12-year-old Pio Calungcaguin (center) is among the youngest published authors who participated in the Philippine Book Festival to inspire other children who also dream of telling their stories and writing their own books. (Photo by: Gelaine Gutierrez/PIA-NCR)
MANILA (PIA) – The Philippine Book Festival (PBF) returned this 2025 as a vital platform for Filipino authors and local book publishers to showcase the country’s rich literary heritage.
Through the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the PBF has become instrumental in improving the accessibility of Filipino-authored and published books, from fiction and poetry to non-fiction and academic literature, to readers and learners of all ages.
The NBDB also elevated the PBF to a greater purpose by partnering with the Department of Education (DepEd) in order to effectively bring Philippine literature within the reach of Filipino students and teachers across the country.
In this regard, the country’s book authority continues to invest in the future of Philippine literature by offering free grants to support the industry of emerging and established local authors and publishers.
Nida Ramirez of the 19th Avenida Publishing was among the local publishers who received a grant from the NBDB and participated as an exhibitor at this year’s PBF.
“We’ve been applying and receiving grants from the National Book Development Board for previous years. We were able to get the translation grants for three of our books, including Bob Ong’s ABNKKBSNPLAko?!, which was translated to English and was published internationally,” Ramirez shared.
“We’ve also received publication grants for three of our books as well. Malaking malaki tulong nito lalo na nitong katatapos na pandemya which was the time we received the grant. Nakatulong ito dahil mataas ang presyo ng printing and with that grant, we were able to produce more books,” she added.
(We’ve also received publication grants for three of our books as well. This was a huge help, especially during the pandemic, which was the time we received the grant. It helped us deal with the high printing costs, and with that grant, we were able to produce more books.)
Aside from helping Filipino authors to publish books, Ramirez also highlighted how the grants from NBDB, particularly the translation subsidy, have been pivotal in expanding the reach of Philippine literature to a global audience.
NBDB Project Development Officer Maria Carolina Tapia encouraged Filipino authors and publishers to avail of these grants to support their industry’s growth.
Other grants include the National Book Development Trust Fund (NBDTF) which offers assistance to Filipino authors in writing manuscripts, especially on topics with few or no locally authored books such as science and technology and indigenous languages pursuant to Republic Act No. 9521.
The NBDB also offers the Creative Nation Grant which allows publishers or creatives to receive a travel grant to go to conventions or book fairs both locally and internationally.
The PBF will run from March 13 to 16, 2025, at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
Beyond being a marketplace, the all-Filipino PBF serves as the grandest celebration of Philippine literature where authors, publishers, and book enthusiasts can come together to connect and foster a deeper appreciation of the country’s diverse literary scene. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
