Together, we can build reading-proficient Filipino youth
As a mother and lover of fiction and biographies, I have always been passionate about promoting Filipino literacy and reading proficiency. Since they were young, I took every effort to teach my daughters to love reading while showing them its importance, not only in their future careers but in life as well. It is in books that we live out multiple lives all at once, whether that’s as an unfortunate-looking hunchback or a debonair prince charming finding his true love.
Regardless, it is the stories that we read and learn from that fuels our soul. After all, what is life worth living for if not to enjoy the intricacies of storytelling?
Together, we can build reading-proficient Filipino youth. And one of the ways we can achieve this is with the largest Pinoy book festival coming this June.
But First, Kafka.
The Philippine Book Festival is a free event where you, and your children, can meet with local authors and creators, discover new titles, join talks and workshops, and enjoy live performances.
The National Book Development Board, known for the Book Nook – a program where the agency sets up reading and storytelling spaces across the country – is kicking off the largest traveling book festival in the Philippines with the Philippine Book Festival (PBF) this June 2, 4 PM to 9 PM, and on June 3 and 4 from 10 AM to 9 PM at the World Trade Center in Pasay.
It’s the first ever in the country, where the spotlight is on Filipino books, creators, and readers. The PBF is an event that celebrates the best of Philippine literature, culture, and content, that brings education, entertainment, and shopping together in one thrilling festival for families, friends, and book enthusiasts alike.
The three-day festival will hold special meet-and-greet events with celebrated writers such as award-winning author and historian Ambeth R. Ocampo and rising star Gwy Saludes on June 3 and 4, respectively. Actress and writer Rica Peralejo-Bonifacio will also be holding a special program with her latest book on marriage, Eleven Eleven: Painting the Challenge and Beauty of Marriage.
Join the Workshops
Apart from the meet-and-greets and book signings with authors, there will also be talks and workshops on creating webtoon stories, visual storytelling, illustrating books for children, and more. Attendees can participate in literary discussions and debates, enjoy live performances and storytelling, and immerse themselves in various stories with the festival’s very own Book Nook with a curated selection of books and comfortable lounge areas.
Celebrating Local Authors
The Philippine Book Festival is all about giving Filipino publishers and creators a platform where they can showcase their work.
“We have amazing Filipino-authored content yet we lack access. We’ve created a space where the entire family can enjoy all genres — from children’s books to comics, textbooks, non-fiction books, and everything in between. That’s what the Philippine Book Festival is all about,” says NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade.
There are four realms that make up the festival: the Komiks for comics, Kid Lit for children’s literature, Booktopia for fiction and non-fiction, and Aral Aklat for edutainment materials and textbooks. The realms are curated by the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), Komiket, the Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA), and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) – all leading organizations in their respective sectors in book publishing, with whom the NBDB has partnered.
“PEPA as the main representative of the Philippine educational publishing sector is very optimistic about participating in the first-ever Philippine Book Festival. This is also the industry’s very concrete way of supporting the DepEd’s policy direction of decentralizing the evaluation and procurement process to the level of the regions. PEPA understands that this policy shift aims to provide more equitable access to quality educational materials for our public school teachers and learners alike,” says PEPA President Jose Paolo Sibal.
Why Reading is So Important
We’ve gotten so used to gathering information from our mobile devices that we’ve forgotten the true joy derived from reading a book. We need to teach children that learning for learning’s sake IS fun and should be promoted. Reading a book and learning new stories shouldn’t always be focused on “How can this earn me money?”, but rather “What lessons can I learn from it?”
And even then, sometimes, you just want to read a book because it’s enjoyable to do so. The PBF helps bring romance back to reading and empowers Pinoys to fall in love with books again.
Register for FREE at www.philippinebookfest.com. Follow the National Book Development Board and Philippine Book Festival on Facebook, and @bookfestph on Instagram and TikTok to stay updated!
