On the 25th day of April 2024, the National Book Development Board (NBDB), a government agency of the Philippines in charge of the book publishing sector and the promotion of readership has launched the Grand Opening of Philippine Book Festival (PBF) 2024 at World Trade Center Metro Manila.
The PBF is the first and largest traveling book festival in the country, promoting the best Philippine books and educational materials. It is not your traditional book fair—guests can enjoy educational exhibitions and informative workshops, meet their favorite authors, and purchase quality Pinoy books.
PBF 2024 is open from 8AM to 8PM from April 25 to 28, 2024 for free entrance and accepting walk-ins to join the diverse book fair in Metro Manila. It’s Not Just a Book Fair, It’s a Book Experience for all who travels from the diverse cities and communities locally and abroad to enjoy education exhibitions, informative workshops and invest quality books of diverse authors of the PBF 2024. Besides, guests can also meet their favorite authors and artists during the launch of their newest books and upcoming tv shows for the excitement of their readers and viewers in the community.
The National Book Development Board, an agency of the Philippine government under the Department of Education formed through Republic Act No. 8047, cordially invites you to join Philippine Book Festival (PBH) 2024 on April 25 – 28, 2024 at World Trade Center Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines to experience the essence of investing and supporting the books of the authors, publishers and artists related to the culture, literature, history and arts of the Philippines for all the readers of the generations to this day and beyond.
For me, the PBH 2024 is a book experience and art of investing books for all the readers that starts in our family and next to schools, offices & other organization in the community, especially those who need books as part of their lifestyle and as references to Philippines literature, art, education and culture.
Why you should join the Philippine Book Festival 2024? The PBF is the first and largest traveling book festival in the country, promoting the best Philippine books and educational materials. The attendees or guests can enjoy educational exhibitions and informative workshops, meet their favorite authors, artists, publishers and purchase quality Pinoy books.
On April 25, 2024 (Day 1), the activities for the main stage are as follows: SIMULA: A Celebratory Ritual; The UST Publishing House Presents: SINAG 2024; Balagtasan by NCCA x PCEP; Read Along with the Cast of Encantadia: Faith Da Silva (Flamarra), Kelvin Miranda (Adamus), Angel Guardia (Deia), and Bianca Umali (Terra); Translation Matters! with Evelyn Caldera Soriano, Gene Alcantara, and Kristian Cordero; and A Toast to Books: Industry Reception.
On April 26, 2024 (Day 2), the program for the main stage are the following: Kumustahan with DepEd; Creating for Young People with Disabilities; Turning Clicks to Reads: A Roundtable Discussion with Jerico Silvers; Mama Meme Reads with Meryll Soriano Featured Book: Ang mga Alitaptap ng Pulang Buhangin by R. H. Quilantang; Si Gren, Ang Kaibigan Kong Alien: A Book Launch with Marian Rivera, Gabby Concepcion, and Raphael Landicho; Performance by Bry Cimafranca of NCCA x PCEP; Dahling Nick: Tribute; Ballet Manila “Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang”; Trip to Quiapo: In conversion with Ricky Lee; Scrubs & Scribbles: The Double Lives of Doctor-Authors with Dr. Joti Tabula, Dr. Will Laingco,Dr. Alice Sun-Cua, and Dr. Angeli Dumatol; and Finding Your Readig Allies: The Book Nook Present NARA.
On April 27, 2024 (Day 3), you may consider the main stage’s activites as follows: The Usual Suspects: Let’s Talk About Crime Fiction; Performance by Lakbai Guitar Due of NCCA x PCEP; PaperKat: Pitching Works to Filmmakers; Ambeth Ocampo Without the Overcoat; Teatrong Mulat ng Pilipinas; Firefly Book Signing; Meet Morena Book Reading Event with Ayn Bernos; and Poetry Slam! Book Development Association of the Philippines.
Finally, on April 28, 2024 (Day 4), the program for main stage are as follows: Reading the Readers: Education and the Power of Reading by National Committee on Literary Arts; Ang Suklam sa Ating Nanagnas na Balat by Ronaldo Vivo, a Book Launch; A Day with Gwy Saludes; Explore and Eat your History with Clang Garcia, Claude Tayag, Ige Ramos, and RG Enriquez-Diaz; Cosplay Filipiniana! Philippine Literary Characters Cosplay Competition; A Beautiful Day (Inkspiration: A Decade of Life is Beautiful Stories); and PANITIKolab The Joys of Reading: Ba’t kami nagbabasa?
In this digital age, the creation of digital books are already accessible to the internet for reading, but I think and believe that we should still consider the value and essence of having books for own reading just like how our ancestors had read books during their times, that is applicable to these days and beyond.
Join now the grandest Philippine Book Festival 2024!
For the second year running, the National Book Development Board Philippines (NBDB) is brining together publishers, authors, artists, education, and readers at the country’s biggest traveling book festival.
Taking place at the World Trade Center in Pasay from April 25 to 28, 2024, the PBF is a four-day celebration showcasing the richness of Philippine literature, culture, and arts. This unique book fair integrates education, entertainment, tourism, and shopping into family-friendly event.
In addition to the extensive collection of published works and titles from the Philippines, this year’s festival offers a diverse range of talks and workshops.
Highlights include “A day with Gwy Saludes.” featuring an exclusive book signing and meet-and-greet session with the author. Historian and bestselling author Ambeth Ocampo will lead “Ambeth Without the Overcoat,” a book signing session. National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, Ricky Lee, will present “Trip to Quiapo,” while “Dahiling Nick: A Tribute to National Artists Nik Joaquin” will honor the renowned writer. Other sessions include “Aklat Para Sa Accla: New Trends in Boys Love and Girls Love,” “Comics Can Change the World” with Patti Ramos, and “Zine-making 101,” a workshop on crafting independent-produced “fanzines” led by Komiket’s Bunny Luz.
Attendees can anticipate the comeback of the Rare Book Collection by the National Library of the Philippines, which will feature a new selection of rare manuscripts and facsimiles; the Book Bar -a library of sorts filled with award-winning books; Cosplay Filipinia, a cosplay competition allowing fans to portray their beloved Philippine literacy characters; and Guhit Pambata, an exhibit highlighting the creations of some of our best children’s book illustrators. This year, the PBF will launch Tabuan Food Hall, wherein guests can feast in between pages.
The festival brings back its four popular realms: Kid Lit, a land just for children, Komiks, which puts the spotlight on Pinoy komiks, Booktopia, home to an abundance of fiction and non-fiction titles, and Aral Aklat, which is devoted to textbooks and educational materials. There will be a Creators lab, Main Stage, and Kids-at-Play that highlight exciting talks, activities, and workshops more specific to the interests of readers and fans of those pages.
Panels, puppet shows, storytelling with surprise television and movie celebrities, and live performances are excluded throughout the four-day festival.
NBDB Executive Director Charise Aquino-Tugade
This year, we have more authors and we bring together the best Philippine content for the entire family. The country needs more reading spaces that encourage conversation, creation and collaboration. Ang Philippine Book Festival ang nagsisilbing panghikayat ng NBDB sa iba pang mga organisasyon na lumahok at makiisa sa mga programang magtutulak sa mga Filipino na magbasa dahil ang aklat ay para sa lahat,” said NBDB Executive Director Charise Aquino-Tugade.
The event is longer this year to give ample time for teachers, librarians, and organizations to research the books they need for their schools. Similar to last year, NBDB is working closely with Department of Education (DepEd) to train more than 750 book evaluation and procurement officers to scope and evaluate books to purchase for public school libraries and library hubs. Evaluators from all over the country will fly in to source educational books for the students of their regions.
A Feast for the Eyes
The festival will be a feast for the eyes too as it features the designs of talented graphic designer and children’s book illustrators. Marc Vincent Soriano, Liza Flores, and Beth Parrocha. Parrocha designed the four realms, finding inspiration in the four major elements: water for Kid; earth for Komiks; fire for Aral Aklat; and air for Booktopia. Each realm has its color as well – pink, purple, yellow, and aqua – to make it easy for guests to figure out which part of the festival they’re in.
“I had fun doing all the visuals. It’s great opportunity for any artist to be given the whole World Trade Center as a canvas for my art,” Parrocha said.
A Strongest Culture of Reading
The Philippine Book Festival is part of the National Book Development Board’s effort to promote a culture of reading and development industry in the Philippines.
“The Philippine Book Festival is part of the National Book Development Board’s effort to promote a culture of reading and develop the publishing industry in the Philippines.
“The Philippine Book Fair is a program that, on the one hand, is all about celebrating Philippine culture, but on the other hand, encompasses our agency’s long-term plans: improve access for every Filipino reader, democratize distribution, and enable our publishers and authors to keep Philippine books,” said Chairperson Ang.
The fair is open to the public from 8:00AN to 8:00PM on April 25-28, 2024, with no entrance fees. For more information on the Philippine Book Festival and to register for free, visit www.philippinebookfest.com.
Reference & Media Contact (Press Release dated April 03, 2024):
National Book Development Board Philippines (NBDB)
Ma. Divine R. Caraecle Project Development Officer mcaraecle@books.gov.ph +63 919 974 9770 (Viber) books.gov.ph
The National Book Development Board (NBDB) urges policymakers, educators, community leaders, and stakeholders to prioritize readership and literacy initiatives, while also involving parents in efforts to make reading more accessible to all segments of the population.
This call follows the release of the 2023 National Readership Survey (NRS) results, showing a notable decline in non-school book readership among Filipino adults and children. The survey revealed adult readership at 42% and children at 47% in 2023. Access to books emerged as the primary reason for the decline, with limited awareness of public libraries and constraints like time and distance cited as barriers to visits.
These results have prompted the NBDB to reaffirm its commitment to bolstering existing programs and policies to reignite a love for reading among Filipinos.
“These findings, which provide a much-needed nuanced understanding of Filipinos’ reading habits and preferences, reinforce the fact that access to quality books remains a pressing issue in book publishing and education, so the sectors’ focus now clearly has to be on addressing gaps in access,” said NBDB Chairperson Dante “Klink” Ang II.
Moreover, Chairperson Ang stated that the NBDB and its partners will examine various proposals to develop meaningful policy directives aligned with the objectives of Republic Act No. 7743, which aims to establish congressional, city, and municipal libraries, along with barangay reading centers nationwide. According to a 2018 study by the National Library of the Philippines, only 3% of LGUs have local libraries across the country.
“One of the main hindrances to reading revealed by the survey is access to reading facilities such as public libraries, particularly in the provinces. Some of them are really beyond the reach of those living in mountainous areas, for example. Besides expanding the Book Nook project, we will also work to bring libraries closer to the people,” Chairperson Ang added.
Meanwhile, NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade emphasized the significance of enhancing NBDB’s readership efforts, particularly through initiatives like the Book Nook project. This project establishes reading and storytelling centers across the Philippines, featuring locally published books and serving as distribution hubs for publishers. By offering quality books in various Philippine languages, the Book Nook project addresses access and literacy issues in a single space, fostering education and community engagement in a safe and inclusive environment where visitors can participate in activities, borrow books, and take them home at no cost.
Additionally, the Philippine Book Festival (PBF) promotes a robust reading culture while providing guidance on institutional book purchases. Like the Book Nook project, the PBF brings quality books to readers nationwide while facilitating collaboration between major buyers of educational resources and Philippine publishers.
To encourage involvement in the local book economy, NBDB launched Booklatan sa Bayan, inviting both avid and passive readers to explore literature and culture. NBDB collaborates with reading advocacy groups such as the Reading Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Librarians Association, Inc., and the Adarna Group Foundation, Inc., to synergize efforts in enriching the nation’s reading culture.
“Programming must work hand in hand with policy. Besides readership programs, we will push for policies that democratize distribution and enable publishers to publish more affordable books,” Executive Director Tugade emphasized.
“These survey findings should serve as a call to arms: an opportunity to acknowledge and better understand the current state of readership, to reframe the problems they pose in a way that we are pushed to act and change them rather than dwell on them. If attitudes toward reading are less than desirable, then the responsibility to create environments that make reading possible lies with us. The NBDB is hopeful and renews its commitment to better its programs and policies,” Executive Director Tugade added.
The NBDB highlighted that, according to the survey findings, overall attitudes towards books and reading remained positive. The majority of respondents recognized the importance of books beyond educational and professional contexts. Key insights from the survey included the most popular non-school book (NSB) genres among adults (the Bible) and children (picture books), the preferred reading language (Filipino for both age groups), preferred formats (printed books for both age groups), and primary considerations when selecting NSBs (availability for both age groups).
The NBDB enlisted the Social Weather Stations (SWS) to conduct the 2023 National Readership Survey from November 14th to 20th, 2023, with a sample size of 2,400 adults aged 18 and above, and 2,400 children aged 8-17. This survey is the most comprehensive examination of Filipinos’ reading habits and preferences and is expected to provide invaluable insights for the agency’s readership-focused initiatives.
Reference: (PRESS RELEASE ON THE 2023 NATIONAL READERSHIP SURVEY – March 22, 2024)
