The verses of Rizal and Neruda will accompany passengers on the Metro Rail line 3 in a campaign to promote reading launched Tuesday by officials led by Senator Edgardo Angara along with Spanish Ambassador Luis Arias Romero.

?If we can reach 1 percent of the half-million commuters that ride this line every day, we?ll be happy,? said Jose Rodriguez, director of Instituto Cervantes, a center for the Spanish language and culture.

Also at the rites were Transportation undersecretary Roberto Lastimoso, Light Rail Transit Authority administrator Mel Robles, and National Historical Institute chairman Ambeth Ocampo.

The Metro Rail has donated space?normally charging P300,000 a day?to display poems in English and Spanish by Filipino, Spanish and Latin Americans, from National Hero Jose Rizal, the late Senator Claro M. Recto, Fernando Ma. Guerrero to Jaime Gil de Biedma and Luis Garcia Montero.

Included are the best-liked verses from last year?s edition of Berso sa Metro on LRT Line 2.

Tu Risa (Your Laughter) by the late Pablo Neruda and Tu Justificas Mi Existencia (You Justify My Existence) by Luis Cernuda touched a sensitive chord among Manilans, judging by the number of references that appeared on local blogs and photoblogs about the campaign.

?I tried to reflect what the poets inspired in me and at the same time create attractive designs to get the attention of passengers who are always in a hurry,? said the Filipino Nikkorlai Tapan, who repeats as the campaign?s art director this year. with EFE