“Mama, ano ba ‘yung bakla?” my three-year-old asked the morning of last Friday.

I am ashamed about the fact that I didn’t know how to respond, as I think of myself as an ally. With both my hands and my voice shaking, I said, “They’re boys who want to be girls.”

That’s wrong in so many levels. First, being gay is not a choice. Second, not all gays want to be girls. But my brain stopped functioning at that point.

When I told my husband this and my regrets from not being prepared, he had a better, wiser response. He pulled out a storybook I bought from last year’s Philippine Book Festival, called our daughter for storytime, and read “Dalawa ang Daddy ni Billy”.

Dalawa ang Daddy ni Billy

Written by Michael P. De Guzman and illustrated by Daniel Palma Tayona, “Dalawa ang Daddy ni Billy” is an honorable mention at the 2003 PBBY-Salanga Prize. Published and sold by Ilaw ng Tahanan, this book tells the story of a boy named Billy, who has two fathers – Daddy and Papa. They live an ordinary, if not happy and loving, family life, until Billy goes to school and experiences the harsh reality of hate directed to LGBT people.

This is one of the two Filipino storybooks I bought my daughter that talks about non-heterosexual relationships, the other one being Bernadette Villanueva Neri’s “Ang Ikaklit sa Aming Hardin.” I decided to get these books because I wanted child-appropriate ways to explain to Sprout about these relationships and individuals. (Obviously, I failed to utilize them, but thank God my husband remembered. This is one of the reasons I fell in love.) Being the progressive Catholics that we are, Francis and I want Sprout not just to have empathy, but to see people of all genders as equals and equally allowed to exist. More importantly, we acknowledge that Sprout can grow up gay; we want her to know that she doesn’t have to doubt our love and acceptance despite of and because of.

Going back to the book, Dalawa ang Daddy ni Billy has the exact answer to Sprout’s question, because Billy asked the same.

“Bakla ang tawag ng marami sa boys na nagmamahal ng ibang boys,” Billy’s daddy answered.

My Thoughts About the Book as a Librarian

Last year, during DepEd National Market Scoping during the Philippine Book Festival, I asked our Values Education Supervisor if we can include this to our pre-priority list for our Library Hub. He said that he liked the book personally, but had second thoughts of including it in our collection, as it may be seen as a promotion of homosexuality.

I disagreed. I am against censorship as a librarian. But more importantly, from years of working on storybooks for Gawad Teodora Alonso, I have learned that kids need representation in books and media. Yes, books like this can teach empathy, but they are also needed by kids experiencing the same, so they can feel seen and heard. These books are important for LGBT families for inclusivity, as well as heteronormative families for education, awareness, tolerance, and acceptance.

Although I did not include Dalawa ang Daddy ni Billy in our schools division’s pre-priority list, I am beyond grateful that this was still selected by DepEd for our Library Hubs. Next school year, they will be circulated among our schools, and I hope this will book get the same love and appreciation Francis and I have for it from teachers, parents, and learners alike.

If you have a Library Hub near you, you will find this book easily. But you might also get it at the 2025 Philippine Book Festival that’s going to be held from March 13 to 16 at SM Megamall. Check out Ilaw ng Tahanan’s booth!

Seriously, we have the best Filipino storybooks today.