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)