disciplines in science.

“Diwa has certainly been very careful to sustain the quality of its flagship publication, to make sure kids of every generation get the quality science information that they deserve,” said Caballero. “In fact, to mark Bato Balani's 25 year, we have come up with a special edition called ‘The Best of Bato Balani.'” This publication puts together 25 of the best science articles published in Bato Balani during the last 25 years in each of the subject areas of General Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.”

Popular TV Personality RJ Ledesma, also an editor of Manual magazine, gushes: “I am a proud user of Bato Balani. It has made me love and appreciate science. I hope my children will get to appreciate Bato Balani when their time comes. From its pages, they would someday be able to read about the first Filipino astronaut or about the person who finally discovers the cure for AIDS. In all likelihood, they would have read Bato Balani as well.”

Beyond its popular appeal, Bato Balani offers serious, credible and interesting reading fare. It would be no surprise if many of the young outstanding Filipino men and women of science grew up on a regular dose of Bato Balani in their high school days. Dr. Maricor Soriano, a hard-nosed physicist at the University of the Philippines and the current President of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas, the national organization for Filipino physicists, found some of her inspiration from Bato Balani's pages. “BB increased my interest in science back in high school,” she said.

Thumbing through this thick, hard-bound silver-edition Bato Balani, a reader will be struck by the transformation that Bato Balani has undergone over the last quarter of a century. Printed on high quality matte-finished paper, each page is filled with the most current developments and photographs in the different sciences, validated by some of the most authoritative science reviewers and institutions.

For Shaira, Bato Balani was an important part of her high school academic life, a useful companion to the challenges of learning science. For Manuel, beyond the nostalgia of decades past, would he still be able to appreciate the value of Bato Balani of his high school years?

“I recommend Bato Balani for making science learning fun and relevant.  I hope Filipino students in the years to come will get to share the sense of wonder we experienced as we learned about science from the pages of Bato Balani.” From Manuel, who is now a well-known historian, author and respected columnist, such a recommendation becomes a continuing challenge to the publisher and writers of Bato Balani.

“We continue to be excited about the opportunities presented to us in every page of Bato Balani, and its supplementary website: to inspire and instill in every Filipino student that sense of wonder that has been the driving force of all the eminent names in science. That is Diwa's contribution to our pursuit for excellence in education, particularly in science,” adds Caballero. “Nation-building is anchored on, among others, a strong culture of science. Our country can only benefit from a young generation yearning to learn about the wonders of science and technology.”

Maricor finds Bato Balani a positive influence, not only on those who pursued careers in science, but those who may have gone on to other pursuits. “ For those who did not pursue careers in science and may have become successful and influential persons in other fields, later in life, Bato Balani would have given them a better appreciation of the scientific world so that they would support and do positive things for the sciences.”

For Shaira, RJ, Manuel and Maricor, Bato Balani has helped shape the way they looked at science during their most formative years. If that has been the legacy of Bato Balani during the last 25 years, then perhaps, future generations of young Filipinos can look forward to more of the same. “Bato Balani continues to evolve with new developments, not only in publishing technology, but in the way science makes itself a part of our lives,” says Caballero. That, being the case, Filipinos can look forward to more Shairas, RJs, Manuels and Maricors in the future. And that would be a very good thing, indeed.