The three-term senator believes that the book fair will do for Philippine books and authors, what Venice Biennale has done for Filipino visual artists, including architects.
The Philippine publishing industry, including authors of fiction and non-fiction books as well as graphic novels, will get a much-needed boost in the global market, as Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda has expressed her support for the Philippines’ bid to be the Guest of Honor (GOH) country of the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) in 2025.
Having visited the Philippine pavilion at the FBF 2018 and at the FBF 2019, Legarda said that the National Book Development Board (NBDB), with the support of its mother agency, the Department of Education (DepEd), should ensure the continuous participation of the Philippines in the FBF and work towards being a GOH country.
“I laud the efforts of the NBDB to promote our local publishing industry in the global arena. That is why I did not think twice in giving my full support for our participation in the Frankfurt Book Fair when it was presented to me for budget allocation,” said Legarda.
The Philippines first participated in the FBF in 1998 until 2000 but was not able to sustain it. The NBDB succeeded in participating again in 2015, although in very modest terms, and in 2016, was able to put up a professionally executed pavilion through the support of Legarda, who, as then Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, increased the budget for the Philippines’ participation.
“We need to sustain this presence and aim to be the Guest of Honor country at the FBF 2025, the earliest year available with no designated GOH yet,” she stressed.
Despite the pandemic, the Philippines continues to participate in the October book fair by sending a few selected titles to the annual event. In a recent press conference over Zoom, NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade updated participants on the current status of Philippine participation in Frankfurt. Apart from being a viable business, locally produced books are an ideal way for the world to read about the Philippine experience and perspective, said Tugade. For 2021, the NBDB has for its theme “Myth, Magic and the City.”
As a long-time climate change advocate, Legarda also read excerpts from Remains, a work of fiction set in the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda, by Daryll Delgado. Other featured Filipino books in the current Frankfurt Book Fair include White Lady, Black Christ by Charlson Ong, The Quiet Ones by Glenn Diaz, My Sad Republic by Eric Gamalinda, Tales from Ticao by Tito Genova Valiente, Naimas! The Food Heritage of Ilocos Sur by DV Savellano and Heny Sison, Kung Linggo by Virgilio Almario and Abi Goy, Little Wolf by Cat Sacdalan, Pitong Tsinelas by Divine Gil Reyes and Benjor Cantindig and Ginto’t Pilak by Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, Eugene Evasco and Tristan Yuvienco.
Legarda explained that being a GOH country of the FBF would be a major feat and would greatly benefit the local book publishing industry as the country would be the highlight of the fair. GOH status allows the country to showcase different facets of its culture and arts.
The only ASEAN country that has become GOH of the FBF is Indonesia in 2015.
“We need to work now to be GOH country in 2025. We need to be visible and make our presence stronger and felt. We did it in the Venice Biennale, where we achieved many feats, from returning in the Art Biennale in 2015 after a 51-year absence, to participating for the first time in the Architecture Biennale, to securing a space for our national pavilion in the Arsenale, the historic exhibition space of the Venice Biennale art platform. This year, our exhibit proudly bagged the Special Mention as National Participation. We will do the same for the Frankfurt Book Fair, not only to improve every year’s participation but to be the Guest of Honor country,” the three-term senator said.
“Our presence in the Frankfurt Book Fair is a good opportunity for the Philippines not only to promote our publishing industry in the global arena but also to showcase the world-class talents of our Filipino writers and the gems of Filipino literature, espousing our rich culture and traditions,” Legarda concluded.
The Frankfurt Book Fair, which is held annually in Frankfurt, Germany, is the world’s largest international trade fair for the book publishing industry. It remains to be the most important marketplace for publishers, authors, literary agents, media professionals, illustrators, and book and trade associations to negotiate their publishing and licensing rights. This year, it will run from October 20 to 24.
