PH book industry meets challenges

The integration of the economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations emphasizes the need for the Philippines to scale up its publishing industry to cater to the big but underserved market for books.

In the 2014 State of the Book Industry Address (SOBA) delivered by National Book Development Board Chair Flor Marie Sta. Romana Cruz, it was reported that 88 percent of Filipino adults read non-school books and yet the Philippines only produces 6,000 new titles a year, lagging behind Singapore (8,000-10,000), Indonesia (10,000), Thailand (10,000), Malaysia (10,000-13,000) and Vietnam (20,000).

Acknowledging the challenges faced by the industry, the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), the biggest and longest running book fair in the country, renews its commitment to bolster the book industry as it celebrates its 36th year on Sept. 16-20, at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

Sta. Romana-Cruz said the local book industry cannot meet the needs of the local market and that in 2012, the Philippines imported $61.49 million worth of books.

“Popular genres include fiction, particularly romance, as well as cooking, history, humor, and comics,” Sta. Romana Cruz said of a recent readership survey. “Filipinos acquire their books mostly by borrowing or receiving them as gifts.”

Sta. Romana Cruz also revealed that according to the Creative Industries Roadmap, Press and Literature contribute significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the sector racking up P3.02 billion or 6 percent in 2009, ranking third among the core copyright-based creative industries, topped only by Motion Picture and Video at 8 percent and Software and Databases at 35 percent.

With the growing needs of the burgeoning market, the MIBF remains steadfast in giving the Philippine book industry a venue to close the gap.

“The Manila International Book Fair was founded to bring books closer to the Filipino people,” says Irene Lloren, president of Primetrade Asia, organizer of the annual MIBF. “Three decades later, I think we have some measure of success, as we’ve seen the head count swell to over 100,000 in five days and witnessed the book fair’s evolution from an industry and academic event to an all-in-one destination for the entire family, across several generations.”

MIBF is organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc. in partnership with Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc., Book Development Association of the Philippines, Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc., and Publishers Representatives Organization of the Philippines. For details, call 890-0661 or 896-0682, or e-mail [email protected].