Educator, author and advocate for children
Mary Ann Ordinario is an award-winning Filipino children’s author, educator, publisher and advocate for early childhood education and Philippine culture. Since 1993, she has served as founder and Director of ABC Educational Development Center, which provides basic education through its preschool, elementary and high school programs. In 2000, she established ABC Children’s Books, the first publishing house for children’s books in Mindanao. She has written 75 books, many of which have been translated and published in various languages, reaching children around the world.
Mary Ann has served on the Governing Board of the National Book Development Board since 2019. She has led literacy and publishing initiatives with the National Book Development Board, Save the Children, Australian Aid, the Department of Education and DepEd-BARMM, helping writers, teachers and Indigenous communities develop culturally grounded stories and learning materials. She has also represented the Philippines at international publishing and children’s literature events in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Philippine Women’s University, completed graduate-level studies at Ateneo de Davao University and trained in Early Childhood Education at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Earlier in her career, she worked as a broadcaster, newswriter, scriptwriter, newscaster and Head of Research at DXND–Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation.
Her many honours include international and national recognition for The Crying Trees, Malong, the Magic Cloth, The Pencil Who Would Not Write, Bulul, A Whale in Prison and I Love T’nalak. Her work is distinguished by its commitment to children, cultural heritage, literacy and the voices of Mindanao communities.
A close family friend of the Cairos, Mary Ann brings her experience in education, storytelling and community engagement to SIMOCA Foundation. As Philippine Advisory Ambassador, she helps identify educational needs and potential community partnerships that support the Foundation’s mission of expanding opportunity for children facing financial hardship.