The 37th MIBF and the Art of Reading
September 14 marked the first day of the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), the largest and longest-running book fair in the Philippines. The five day book fair ended last Sunday, September 18.
Numerous local authors came to sign some of their published works and to meet with their excited fans, namely Manix Abrera (Kikomachine Komiks), Toto Madayag (P*cha Edi Komiks!), Eliza Victoria (A Bottle of Storm Cloud Stories) and Tepai Pascual (Maktan 1521).
University-based publishing companies also had booths set up, like the Ateneo de Manila University Press, the Far Eastern University Publications, the University of the Philippines Press and the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.
Tradition vs. Evolution
Carmela Rita Viriña, the managing director of Airbooks Corporation, the official distributor of Britannica in the Philippines, talked about their product which is the Britannica Digital Learning.
She pointed out that students today get most of their information through the internet but the data they obtain can most likely be incorrect.
“Our product is trusted, we deliver relevant information, and the most important thing is that it is current”, she proudly stated.
Viriña mentioned as well that the evolution is necessary especially now that we are living in the digital age.
“Online sources can be good if, and only if, the content is accurate and since we have been in the business since 1768, Britannica is sure to provide just that,” she added.
On the other hand, the Vibal Group’s response to the digital age is to reintroduce the value of reading books.
Vibal Group is a local publishing company which produces different reading materials that aim to expand both the knowledge and creativity of its readers.
Although Vibal is also venturing out towards various kinds of technologies, they make it a point to show their support to actual books.
“The experience of reading a physical copy of a book is something that cannot be replaced”, said Angelo Lopez, their product management associate.
To further emphasize on this value, Vibal has recently launched the graphic model compilation of the classic comic “Ang Barbaro” by Francisco V. Coching. Vibal wanted to reintroduce the Filipino youth to the beauty of classic comics written by Filipino authors and at the same time, show that these stories can be on par with its Western counterparts.
Reading Leads to Learning
Many of the booths in the fair had their own gimmick when it comes to attracting buyers. One that particularly stood out is the booth of Rex Bookstore Inc.
The company had an exhibit showcasing the different festivals of the world. “It is important to portray the different cultures of different countries”, said Sonia Santiago, the general manager of Rex Bookstore.
She added that this kind of exhibit is important especially to the youth in order to develop and nourish them in the form of education.
Presenting a simpler yet direct approach is the Anvil Publishing Inc. Having no specific theme but instead opting to display every possible genre, the aim of Anvil is simply just to share the pleasure of reading.
“The greatest achievement of the Manila Book Fair is that it was able to develop a generation of readers”, said Gwenn Galves, the academic product manager of Anvil Publishing Inc.
Galves firmly believes that reading, as a whole, contributes to the learning process of a person.
“I don’t want to judge and say that what these children are reading is not high quality. As long as the material interests them and it is not pornographic, we aren’t breaking any rules then let them enjoy the beauty of reading”, Galves added.
What the book fair goers have to say
Even on its last day, the MIBF was still packed with enthusiastic booklovers, coming from different cities and provinces. Avid readers endured the seemingly endless queue under the heat of the sun just so they can be surrounded by books both for leisure and for education, published either locally or internationally.
“Kaya ako pumunta dito kasi to find books na hindi mo mahahanap all-year-round.” Explained Joy Valenzuela, one of this year’s attendees.
Most of the people present that day were not first timers. The opportunity to purchase rare books with big discounts and to meet a couple of well-known authors is more than enough to make people want to come back every year.
“Yung mga discount kasi sobrang laking tipid para sa mga bookworm na kagaya ko”, commented Ivy Feriño, a student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
