Just a few years ago, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) would never have dreamt of making a presence in the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF), the world’s largest, held in five separate large pavilions and one Agora (a la the ancient Greek city-states) that take days to negotiate. We were always discouraged—nay, intimidated—by the cost, the fact that a one-time appearance would never do, and the uncertainty of committing participation in subsequent years. We were always told that in the first time, a country booth is just beginning to be noticed, so it is imperative to continue to be visible year after year. (The Philippines did mount a country booth years ago, and not again till 2015.)
There was also the argument that the publishing industry still had a vast untapped Philippine readership market to explore, so why even think of going international already? Of course, we have countered that by simply saying that attempting to reach both local and international markets can be a parallel move, though admittedly ambitious.
In that context, I have to credit two courageous women who enabled the Philippines to set up, for the second time, a country booth at the FBF this month. Last year, former NBDB executive director Graciela Mendoza dared to dream big and gathered seven publishers to pitch in for a country booth. It was a modestly successful initial venture as attention was drawn to our part of the world, with Indonesia featured as the first Asean country to be guest of honor. Right there and then we decided to enlist for the next FBF.
And by a stroke of good luck, during the NBDB’s annual budget hearing at the Senate, Sen. Loren Legarda offered a generous amount to ensure its participation at the FBF on a more professional level. This patron of art and culture was then newly returned from Venice where the Philippines rejoined the Art Biennale for the first time in 51 years. The subsidy from her office has freed the exhibitors from paying for the country booth and is covering most of the previous years’ expenses. With the exhibitors responsible only for their air fare and accommodations, there are now about a dozen participating publishers (compared to last year’s seven); as well there is a contingent of more than 30 (compared to last year’s dozen), made possible by the NBDB’s partnership with the Book Development Association of the Philippines headed by Ani Almario.
This year’s booth will proudly carry the slogan conceptualized by BBDO Guerrero (“Books Philippines: A new wave of storytelling”) and colorfully executed by Studio Dialogo in tropical colors with books and playful geometric shapes forming our islands. (Special thanks to David Guerrero, Liza Flores and Abi Goy.)
There is added significance to the Philippines’ participation this year. The first is its selection as one of the world’s pivotal publishing markets, along with FBF 2016 guest of honor Flanders and the Netherlands, Brazil, Poland, Spain, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Representatives of these countries will speak at the publishing summit, along with the Philippines’ Karina Bolasco, formerly of Anvil and now the Ateneo University Press; Ani Almario of Adarna; Alvin Juban of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines; Gwenn Galvez of Anvil; and Andrea Pasion Flores of the Jacaranda Literary Agency.
Bolasco will discuss three major areas of concern: “to draw the roadmap to the world, to find our place in the regional and world markets; to develop multilingual, multidisciplinary, and multimedia textbooks; and to activate a nationwide public library network so that reading and books must lie at the core of community life.”
There is also the star-studded presence of fictionist and columnist Jose Y. Dalisay Jr. and graphic writer Manix Abrera as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ grantees to the FBF. National Artist Virgilio Almario will join them.
Neni Sta. Romana Cruz (nenisrcruz@gmail.com) is chair of the National Book Development Board and a member of the Eggie Apostol Foundation.