National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chairman Dr. Emmanuel Franco Calairo has always had a deep passion for reading. Influenced by his mother — Dr. Rosalina Franco-Calairo, a community worker, book writer and a retired professor of history and sociology at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Laguna — his love for literature and history grew. As an only child, books became his trusted companions.

He completed his elementary and high school education at Metro Manila College in Novaliches, Quezon City. In 1992, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of the East-Manila. During his time there, he also took law subjects.