The Philippine Book Festival is the largest traveling book festival in the country that highlights Filipino books. The festival is happening from June 2 to 4 at the World Trade Center Manila along Buendia Avenue in Pasay City.
During the three-day fair, there will be pocket events where you can catch your favorite author's panel, join a free workshop, explore an exhibit, and, of course, purchase Filipino-authored books.
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How to Register for the Philippine Book Festival
The Philippine Book Festival is free to the public. If you're interested to visit, you can log on to the Philippine Book Festival website and click on the "Register to join the event for free" that's on the uppermost portion of the website.
A pop-up window will appear, and this will only ask for your first name, last name, username, password, email, mobile number, age group, and sex assigned at birth. That's pretty much it. It's simple and can be done in less than five minutes.
Navigating the Philippine Book Festival 2023
There will be four sections at the Philippine Book Festival, namely Kids Lit, where you can find books for kids and young adults; Booktopia, where the book selection tackles a diverse range of topics; Komiks Land, where comic book lovers and collectors can check out classic and new comics, and lastly, Aral Aklat, where students can discover new textbooks.
There will also be a Book Nook, where there will be a display of books of award-winning titles from the National Book Awards; and the History of Philippine Book exhibition, which is curated by the National Library of the Philippines and National Book Development Board (NBDB).
Schedule Overview
The Philippine Book Festival runs for a total of three days, from June 2 to 4, at the World Trade Center. These dates fall on the weekend and coincidentally, after payday, too, which means you get to buy more books.
Here's the schedule for each day, based on the NBDB website:
- June 2, Friday: Starts 4 p.m. until 1 p.m.
- June 3, Saturday: Starts 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.
- June 4, Sunday: Starts 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Note: The schedule of events is still subject to change.
Day 1: Opening Ceremonies and Highlights
To kick off the Philippine Book Festival on June 2, there will be smaller events (i.e. workshops) happening simultaneously, but in different venues.
Awards Ceremony: NBDB Grant Recipients
Time: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue: Main Stage
Entry: Free of charge
The NBDB hosts a competitive grant program for writers, illustrators, and publishers. During the ceremony, NBDB will award the grantees of the Publication, Translation, and National Book Development Trust Fund grant.
REconnect: Reading-Writing Connection
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Venue: Joya Function Room
Entry: P600/one workshop, P1,000/both REconnect workshops
Register: To register, email reconnect.workshop@gmail.com.
The Reading Association of the Philippines can help kids (Junior and Senior High) get into the habit of reading through evidence-based practices.
REconnect: Reading Intervention
Time: 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Joya Function Room
Entry:P600/one workshop, P1,000/both REconnect workshops
Register: To register, email reconnect.workshop@gmail.com.
The second part of the REconnect workshop ties in the needed knowledge, strategies, and best practices in regard to the reading-writing connection.
WHATCHA SAYING? Learn Filipino Sign Language with CJ Reynaldo and friends
Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Komiks Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
Caldwell Jones "CJ" Reynaldo, a freelance artist, and his friends are offering free lessons on Filipino sign language.
Learning About Autism with Doobie Doo Asks
Time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue: Komiks Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
Bambi Eloriaga-Amago and Roland Amago are the writers of Doobie Doo Asks, which tells a story of how the parents in the book answered their son when he asked, "What is wrong with me?" During this panel, the authors will tackle learning autism through the book.
A Tribute: Luwalhati kay Lualhati
Time: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Venue: Main Stage
Entry: Free of charge
Philippine Book Festival pays tribute to the icon that is novelist and screenwriter Lualhati Bautista. Dr. Luna Sicat Cleto, Dr. Genevieve Asenjo, Sue Prado, and National Artist Nora Aunor will participate in this event.
The Grand Reception
Time: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Venue: Main Stage
Entry: Free of charge
This reception is a celebration of Philippine education and literature. This will be hosted by the Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA).
Hagod: The Lost Art Styles of Filipino Komiks
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Venue: Komik Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
Randy Valiente will talk about the lost art styles of Filipino Komiks, their unique characteristics, and the impact they had on the industry.
Day 2: Literary Panels and Workshops
Meet and Greet: Ambeth Ocampo
Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Main Stage
Entry: Free of charge
Meet the award-winning Filipino public historian and academic Ambeth Ocampo. He is known for his writings about Jose Rizal, such as Rizal Without the Overcoat and Makamisa: The Search for Rizal's Third Novel.
Book Signing: Genaro Gojo Cruz
Time: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Venue: Bookmark Booth
Entry: Free of charge
Get your copy of May Sampung Sisiw Sa Batis signed by the author himself, Genaro Gojo Cruz.
Create Your Own Cartoon Workshop
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Venue: Komiks Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
Samahan Kartunista ng Pilipinas will be holding a two-hour free workshop where interested participants can conceptualize and create their own cartoons.
Book Launch and Storytelling: Kalambing
Time: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Venue: Kids Lit Stage
Entry: Free of charge
Author Augie Rivera and Illustrator Al Estrella are launching a new book called Kalambing. It's a story about Kulas, a goat who wants to join a parade of carabaos.
Book Launch: Trese Presents Verdugo
Time: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Venue: Main Stage
Entry: Free of charge
JB Tapia and 19th Avenida are launching a new book, Verdugo.
Creating Good Webtoon Stories
Time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue: Komiks Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
This free workshop will be headed by Na Seungjoon and the Korean Cultural Center. This is for webtoon enthusiasts who want to try their hands at creating their own webtoon.
Visual Storytelling in Multi-Platforms
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Venue: Komiks Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
Director Mike Alcazaren teaches how to engage your audience with visually compelling stories—ones that can leave a positive lasting impression.
BDAP Connect: Networking Reception for Book Development Association of the Philippines Members
Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Venue: Booktopia stage
Entry: Private event, for BDAP members only
For those who are members of the Book Development Association of the Philippines, this is a great time to meet new people and widen your network.
Day 3: Launchings and Signings
Meet and Greet: Gwy Saludes
Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Venue: Main stage
Entry: Free of charge
Gwy Saludes, the writer behind The Rain in España, is a rising star in the Philippine literary scene. During this three-hour meet-and-greet, she will be talking about different themes of love, identity, and mental health. Plus, this is your chance to get your favorite book signed!
Workshop: Designing and Illustrating Books for Children
Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Venue: Joya Room
Entry: P600.
Register: Email bookinstitute@books.gov.ph.
Rommel Joson will teach the essential skills to illustrate and design children's books.
Wordless Comics Creation
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Venue: Komiks Land Room
Entry: Free of charge
Manix Abrera will share his process of how he uses visual cues to tell a story—without using words.
Aklatan Ko’y Kanlungan: A Roundtable Discussion on the Libraries a Safe Space
Time: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Venue: Joya Room
Entry: P500
Register: Email pbbyworkshops@gmail.com.
Brian Coballes, Zarah Gagatiga, and Troy Lacsamana of the Philippine Librarians' Association, Inc. will inspire librarians to evaluate existing library services and programs.
Diverse Books: Every Sunday + Super Maya
Time: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Kids Lit Stage
Entry: Free of charge
Och Gonzales, Bambi Rodriguez, and Kahel Press will discuss inclusivity through their book Every Sunday, which is a book that talks about learning sign language.
Our Nation's Heroes Bayani Biographies: Gregoria de Jesus
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Venue: Main Stage
Entry: Free of charge
Historians Natasha Kintanar, John Ray Ramos, and Xiao Chua will talk about Philippine history, heroes, and how they were able to produce the Bayani Biographies series.
The Philippine Book Festival is having a second leg at SMX Davao from August 18 to 20.
The Philippine Book Festival runs from June 2 to 4 at the World Trade Center Manila, Buendia Avenue, Pasay City. For more information, check out National Book Development Board - Philippines's Facebook page.
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This story originally appeared on Spot.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Candymag.com editors.
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