The Philippines made good on its goal of returning with a bigger delegation and a more eye-catching pavilion to the 68^th Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) held on 19-23 October 2016 at the Frankfurt Exhibition Grounds. Flying the banner ‘Books Philippines: A New Wave of Storytelling,’ PH’s 2016 participation built on last year’s, which was the first time in decades for the country to have a country pavilion at the world’s biggest book fair.

FBF 2016 focused on the theme “What We Share” and featured more than 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) chaired by Ms. Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz led the PH contingent, which included 18 publishers and publishing groups, as follows:

1.       Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP)

2.       Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA)

3.       Adarna House, Inc.

4.       Anvil Publishing, Inc.

5.       Ateneo De Manila University Press

6.       C&E Publishing, Inc.

7.       Chalcot Press

8.       Firetree Press

9.       Commission on the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino)

10.    Ilaw ng Tahanan Publishing, Inc.

11.    Lampara Publishing House, Inc.

12.    OMF Literature, Inc.

13.    Philippine Daily Inquirer

14.    Precious Pages Corporation

15.    Rex Book Store, Inc.

16.    University of the Philippines Press

17.    University of Santo Tomas Publishing House

18.    Vibal Group

The 37-member delegation included 13 writers, led by National Artist and Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino chair Virgilio Almario, multi-awarded novelist Jose Dalisay, and bestselling graphic artist Manix Abrera.

The PH pavilion featured selected works produced by the participating publishing houses, ranging from children’s books to young adult literature, literary classics to contemporary fiction, text books to cook books and coffee-table books about Philippine arts and culture.

On October 19, the Philippine Embassy hosted a reception at the PH pavilion showcasing the country’s cuisine. Dusseldorf-based caterer Maite Hontiveros-Dittke prepared the menu, which included lumpiang sariwa, adobo bites, bangus sisig canapes, and hot chocolate made with Malagos cacao from Davao.

Ambassador Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek congratulated the contingent in her remarks acknowledged that Philippine books are now well on its way to exploring world markets, thanks to the initiatives of NBDB. Future projects include translation of Philippine books to other languages She also noted that the Philippines participates in several trade fairs Germany, and presence in one promoting the book industry was important in this age of computers and internets.

PH was also one of seven featured countries at The Markets, a conference held alongside the FBF focusing on the publishing industry. Ms. Karina Bolasco of Ateneo University Press, Ms. Ani Almario of Adarna House and the Book Development Association of the Philippines, Mr. Alvin Juban of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Ms. Gwenn Galvez of Anvil, and Ms. Andrea Pasion-Flores of Jacaranda Literary Agency insights about the PH publishing industry.

PH’s return to FBF was made possible with the support of Senator Loren Legarda, who helped (NBDB) secure a budget for a professionally executed pavilion. (end)

Dortmund.  In this year’s biggest gathering of Arnis practitioners in Europe, almost 200 students of Modern Arnis trained in Dortmund from 23 – 25 September under Modern Arnis Grandmasters from the Philippines, Germany and the United States.  The aptly named “East Meets West” Modern Arnis Training Camp was organized by the German Arnis Association (Deutscher Arnis Verband).  The DAV is the largest Arnis association in Germany with a 2,500-strong membership.

Consul Rona Beth Goce of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin was at hand during the black belt presentation ceremony on 24 September.  The highest black belt (10^th Degree) was awarded to German Arnis Grandmaster Dieter Knüttel reflecting 30 years of dedication to mastering Modern Arnis.  The DAV thanked Consul Goce for taking part in the ceremony, presenting the black belts and showing the Embassy’s support for Modern Arnis in Germany.

Modern Arnis is a martial arts and self-defense system founded by Remy Presas. His stated goal was to “create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense system in order to preserve the older Arnis systems.”

There are currently only six Grandmasters who have the 10th Degree Black Belt in Modern Arnis, five of them are from the Philippines, the sixth is DAV Chief Instructor Dieter Knüttel.  Three out the six Grandmasters were in Germany for the training camp.  END

The Philippine Embassy in Berlin hosted the vernissage of “Moments in Nature” featuring the works of women photographers Maria Citadel Muñoz Cruz and Anita Nowack (nee San Pedro) on 13 September 2016.  Cutting the ribbon with featured artists and Ambassador Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek was Tarlac Governor Susan Yap.  An intimate crowd of about 70 people were treated to a feast of the senses – an exhibition of beautiful photos, serene music and Filipino cocktails.

Maria Citadel Muñoz Cruz has been a photographer for many years.  She is also a Reiki healing practitioner.  Married to Minister and Consul Adrian Elmer Cruz with three children, Citadel´s photography inspirations have been from her family´s experiences and travels abroad.   For this year´s exhibit, she showcased her collection of water-themed photography.  When asked about her love for photography, Citadel quipped, “It makes me turn off my mental chatter and truly be present in the moment.  It allows me to pause, observe, and listen. It makes me realise that the present moment is doing its very best to show me something.  Oftentimes, it´s something that I might overlook, or ignore, or would consider mundane.  Photography enables me to appreciate that beauty surrounds me”.

Anita Nowack has been a self-taught artist.  Her photographs in the exhibition mirrored encounters during what she calls her “breathing spaces.” Some of the photographs exhibited were from her “A Blossom Fell” series which pays homage to women victims of violence.  On her genesis as a photographer, Anita said, “Several factors led me to photography: my family, travels, broadcast years and up to my present humanitarian work.  This art has been my liberation, emancipation, feng shui, my balance, my wellness, my thousand eyes.”

Anita hails from Davao City and currently lives in Saarbrücken with her husband Olaf.  She is also the President of Kinderhilfe Philippinen e.V., an organization that raises funds for the benefit of the Educational Research and Development Foundation (ERDA), an NGO based in the Philippines.

“Moments in Nature” was open to the public from 14 to 27 September 2016, Mondays to Fridays, 0900h-1600h. END