What It's Like to Run a Secondhand Bookstore in Manila's Lagusnilad Underpass
AJ has been running the shop for more than a decade now.
(SPOT.ph) Lagusnilad is a lot of things, but it’s never quiet.
The sun was setting over Manila City Hall as I walked to the Lagusnilad Underpass. Traffic was heavy on Padre Burgos Avenue; cars, buses, and jeepneys honked and weaved their way through the congested road. Pedestrians hurried to the underpass, some heading to the nearby LRT-1 station, others to the Manila Central Post Office or the National Museum of Fine Arts.
But not everyone was in a rush. Some people slowed to stop, or even lingered, at the entrance of the Lagusnilad Underpass, because this little spot is where the famous Books from Underground has been tucked into for the last 12 years.
The making of the famous bookstore in Lagusnilad Underpass
Books from Underground is a small second-hand bookstore lodged into a small cavity in the Lagusnilad Underpass. It is owned by two 40-somethings AJ Laberinto and Winter Gabayron, old high school schoolmates from Philippine Normal University who began selling books on the floor near the city hall in the early aughts.
It was a mobile business, too, following wherever massive crowds gathered. They were in attendance for Earth Day, Fete de la Musique, Pride March, selling books to anyone who paid attention.
Eventually, they rented a stall in 2010 and gained a following of folks looking for hard-to-find editions of books for as low as P50. Secondhand book prices are only a third of the original price—or much less. His customers are mostly students, bibliophiles, and curious passersby who have stumbled upon this hidden treasure trove, or actively went looking for it. I hadn't even been there five minutes before Laberinto made a sale. Two students snagged a hard-bound Leo Tolstoy classic for only P250. Local and international tourists also drop by to get a book as a souvenir from Manila, nevermind that most of the titles aren’t from Filipino authors.
Where Gabayron is the financer, Laberinto has been manning the bookstore every day for the past 12 years, alongside his mother (whose favorite to read are funny comics) who helps him out with inventory. He has a perpetual smile on his face, along with a bucket hat, opaque glasses, and a pair of gloves that allow him to handle the more brittle books with care.
Laberinto might not be formally educated up to the tertiary level, but he’s learned in every sense of the word from the many books he's read. In the short time I spoke to him, he told me about the history of racial discrimination of Tsinoys, recounted Noli Me Tangere scenes in great detail, and educated me about what is lost among second-generation immigrants.
“Masipag magbasa, tamad pumasok," Laberinto laughed while telling me that he and Gabayron were free-spirited hipsters.
He tells me he sources books from junk shops, thrift shops, and most of the time, generous donations from private subdivisions like Forbes Park. He said the rich folk are the ones who let go of books easily, many of which are unread with plastic covering still on. Searching for hidden literary treasures was a point of pride for Laberinto, whose personal favorites include The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, In the First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Giants in the Earth by O.E. Rølvaag. At one point, he showed me a rare songbook that was published in celebration of China's 60 years under communism.
“Kaya rin kami nagtagal kasi kahit paano may idea kami kung ano ‘yung maganda. Siyempre readers din kami. Kailangan malalim ang knowledge mo," Laberinto said. Unfortunately, it's mostly the likes of Nicholas Sparks and JK Rowling that sell, rarely the self-published Filipino writers. He makes sure to stock up on the most popular titles anyway.
“Kung gusto mo makabenta, kailangan meron ka ng mga popular kasi… Paulit-ulit lang ‘yung libro. Nalulungkot ako sa mga bagong awtor… Walang bumibili,” Laberinto said. “’Yung mga hinahanap na mga titles, ‘yun ‘yung ginagawa namin ng paraan na mahanap talaga. Sinusuyod namin.”
The rise and fall and rise of Books from Underground
Beyond a repository of literature, Books from Underground is also a story of Manila. Its history is intertwined with changes in local leadership, along with a shifting reading culture in the post-pandemic setting.
Alfredo Lim was at the helm of Manila City Hall when Books from Underground was given a place to rent, which continued business as usual until Joseph Estrada’s time. More stalls popped up in the walkway. Incidents of crime were said to become more common. Then, when Isko Moreno took over, he ordered the demolition and rehab of the old Lagusnilad Underpass.
And so Lagusniland went through a massive renovation project in 2019. The bathroom tiled-walls has now been replaced with colorful murals. Each one depicts scenes from Rizal Park, Binondo, Quiapo, Escolta, and other landmarks, as well as the portraits of heroes, artists, and frontliners who shaped the city's history. Street vendors—and even established tiangge stalls—were now prohibited from occupying space as ruled by Moreno.
All but one survived.
Books from Underground was scrapped, yes, but only for a few months. Public clamor for the bookstore forced the city government’s hand to bring it back as part of the renovation plans. Moreno had assured his citizens then: “Huwag po kayo mag-alala. Ang kanyang existence ay iaayos natin kung paano sila magiging legitimate businessmen.” That he did.
I asked Laberinto: How does it feel to be the only one left here, when everyone else has gone? He paused. “Paano ba… Hindi na kasi tulad ng dati. Sa panahong ngayon, hindi na necessary ang libro. Sobrang specialized market na siya.”
Also read: Manila City's Lagusnilad Underpass Gets a Fresh, Colorful Makeover
Books from Underground has everything, from fiction to non-fiction, from comics to textbooks to magazines. Some familiar and some obscure. “Hindi kasi puwedeng puro serious literature. From Nobel literature to Precious Hearts, there's something for everyone,” Laberinto said. Titles are rarely arranged by authors or genres, but Laberinto knows where to find each book. Case in point: I asked Laberinto to give me a copy for Giants in the Earth. He rummaged through what must have been over 200 books to reach the back of the top shelf—and true enough, there it was. He sold it to me for P100.
I asked him how many books he’s read. Even though he’s happily surrounded by hundreds of books on a daily basis, he confessed that he hasn’t had the time to read much.
“Isa kong kahihiyan,” Laberinto quipped. “Kung puwede nga lang, huwag na magtinda ng libro kasi wala akong time. Sobrang time-consuming magtinda ng libro. Walang day off.” Managing the bookstore is demanding, a 24/7 occupation when taking into consideration the constant influx of Facebook inquires. From restocking books, to posting fresh copies on the Internet, to shipping orders, to manning the store, to looking for ways to flourish in this post-pandemic world; there is no stopping. His only form of rest comes when the mobile data is turned off. “Luxury maging intelektwal. Luxury magka-time magbasa.”
It's been so overwhelmingly busy for Laberinto that he had to pass up on the golden opportunity to expand to Cubao Expo. It was more than an ambitious plan—he had already committed to two months’ worth of rent for the new space there, only to be too preoccupied with Lagusnilad Underpass that he forgot Cubao Expo in the end. “Ngayon ko lang rin naisip na… What if nakapag-establish rin kami doon?”
Twelve years is a long time to be doing this, I told him. Why keep at it? For Laberinto, sustained reading is a practice that he wants to carry over to the next generation, one that is growing up in a digital world where capsule information is increasingly favored. Books for Underground has evolved into a "meeting point" for bibliophiles, uniting individuals in a latent mission to preserve literary culture in Manila. Laberinto can't let that go to waste now, not with what he's built over the past 12 years.
“Iba pa rin kasi may physical store. For the love of books talaga ito,” Laberinto said. “Siguro pinaka na-appreciate ko… Hindi siya boring na paninda. In a way, swerte na rin ako, kumbaga ideal job ko na rin ‘to.”
Books from Underground is located at Lagusnilad Underpass. It is open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day. For more information, visit Books from Underground on Facebook.