CONTENTS
2 Chairman’s
Message
9 Lakbay Awtor para sa
2 Executive
Director’s
Message
10 Honoring
Strong Women
in Celebration
of National
Women’s Month
Pinay Everest climbers
Berkeley on my Mind
3 Deputy Executive
Director’s
Message
Kabataan: Bringing Filipino
authors closer to the young
Read Well, Act Well
NBDB in 2008
3 Editor’s Letter
Let’s Save our Hearts
Highlights of the 2007
NBDB Readership Survey
read their way to the
world’s summit
12 The country’s top women
illustrators on their
passion for books and
color
4 Industry News
Do Pinoys Read?
16 Cover Story
6 Toots Abiva and his
18 Feature
6 ABPA at the Hanoi Book
22 Penman Butch Dalisay
6 PGMA resets Philippine
25Hot Off the Press!
invaluable contributions
to the book publishing
industry
Expo
Book Development
Month to November
7 National Book Awards to
be administered by the
NBDB
7 NBDB partners with the
Filipinas Heritage Library
for the 12th PBDM
8 Blast at the 2007 UP
Writers Night
9 NBDB and AHON
Miriam Quiambao and
her book-filled universe!
Neil Gaiman praises
Pinoy writers at the 20th
AD Congress
with the NBDB Book Club
27 Book Review
Frontline Leadership
Stories of 5 Local Chief
Executives
27 The Best Philippine Short
Stories of the Twentieth
Century
28Our Favorite List
25 Notable Books of 2007
31 Read Alert!
ON THE COVER
Miriam reads Desire and Other Stories of Paz Latorena
edited by Eva Kalaw published by UST Publishing House.
Photo taken by Ocs Alvarez at Circle Café, Quezon City.
Desire collects thirty-five short stories of Paz Latorena,
one of the pioneers of short story writing in the country.
Circle Café is located at the 2F of Centro Bldg., Timog Avenue cor. Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
Foundation host
storytelling with celebrities
Design & LAYOUT
Mikke Gallardo
committee 2008
Editor-in-Chief
Alvin J. Buenaventura
Managing Editor
Dianne S. Mendoza
Writers
Ma. Asena A. Galang
Glenn L. Malimban
Contributors
Corren Marcelo
Pia Benosa
Photographers
Ocs Alvarez
Marketing Staff
Grace G. Santos
Salvador D. Briola Jr.
Lily Y. Pahilanga
Circulation Staff
Sylvia C. Mendoza
Gemma E. Bermudes
Rhonnell C. Dacio
Board of Advisers
Atty. Andrea Pasion-Flores
Executive Officer
Frances Jeanne L. Sarmiento
Deputy Executive Officer
Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez
Chairman
National Book
Development Board
2/F National Printing
Office Bldg., EDSA
cor. NIA Northside
Road, Diliman,
Quezon City 1100
www.nbdb.gov.ph
Trunk lines:
(632) 920-9853,
929-3677,
929-3887
1
MESSAGES
Read Well, Act Well
NBDB in 2008
Berkeley on my mind
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is
around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Does something exist if it is not perceived?
It’s an old philosophical question Irish
philosopher George Berkeley put forth in
the 18th century that might come in handy
for publishers.
Last year, the NBDB again commissioned
the Social Weather Stations to conduct a
readership survey, measuring the reading
habits and preferences of Filipinos as a
follow-up to the 2003 NBDB Readership
Survey. Some numbers came up that puzzled
people: there is a decrease from 94% to
92% in reading in general; there is a 7%
decrease in reading of books in particular
and, 31% decrease in book reading in NCR;
and there is a significant decrease in book
reading among the upper classes.
During the presentation of the NBDB
Readership Survey, marketing guru Dr.
Ned Roberto mentioned that, as a whole,
2
BOOKWATCH
there seems to be no cause for worry, at
94% and 92%, we can safely say that 9
out of 10 Filipinos read in general; 7 out
of 9 Filipinos read non-school books in
particular. So if asked, do Filipinos read? Is
there a market for books in the Philippines?
The answers to both questions should be
a resounding yes, Dr. Roberto said, as the
numbers show that Filipinos read.
But publishers always put the blame on
the readers, saying there are not enough
readers, or that Filipinos don’t read enough,
which accounts for their dismal book sales;
it’s the reason some books only have 500
to 1,000 print runs sold in about, let’s see,
an embarrassing four-year’s time. It’s the
same way some writers feel when the average
Filipino does not recognize his byline, like it’s
the Filipino people’s fault they were not made
more aware of the work of a writer when
there were no efforts done to make them
aware of the existence of the author’s works:
no author tours conducted by the publisher,
not even a book launch, no ad placements in
newspapers, no press releases. It seems the
way books are sold in the Philippines is to
make them sell themselves on the shelves of
National Book Store, if they are there at all.
And many of them are not there.
Should the public be blamed for not
buying books? Is it their fault they don’t
know a certain title exists? Absolutely
not. But the sad fact is, publishers do not
have marketing budgets; a book launch is
not even SOP. There is an absolute lack
of creativity in looking for ways to sell
books, and the lack-luster sales are blamed
on various things: government policies,
Let’s save
our hearts
Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez
Chairman, NBDB
education problems, readers, and everything
else but internal company policies and
the old way of doing things—selling only
within the confines of a book store.
Are there ways to sell books other
than on book store shelves? I am not a
marketing expert, but there are absolutely
more ways of penetrating markets other
than being in bookstores. Paul McCartney,
for instance, signed a contract with
Starbucks for his latest CDs to be sold in
Starbucks cafes, knowing full well that the
number of Starbucks stores worldwide
pretty much rival that of McDonald’s, not
to mention that there are certainly more
Starbucks stores than music stores.
Do publishers go to the media enough, for
example? Is there a media plan at all for the
titles? Are alternative ways of selling books
explored? Are digital avenues explored (now
this merits a separate piece in itself)? Are there
enough events created to push sales? Are there
enough efforts to make the public know that
a certain title exists? Are there radio or TV
station appearances done for authors? Does
the publisher have a very basic thing called
a website? Can people purchase from their
websites? Do they have a printed catalogue?
If the answers to these questions are a
no, then it might be best to keep Berkeley’s
famous dictum in mind instead of saying
that Filipinos don’t read and that is, “to be
is to be perceived.”
Andrea Pasion-Flores
Executive Director
PhotoS by OCS ALVAREZ (Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez, ANDREA Pasion-flores AND Frances Jeanne L. Sarmiento),
Juan Carlos Soriano (Alvin J. Buenaventura) BOOK Photo courtesy of Star Teacher, taken by Dakila Angeles.
The best books offer words and graphics that generate active reflection and
meaningful action. Bad books breed mere words, and in this case the Book of
Ecclesiastes (6:11) rightly says, “the more the words, the less the meaning, and how
does that profit anyone?”
We hear many troubling and confusing words hurled by opposing forces in our society.
More than ever, we need hours of quiet critical reflection. Reading good books can
occasion the hours that will enable us to tell the difference between the relevant and the
trivial, the reality and the hyperbole, the attainable and the unattainable. After enough
quiet reflection and sober discussion with fellow critical readers, there is greater certainty
of meaningful action on the part of individuals and communities.
By reading critically and acting wisely, we can learn much from our political troubles
and social conflicts. We dare to hope that we can become a strong nation of lifelong
learners, readers and achievers, a nation in which nobody, young or old, is too poor to
have any chance of reading the best books and doing great works.
At the heart of the Philippines is Marinduque. This
heart-shaped island located in the MIMAROPA
region, famous for its Moriones Festival, made
international news when 1.5 million cubic meters of
toxic mine tailings spilled out of Marcopper’s Tapian
Pit down to the rivers and into Laylay Bay. It was the
worst mining disaster in the country. The toxic sludge
brought flash floods smothering villages and killing
livestock. It contaminated drinking water and caused
long-term environmental damage. The 27-kilometer
Boac River, choked with mine tailings, ceased to give
shelter to marine life and was eventually declared dead.
This is just one of the many environment reports
published by the Philippine Center for Investigative
Journalism (PCIJ) and compiled in the book Saving the
Earth: The Philippine Experience. For the ancient Greeks,
Gaia is Mother Earth, the goddess who gives and
nurtures life. In this issue, we feature Filipino women
climbers who are also ardent environmentalists; top
women illustrators whose gentle hands breathe life to
children’s books; and Get Caught Reading campaign
endorser Miriam Quiambao.
We are honored to have penman Butch Dalisay
encouraging young writers to see the fantastic in the
ordinary; and science fiction and fantasy writer Neil
Gaiman writing on the importance of imagination
and creativity.
Indeed it will take a lot of creativity and
imagination to attain development while
maintaining environmental health. Let us do our
part in saving Mother Earth for saving her means
saving our hearts and, ultimately, our lives.
Alvin J. Buenaventura
Editor-in-Chief
Saving the Earth: The Philippine
Experience, 4th edition (ISBN 971-8686134), edited by Cecile C.A. Balgos,
published by PCIJ, available at the
Filipinas Heritage Library’s bookshop
Libros Filipinos for P170.
For most of us, the arrival
of a new year awakens the
need to plan ahead—what
goals are worth pursuing, and
what steps to take in order to
fulfill those goals.
For a government agency
such as the NBDB, planning
ahead is indispensable, if the finite resources at its disposal are to be utilized
in the best possible manner.
What are NBDB’s plans for 2008?
For Philippine Book Development Month (PBDM), NBDB is taking
its activities to the Visayas for maximum impact. Lecture series, contests,
and other activities designed to promote readership and give a boost to
the book industry will be implemented in cooperation with partners
such as the Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL) and the Department of
Education (DepEd).
NBDB will take over the administration of the National Book
Awards, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement with the Manila
Critics Circle signed early this year. This event promises to be one of
NBDB’s major highlights in the coming months.
Taking topmost priority in NBDB’s legislative agenda is the passage
of the National Book Development Trust Fund Bill, which aims to
provide grants to qualified authors to allow them the opportunity to finish
their manuscripts and have them published. The House Committee on
Education, Arts and Culture recently passed the House version of the
Bill and forwarded it to the Committee on Appropriations for funding
purposes. The Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture also
conducted a hearing on the Senate version of the Bill recently, where
NBDB advocated for the Bill’s approval on the Committee level.
Content development and academic publishing comprise two
significant concepts that NBDB is striving to emphasize this year.
In terms of content development, NBDB is currently working with
government agencies such as DepEd and the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) to ensure the high quality of Philippine publications.
Following the success of the first academic publishing conference
in 2007, NBDB is preparing to conduct a similar conference in the
Visayas. Likewise, NBDB is assisting scholarly and academic publishers
to form an association for purposes of pushing the frontiers of
knowledge and pooling resources to ensure the distribution and wide
availability of academic journals and papers.
And these are just some of the activities we at NBDB have in mind
for this year. The most exciting part of our job is, we sometimes have
to expect the unexpected, and it is the unexpected which sometimes
brings the best projects we can hope to carry out this year.
We look forward to making 2008 a banner year for the book
industry, and we welcome all opportunities to serve our stakeholders,
whether they are planned or unexpected.
FRANCES JEANNE SARMIENTO
Deputy Executive Director
3
INDUSTRY NEWS
In what languages do
Filipinos read?
Top seven (7) languages of non-school books read are
Tagalog, English, Cebuano, Bisaya, Ilocano, Arabic, and
Ilonggo. This ranking is the same as the ranking of the
languages by preference of non-school book readers
interviewed.
LANGUAGE READ PREFERRED
MORE FILIPINOS ARE READING
NON-SCHOOL BOOKS1
Highlights of the 2007 NBDB Readership Survey
Reading in general
92
%
school books (NSBs) at a younger age: in 2003 the median age
for starting with NSBs was 15 years; in 2007 the median age is
14 years. Average age for starting to read NSBs in 2003 and in
2007 are 17.2 years and 16.4 years, respectively.
Why do Filipinos read
non-school books?
Ninety two
percent of
Filipinos read.
The main reasons are the same for 2003 and 2007 surveys:
87 13
The book readers number highest at 83%; in
comparison, fewer Filipinos read newspapers (72%),
magazines (51%), and comics (36%).
In general, more book readers are reading nonschool books (NSBs), except in the National Capital
Region where book readers reading NSBs decreased
in 2007 compared to 2003 2
%
read for
knowledge
%
read for
enjoyment
T ota l R P
What Do Filipinos Read?
NC R
B a l a nc e L uz on
V i s ayas
M i nda na o
A B C c l as s es
2003 H a v e r ea d N SB s
C l as s D
C l as s E
T ota l R P
1 8 to 2 4
NC R
2 5 to 3 4
B a l a nc e L uz on
3 5 to 4 4
V i s ayas
4 5 a nd ol de r
M i nda na o
0
A B C c l as s es
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2007 H a v e r ea d N SB s
Figure 1. Percentage of book readers who read non-school books
C l as s D
The top five (5) kinds of NSBs Filipinos prefer to read are:
Bible (67%), romance (33%), cooking (28%), comic
books (26%), inspirational (20%). Other categories
of books read are : humor (19%), science (18%), horror/
suspense (17%), family planning, business/economics/
livelihood, and sports/fitness and appearance (16%), health
& medicines/herbs (15%), government, laws/legal issues,
agriculture, and lifestyle (14%), heroes and animals (12%),
child rearing, social issues and horoscope (11%).
2007 H a v e r ea d N SB s
2003 H a v e r ea d N SB s
C l as s E
57.8%
40.5%
36.9%
17.9%
Cebuano
Bisaya
Ilocano
Arabic
Ilonggo
6.98%
6.67%
5.5%
2.3%
1.37%
5.35%
5.14%
4.77%
2.25%
1.06%
Many Filipino readers notice the packaging of the books
among other things (i.e. blurb, reviews, publisher). In the 2007
survey, what is always or most often noticed about a nonschool book is the packaging of the book as a whole (35%).
Do Filipinos know
where the nearest
library is?
Majority of all groups of non-school book readers do not
know where the public library nearest their home is.
Most non-school book readers identify the city library or
the municipal as the public library nearest their home.
Non-school book readers get to acquire the books they
read by 1) receiving the NSBs as gifts (42%); 2) borrowing
from others (41%); 3) reading books from the library
(27%); 4) buying (19%) and; 5) renting (18%). Nearly a
majority (49%) of those who read non-school books said
that the nearest bookstore is “FAR” from their home.
-A.A. Galang
Opinions from the experts
Filipino kids are starting to
read non-school books a year
younger. Now, more Filipinos begin reading non-
Photo by Joyce Llanto, 3rd place winner of the 2004 NBDB Photo Contest.
T
he NBDB presents the much-anticipated results
of the most thorough study on the state of
readership in the country. Following the 2003
NBDB Readership Survey, the NBDB once again
commissioned the Social Weather Stations to conduct the
2007 NBDB Readership Survey. These are what the results say
about the Filipinos’ reading habits.
Tagalog
English
Do Filipinos
notice design and
packaging?
NBDB governor Dr. Queena Lee-Chua of the Ateneo de Manila
University, marketing guru Dr. Ned Roberto of the Asian Institute
of Management (AIM), and Philippine advertising trailblazer Emily
Abrera of McCann-Ericksonn gave their commentaries during
the survey presentation last November 28, 2007 at the Discovery
Suites in Ortigas, Pasig City.
Dr. Queena Lee-Chua
Harnessing the power
of parents
According to Dr. Chua,
in the Private and Public
Schools Best Practices
study conducted by the
Ateneo in 2003, it showed
that reading for pleasure is the primary
pastime of students who excel in school,
both in the Ateneo and public schools.
“Some (public school students) even said that
National Book Store is their library. They go
to National Bookstore every week, and then
they just browse books and spend the entire
day there. Yan ang pastime ng maraming
magagaling sa public schools. That means
that reading is significant for academic
achievement for Pinoy kids.”
The Ateneo study also shows that parents
of honor students exempt their children from
household chores to focus on exams and
studies in school. “We need to harness the
power of parents. After our Best Practices
study, we’re now giving parents seminars
for them to be able to put into practice the
strategies we follow.”
“We found out that working with the kids
alone is not enough; working with the teachers
alone is not enough. We need to find a way to
get parents involved. If parents know the value
of reading, their kids could read more.”
Dr. Ned Roberto
More shelves
for local books
The drop in readership
of reading materials,
like books, newspapers,
magazines, and comic
books, Dr. Ned says, did
not have an impact on the total readership
level because there are possibly other
reading materials out there that are getting
the attention of readers.
“We have to find out all those other reading
materials gaining significant readership. We
can have an FGD (Focus Group Discussion)
to generate those reading materials then
quantify the results of the FGD into the
2007 Readership Survey; especially reading
materials online; because when you go online
and you use the internet, you are reading.”
When it comes to the preference of the
AB class to buy imported books, according
to Dr. Ned, this could be attributed to the
share of space local book stores allot for
locally-published books.
“The AB’s buying of imported goods is a
function merely of more shares of bookstore
shelves. The imported books outnumber
local books in terms of shelf space. Therefore,
when the reader enters the book store, he is
more exposed to imported books. And what
you’re more exposed to, you buy. “
Emily Abera
Bringing books closer
to people
In order to build the habit
of reading, Emily Abrera
says it is important that we
give people places that will
entice them to read as well
as a culture that encourages book-giving.
“We need more libraries. We need them
closer to where people live. They should
be promoted as places where reading is
enjoyed, not just places where students go to
do research.
“There is a greater value today attached to
books and it’s perceived as a habit important
in the development of children. The seed
is there. The attitude is positive. We just
have to go in there and market. Education
is the highest aspiration of parents for their
children. All our surveys show that. As long
as books and reading are seen as part of this
aspiration, we have something to build on.”
-D.S. Mendoza
1 8 to 2 4
2 5 to 3 4
4
1 Based on the results of the 2007 NBDB Readership Survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in June 2007. Printouts of survey results are available for perusal at the office of the
National Book Development Board (NBDB). 2 Various speculative answers surface, in response to the question: If not non-school books, what were these book readers in NCR reading in 2007?
BOOKWATCH
3 5 to 4 4
4 5 a nd ol de r
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
5
INDUSTRY NEWS
NBDB commends the contributions of Toots Abiva
to the Philippine book industry
T
he NBDB and the local
book publishing industry
mourn the loss of one of
the leading lights of the
Philippine book publishing industry,
Felicito “Toots” Abiva, who passed
away last January 21, 2008.
Toots Abiva has helped
develop the local book
publishing industry
into what it is today, a
vibrant and dynamic
industry, contributing
much to the country’s
progress. He has formed
and managed many
publishing companies,
namely: Pisces Publishing,
Abiva Publishing, Hiyas Printing
Press, Inc., Felta Book Sales,
Inc., and Educational Teaching
Aids, Inc. He has also actively
participated and became part of the
following organizations: Publishers’
Representatives Organizations of the
Philippines (PROP), Direct Selling
Association of the Philippines,
Association of the Philippine Book
Sellers, Book Development Association
of the Philippines (BDAP), Asian
Catholic Publishers, Technological and
Vocational Educational Foundation,
American Chamber of Commerce,
Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and
The Australia-New Zealand Chamber of
Commerce.
He is recognized for his
contributions to the
enhancement of the
Philippine educational
system through the various
publications his companies
have produced, the most
notable of them all being The
Filipino Heritage encyclopedia,
done in collaboration with Times
Publishing Singapore and Hamlin
Australia, which won several awards,
namely the Publishers’ Catholic press
Award and The Consumers Union of the
Philippines, which granted him the Best
book Publisher of the Year award.
The NBDB commends and expresses
its appreciation of the contributions
of Mr. Felicito “Toots” Abiva to the
Philippine Book Industry.
ABPA President attends Hanoi Book Exhibition
Association of Book Publishers Association (ABPA) President Atty. Dominador
D. Buhain was the guest of honor during the Hanoi Book Exhibition at the
Vietnam Convention Center for Culture and Arts. Also present during the opening
ceremonies were Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, members of the Vietnam
Publishers Association, and ABPA chief delegates.
6
BOOKWATCH
November is
now book
development
month
NBDB-MCC MOA Signing.(standing l-r) NBDB governors
Alfredo C. Ramos Jr., National Bookstore president; Bing S.
Limjoco, Philippine Franchise Association president; Engr.
Elmer C. Hernandez, DTI undersecretary; Roland R. Robles,
Souvenir Publications president; CHEd commissioner Nona
S. Ricafort, Dr. Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo, UP vice president
for public affairs; Socorro A. Pilor representing Dr. Vilma L.
Labrador, DepEd undersecretary; and Engr. Malou P. Orijola,
DOST assistant secretary.
PGMA declares transfer
of Philippine Book
Development Month
from June to November
Starting this year, the month
of November will mark the
country’s month-long celebration
of recognizing the vital role of
books and book publishing in our
nation’s well-being.
Through Proclamation
No. 1436, President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo re-sets the
celebration of the Philippine
Book Development Month
(PBDM) from June to November
of every year starting 2008.
With the transfer of the
celebration of the Philippine
Book Development Month,
the NBDB seeks to encourage
a wider participation from its
stakeholders, as well as different
sectors, especially students
and teachers. The transfer of
PBDM to November is also
consistent with the celebration
of National Book Week every
November 24-30, proclaimed
by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon
in 1936. It was in 1999, when
former President Joseph Estrada
issued Proclamation No. 120
declaring the month of June and
every year that follows as the
Philippine Book Development
Month.
For this year’s PBDM
celebration, the NBDB promises
to organize more remarkable
and exciting activities and
encourages everyone’s
participation in proclaiming their
love for books and reading.
NBDB signs MOA with
manila critics circle
National Book Awards to be administered by the NBDB
T
o encourage the production
of good quality books, the
NBDB and the Manila Critics
Circle (MCC) recently signed a
memorandum of agreement to formalize the
transfer of the administration of the National
Book Awards from MCC to the NBDB.
Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez, NBDB chairman,
and Dr. Isagani R. Cruz of the MCC signed
the MOA during the agency’s board meeting
and witnessed by NBDB’s governors.
“We envision the time when our awardwinning authors and publishers will be
treated like celebrities, even for a day,”
Chairman Gonzalez said.
“In the early days, Krip Yuson used to
write scripts for the televised awarding
ceremonies. Little by little our jobs
prevented us from doing these things. With
the NBA in the hands of the NBDB, we hope
a fine celebration befitting our winners will
be organized,” Dr. Cruz said.
MCC is an organization of professional
literary critics and newspaper columnists.
The organization administers and facilitates
the annual holding of the National Book
Awards, a yearly award that recognizes the
best published books for the year. The group
started the prestigious awards in 1982.
The MOA “offered the organization,
administration and facilitation of the
NBA” to the NBDB. MCC decided on
this move to “guarantee the continued
existence of this much-respected awards
in the publishing industry and ensure
the continued support the NBA gives to
the publishing industry.”
The NBDB will be responsible for the
yearly organization of the awards to be
held sometime in the latter part of the
year, which will be during the Philippine
Book Development Month in November.
-Alvin J. Buenaventura
BRINGING
PBDM
ACROSS THE
PHILIPPINES
Photos by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Dianne S. Mendoza
Farewell to an
Industry Trailblazer
NBDB partners with the FHL
for the 12 th Philippine Book
Development Month
T
he NBDB and the Filipinas
Heritage Library (FHL) will
again team up in bringing
the 12th Philippine Book
Development Month (PBDM) across
the Philippines this November.
On February 19, NBDB and the FHL
signed the Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) to seal their partnership in
celebrating the importance of books
and reading in the country.
For the 12th PBDM, the NBDB
will give equal focus to the needs
and concerns of the local publishing
industry and the promotion of books
MOA signing at the FHL: (from left) FHL General Manager Ciela Cayton, FHL Director Antonia Ortigas, NBDB Executive Director
Atty. Andrea Pasion-Flores, and NBDB Deputy Executive Director Frances Jeanne Sarmiento during the signing of the
Memorandum of Agreement between the NBDB and FHL for the 12th PBDM celebration.
and reading in the local market, through
a series of lectures that will be benefited
by publishers and authors and activities
that will help the public appreciate our
rich heritage through our local stories.
Bringing the PBDM across the country
is this year’s focus – something that
has never been done in the previous
celebrations, which were more NCRcentered.
7
INDUSTRY NEWS
A FUN-filled
afternoon
with celebrity
storytellers
NBDB HOSTS STORYTELLING sessions
at the CELEBRITY CHARITY BOOK FAIR
FOR THE KIDS OF TOMMORROW
The night also
showcased student The 2007 Likhaan
writers performing their Journal edited by Dr.
own written pieces. Jose Y. Dalisay
L
ast December, celebrity reading advocates
read to an elated young crowd when the
NBDB co-organized a storytelling festival
with Adarna House and AHON Foundation
at the Kids Zone of Market! Market! in Taguig City.
Get Caught Reading’s latest celebrity endorser
Karylle delighted kids with her reading of Corazon
Remigio’s Bruhaha Bruhihi while storyteller Claude
Pabiladeras read Rene O. Villanueva’s Tiktaktok at
Pikpakbum. Another celebrity storyteller in the event
was model/actress Bubbles Paraiso.
The storytelling activity was part of AHON Foundation’s
Isang Milyong Aklat, Isang Milyong Pangarap Celebrity
Charity Book Fair for the Kids of Tomorrow.
Chancellor Sergio Cao and College of
Arts and Letters Dean Virgilio Almario
were the first to receive copies of the
journal.
Blast at the UP
Writers Night 2007
Writers young and revered gather together
in a memorable night of music, fashion, and literature
T
hough the organizers decided
to make a change this year
– from an outdoor, expressall-you-want atmosphere to
what seemed like a cabaret night, the
2007 Writers Night was terriff all the
same. The Teatro Hermogenes Ylagan
of the UP Faculty Center in Diliman
was the place to be last December 8,
where the likes of National Artist Virgilio
Almario, Penman Jose Dalisay Jr., and
UP ICW Director Vim Nadera partied
together with their junior counterparts.
Madrigal-Gonzales Award
The night began with the awarding of
the 7th Madrigal-Gonzales First Book
Award. Of the six finalists, the radiant
mother Rica Bolipata-Santos bagged the
prestigious award and a P50,000 check
with her book Love, Desire, Children, Etc.:
Reflections of a Young Wife. The other
finalists’ equally remarkable works were
Salamanca by Dean Francis Alfar, Barefoot
in Fire: A World War II Childhood by
Barbara-Ann Gamboa Lewis, Science
8
BOOKWATCH
Solitaire: Essays on Science, Nature and
Becoming Human by Maria Isabel Garcia,
Kapwa: The Self in the Other by Katrin De
Guia, and From Inside the Berlin Wall by
Helen T. Yap.
2007 Likhaan Journal
The 2007 Likhaan Journal was also
launched afterwards. Edited by Dr.
Jose Dalisay Jr, this new edition of The
Journal of Contemporary Philippine
Literature is a commemoration of the
University of the Philippines’ coming
centennial year. Included in the
anthology are works by Alwin Aguirre,
Mayette Bayuga, Catherine Bucu,
Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio, Charlson
Ong, Socorro Villanueva (Fiction);
Raymond de Borja, Mikael de Lara
Co, Francis Arias Montesena, and Joel
Toledo (Poetry); Gemino Abad, Exie
Abola, and Reuel Molina Aguila (Essay);
Vim Nadera (Photo Essay); an interview
with National Artist Bienvenido
Lumbera and a drama from the late
Rene O. Villanueva. The contributors,
Honoring Rene Villanueva
Friends and colleagues also
commemorated Palanca Hall of Famer
Rene O. Villanueva, creator of the wellloved children’s show Batibot, who
passed away last December 5, 2007. His
family, friends, and colleagues spoke
about him and performed through
song and poetry. The University of the
Philippines Speech Communication
Association (UP SPECA) also presented
a lively performance of Villanueva’s Ang
Unang Baboy sa Langit.
WikiPilipinas kick off
Vibal Publishing kicked off the second
half of the night with the promotion of
WikiPilipinas, the first online Philippine
Encyclopedia. WikiPilipinas prides itself
on being all-Filipino and accessible even
through one’s mobile phone.
Model/actress Bubbles
Paraiso reads the children
another well-loved story.
Storyteller Claude
Despabiladeras reads
Rene O. Villanueva’s
Tiktaktok and Pikpakbum
BRINGING FILIPINO AUTHORS
CLOSER TO THE YOUTH
T
Fusion of fashion & poetry
Strip! A Night of Poetic Fashion, a
fashion show organized by the UP
Writers Club and joined by student
organizations from the College of Arts
and Letters followed, along with poetry
and song performances, including a
feisty one from singer DJ Alvaro.
The event was a success, starstudded in a literally literary sense. It
was one night where student-professor,
audience-performer boundaries were
set aside and all were bound together by
the love of art.-Maria Pia Benosa
Karylle with AHON
Foundation’s Harvey Keh and
NBDB executive director Atty.
Andrea Pasion-Flores
Lakbay
Awtor Para
sa Kabataan
Photos by Glenn L. Malimban
Members of the UP Writers’
Club perform an enchanting
dance number.
Photos by Dianne S. Mendoza
All-female group Matilda
enthrall the audience
with their evocative songs
ALL TOGETHER NOW!
Karylle reads Bruhaha
Bruhihi this time with the
participation of the kids
from the audience.
he Unyon ng mga Manunulat
na Pilipino (UMPIL), in
partnership with the NBDB,
will bring Filipino authors
and Philippine Literature closer to the
Filipino youth through the UMPILNBDB Lakbay Awtor para sa Kabataan
(UNLAK). Through UNLAK, UMPIL and
the NBDB will take established Filipino
authors to different schools to showcase
their literary works and get to meet and
interact with the students who read
their works.
The UNLAK project is spearheaded
by UMPIL president and UP Institute of
Creative Writing director Vim Nadera
National Artist for Literature
Virgilio Almario with students
of Ma Asuncion Rodriguez Tinga
High School students
and UMPIL’s Education Committee head
Mike Coroza. Through an open forum with
the students, authors will get the chance to
share their insights with students.
Just recently, UNLAK brought National
Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario
to the Ma. Asuncion Rodriquez Tinga
High School in Upper Bicutan, Taguig
City, where the revered writer’s literary
masterpieces were showcased and sold
at special discounts for students.
The UNLAK project will officially
start in June in time for the opening
school year. It will visit different
schools and will introduce a host of
other local authors.
For more information on how to
bring the UNLAK program to your
school, kindly get in touch with the
NBDB at 920-9853 or the UMPIL
office at the U.P. Institute of Creative
Writing at 839-2358.
9
Reading to the top of the world
M
ore than a year after making
history for being the first South
East Asian women to reach the
world’s highest peak and traverse
Mt. Everest, Filipino women
climbers Janet Belarmino, Carina
Dayondon, and Noelle Wenceslao
are still an on-going mission—that
of continuing to inspire and motivate fellow
Filipinos of the many great things we can achieve.
Since their return from the expedition, these three
women have been dedicating their time going to
different places in the Philippines, and even speaking
before Filipino communities abroad, sharing the
difficult climb to Everest and heartrending accounts
of their journey to the summit.
The team’s expedition leader Art Valdez,
former undersecretary of the Department of
Transportation and Communications, says that
the main aim of the expedition was to show that
Filipinos can do the impossible with unity and
teamwork. “Gusto naming ipakita na ang bayanihan
ang solusyon sa mga problema natin. We have to
unite as a nation. We have to raise our heads with
confidence and determination,” he says.
The expedition had never been easy from the
beginning. The most difficult part, according to the
team, was looking for sponsors who will put their trust
and their money to finance an untried venture. Add
to that the sacrifices Janet, Noelle, and Carina had to
make in leaving behind their families. Janet had to leave
her five-month-old son Himalaya, very shortly after
giving birth to him. Carina, being the eldest child in
the family, faced the dilemma of choosing between
pursuing the Everest challenge and helping her parents
after graduating from college.
The team also shared how reading helped them
prepare for the expedition. “We come from a
tropical country with no snow, no ice, no high
mountain. We succeeded because we did our
homework,” imparts team leader Art Valdez.
Noelle, a physical education major at the
University of the Philippines, is a member of the UP
Mountaineers and a dragon boat rower. She confides
that mountaineers are like little reading communities
where you could pop in tents and exchange books.
“I finished reading seven books during our stay in
Everest. You have to read to learn lifesaving lessons
from those who went before you,” she adds.
10
BOOKWATCH
Carina, the youngest in the group, agrees that
physical training alone is incomplete. Despite rigorous
training, like swimming, biking, and alpine climbing,
she prepares mentally by reading about mountains,
about the human body, about the environment,
and about the successes and failures of other
mountaineers. “’Yong mga nababasa ko tungkol sa
environment at climate change ay makikita sa mga
natunaw na areas sa Everest,” she declares.
“You need to read a lot because it will guide
you, like when we scaled Mt. McKinley, talagang
sinundan naming yung book letter by letter,” says
Janet, who is also a champion triathlete.
Janet, also a member of the UP Mountaineers, says
that despite the lack of resources, they were able to do
the impossible because they worked as a team. Dangers,
like frostbite, hypothermia, snow blindness, and
avalanche, were ever present. They received valuable help
from the sherpas, or local guides, who grew fond of the
Philippine team due to their warmth and friendliness.
Janet even recalled sleeping beside a headless frozen
climber but determination and faith in her team kept
her mind focused on the summit.
Yet in spite of all the difficulties, dangers, and
challenges, everything, thankfully, paid off; and
Carina, Janet, and Noelle continue to attest to the
world that yes, the Filipinos can achieve anything.
Photos courtesy of the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition Team
Filipino women climbers Janet Belarmino, Carina Dayondon, and Noelle Wenceslao recount their trail to Everest
and how reading helped them REACH the top of the world. By Alvin J. Buenaventura and Camille Dianne S. Mendoza
Pinay Pride: Noelle
Wenceslao, Carina
Dayondon, and Janet
Belarmino made us
proud by reaching the
Everest summit and
showing us that Filipinos
can conquer the world.
Noelle, Carina, and Janet with team leader Art
Valdez, the girls’ mentor and father all throughout
their arduous training and expedition.
11
Top Women
In celebration of the National Women’s Month, BOOKWATCH presents
a few of the country’s top women illustrators/graphic designers.
By Alvin J. Buenaventura and Camille Dianne S. Mendoza
LIZA A. FLORES
Liza A. Flores finished
Fine Arts major in Visual
Communication from
the University of the
Philippines Diliman.
She has also served
as president of Ang
Ilustrador ng Kabataan
(Ang INK). Ang INK is
the country’s first and only association
of artists dedicated to the creation and
promotion of illustrations for children.
Aside from doing illustrations for children’s
books, Liza works also works as a web
and graphic designer at Studio Dialogo.
Her published works include
Chenelyn! Chenelyn!, winner of the
Gintong Aklat Award Children’s Book
Category in 2000, written by Rhandee
Garlitos and published by Adarna House,
Nagsasabi na si Patpat, written by
Rene O. Villanueva, Cacho Publishing;
A Spider Story, written by Gigi Yia,
Lampara Books; and Rosamistica, written
by Christine Bellen, Anvil Publishing.
isabel roxas
by beth doctolero
How did you develop your
passion for what you are doing?
I’ve always been interested in drawing,
12
BOOKWATCH
by liza flores
by mitzi villavecer
panch
alcara
z
art and design. I took up Fine Arts in
college, and joined Ang Ilustrador ng
Kabataan (Ang INK) on my 2nd year. But
what really made me pursue illustration
were the projects and opportunities that
came my way; sometimes by accident.
become part of stories, that in turn,
become part of kids’ lives—stories that
educate as well as entertain.
As past Ang INK President, it has
given me the opportunity to do
so much as well.
How did you get into
illustration?
What challenges, if any, did you
encounter in pursuing this job?
It was only when I stumbled upon an INK
exhibit that it occurred to me that people
(and Filipinos, at that!) make children’s
books, and that it was something I could
do too. Soon after, I attended a talk by
Jose Aruego on illustrating children’s
books, started collecting my own
children’s books, and joined Ang INK.
What is the best thing about
your job?
I love doing it! On top of which, it is
something worthwhile.
How has being an artist/
illustrator empowered you as
a woman?
More than empowering me as a woman,
being an illustrator empowers me to be
part of something bigger than myself.
In one way or another, my illustrations
The business part of illustration. More
often than not, educating clients about
“proper” fees and intellectual property
rights is not always easy for artists.
What do you think is your
biggest achievement so far?
That through (and with) Ang INK, I was
able to connect fellow illustrators with
publishers and other organizations.
Every time a new illustrator publishes
his/her first book, or a contract
we crafted is used, it feels like an
achievement. I feel like I did my job.
What advice can you give to
other aspiring women artists/
illustrators out there?
Know what you want to do, and pursue
it. So much can be done with
illustrations.
13
BETH PARROCHADOCTOLERO
Beth juggles her
time between being
a mother and an
illustrator, both of
which she considers
as full-time jobs.
And truly, she is
accomplishing both
jobs really well, being
a hands-on mother to son Uriel and
pursuing her passion for illustrations
while working at home. She did the
illustrations for children’s books like
Polliwogs Wiggle (Adarna) written
by Heidi Emily Abad, Sandosenang
Sapatos (OMF Lit) written by Dr. Luis P.
Gatmaitan, and Like Obet’s Toys (AIDS
Society of the Phil.) by Eden Pedrajas.
Beth was one of the young proactive
artists who formed Ang Illustrador ng
Kabataan (Ang INK) in 1991, back when
children’s illustrations had not yet been
given much attention and recognition as
it has been regarded today.
Time constraints. It’s not easy being a
full-time mother and a full-time housewife
and still keep up with the deadlines.
What do you think is your
biggest achievement so far?
Being a full time mother and a full time
housewife and still somehow keep up
with deadlines.
What advice can you give to
other aspiring women artists/
illustrators out there?
If you’re happy with what you’re doing,
then keep it up. Don’t lose heart even
if you don’t know how to draw. That’s
what schools are for: to teach you how.
PANCH ALCARAZ
How did you get into illustration?
As a child, I grew up reading fairy
tales and hoping that one day, I
would illustrate them. When I entered
college, I joined Heights, a literary
magazine, where I illustrated poems and
stories. Then, as a graduating senior, I
participated in the 1996 ACCU Noma
Concours for Picture Book Illustrations
in Tokyo, Japan. Winning a runner-up
prize really changed my life because it
made me realize that I wanted to be an
illustrator professionally.
What is the best thing about
your job?
It’s fun! Being an illustrator means you
can be creative and that you can always
be in touch with the little kid inside
of you. I watch cartoons and fantasy
movies all the time because its part of
my job and growth as an artist.
Rayvi Sunico was looking for artists for a
publishing house he was heading. I think I
was recommended by my professor then,
together with Robert Alejandro. That’s
how I started illustrating books for kids.
Frances C. Alcaraz,
better known as
Panch, finished AB
Economics from the
Ateneo de Manila
University. Later, the
call of colors and
images brought her
to UP Diliman where
she took painting classes for two years.
Aside from serving as Ang INK president
(2003-2004), she is also a member of the
Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators, an international association.
When her entry The Lost Necklace
landed as finalist in the prestigious 1996
NOMA Concours for Picture Book
Illustration, she decided to pursue her
artistic calling. Soon, numerous accolades
affirmed her decision like the 1997 Dean’s
Awards for Achievement in Graphic Arts
from the Ateneo; the 2001 Illustrator’s
Prize from the Philippine Board of Books
for Young Readers; and Special Citation
for Books in Religion for her Flying Friar
given by BDAP and NBDB during the
2002 Gintong Aklat Awards.
What is the best thing about
your job?
How did you develop your
passion for what you are doing?
What do you think is your
biggest achievement so far?
I get to work at home.
I remember drawing on my mom’s
cookbooks at the age of four. I’ve always
been into drawing and painting. My dad
is a great painter in his spare time, my
mom is very creative and my two sisters
can also draw but I’m the only one who
really pursued it as a professional career.
I knew it was what I wanted when it
made me happy and centered.
I’d like to think that every book is
an achievement. But probably on
a practical level, getting my work
published abroad is one of my biggest
achievements since most people ask
me how I get international clients. I do
hope to surpass this achievement soon
because I don’t believe in resting on
one’s laurels. It will make you stagnate.
How did you develop your
passion for what you are doing?
Perhaps it started when out of a blank
sheet of paper, and a few bottles of color,
I was able to create something beautiful
that just a few hours ago, simply wasn’t
there.  It was a feeling of being in awe, of
thinking and wondering how I was able
to do it in the first place. It is not drawing
that I am passionate about, rather it is
that feeling of AWE and gratitude and
happiness that I feel when I draw that I
am passionate about.
Sometimes when the AWE is missing,
then drawing simply becomes work.
How did you get into illustration?
How has being an artist/illustrator
empowered you as a woman?
Being an artist has given me the chance
to earn, and when you earn somehow
especially within the context of family
issues, you get to have a voice with
regards to a lot of things.
14
What challenges, if any, did you
encounter in pursuing this job?
BOOKWATCH
How has being an artist/
illustrator empowered you as
a woman?
As an artist/illustrator, you can choose
how to portray women. I like to portray
women as feminine but powerful,
elemental and strong. For me, being a
woman means not being afraid to be
whatever you choose to be. I also think
that being an artist and illustrator helps me
express my thoughts and ideas a woman.
What challenges, if any, did you
encounter in pursuing this job?
Breaking into the industry was hard. You
really have to earn your way to get your
work published. I had to work hard to
get myself noticed and make the right
contacts to make sure my illustrations
were considered for projects. Since I
didn’t take up Art as a course, I also had
to learn the technical aspects on my
own and I was blessed enough to find
a mentor who helped me with all the
questions. In the end, all the hurdles just
made me a better illustrator.
What advice can you give to
other aspiring women artists/
illustrators out there?
How has being an artist/
illustrator empowered you as
a woman?
Don’t be afraid to work hard for
something you want. Don’t enter the
industry for the money. Do it for passion
because it will keep you going even
during the lean times. Passion will help
you excel and grow.
Being an artist and illustrator has
made me more aware and sensitive
about things in life, to find art in small
things. As a woman, that perception is
important because in a woman’s hands,
art is created in all aspects of her life—
from the home she makes to the image
she projects. It is about making life more
palatable.
MITZI VILLAVECER
At 27, graphic
designer and
illustrator Mitzi
Villavecer‘s
illustrations have
already appeared
in Astro Baby,
the Horoscope
Special for
Cosmo Pregnancy & Baby Australia.
Also a member of Ang INK, this Fine
Arts Industrial Design graduate has
contributed illustrations for Chalk
Magazine, the E-Yellow Pages website,
and Icon Magazine.
Mitzi was also the creative hand
behind the images and illustrations
for Ang Hukuman ni Sinukuan retold
by National Artist Virgilio S. Almario
(Adarna House).
What do you think is your
biggest achievement so far?
My biggest achievements so far was
illustrating for a magazine published
abroad.
What advice would you give to
aspiring women illustrators?
Have confidence in yourself and in your
abilities. Pursue your passions. Be open
to new ideas. Have fun.
ISABEL ROXAS
I got into illustration when I joined
Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK),
a group of children’s book illustrators.
Through Ang Ink, I was able to meet
and work with a lot of talented artists,
writers and publishers, as well as join
group shows and book projects.
Isabel “Pepper”
Roxas’ explores
different parts
of the world
to find objects
and subjects
to draw. Also a
member of Ang
INK, Pepper is
one of the many young and exceptional
illustrators in the country bringing
graphic design and children’s book
illustration to the forefront. Just last
year, this Communication Arts and
MS Communication Design/Packaging
graduate from the Ateneo and Pratt
Institute in New York opened her very
own store Studio Roxas.
Isabel has done wonderful
illustrations for Hale Hale Hoy! (Ang
INK and Adarna House), 100 Questions
Filipino Kids Ask (Adarna House), Oh,
There’s a Baby in Mommy’s Tummy! by
Dr. Luis P. Gatmaitan (OMF Lit) and Juan
Luna-Patriot and Painter by Carla Pacis
(Ayala Foundation).
What is the best thing about
your job?
How did you develop your
passion for what you are doing?
I love my job because I am always
taught to appreciate and find inspiration
in the small things life. There is always
room for learning, creativity, and
imagination.
I’ve been drawing ever since I was little
and was fortunate to have a family that
encouraged art and reading. It also helped
that I was involved in a lot of after-school
programs that fostered creativity.
How did you develop your
passion for what you are
doing?
My love for art has always been the
main reason why I developed an
interest in illustrating and designing.
Appreciating and looking at works done
by other artists inspired me to create
and work on my own style, and helped
me developed passion for my work.
How did you get into
illustration?
How did you get into illustration?
Drawing was always something I did to
pass the time, to make my friends laugh,
and to enhance my school papers. I started
looking into it as a career when I joined
Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang Ink),
shortly after I entered college. It was a small
group then–comprised of people from the
industry that I admired. They were very
encouraging and helped me get started.
What is the best thing about
your job?
I learn so much from this job! Not
just from the daily honing of my craft,
but each time I get a new story or
assignment to illustrate, I am introduced
to new characters, ideas and worlds.
How has being an artist/
illustrator empowered you as
a woman?
This line of work doesn’t have the
hierarchical structures that other professions
have and so I’ve never felt restricted,
oppressed or deprived of opportunities
because of my gender. Also, majority of the
people involved in this industry are highly
accomplished women–publishers, editors,
librarians, educators, museum directors–so
I never lack for role models or people for
whom to turn to for support.
What challenges, if any, did you
encounter in pursuing this job?
The industry is still quite young, so there
is still quite a bit of frustration with regard
to the quality of printing, formats, lack of
bookstore support, illustrator rights, the
need for more libraries and being able to
make a living out of this profession.
We’ve come a long way though in the
ten years that I’ve been crafting books
and drawings for children, so it’s been
a very rewarding career so far, and I
encourage others to get involved as well.
What do you think is your
biggest achievement so far?
I consider all the books, products and
exhibitions I have illustrated and designed
so far as a big achievement. After all,
who knew that all that scribbling in the
third grade would blossom into a full-time
profession that I enjoy doing daily (except
when I have a tight deadline).
What advice can you give to
other aspiring women artists/
illustrators out there?
Keep your eyes and mind open, and draw!
15
Miriam reads Man, Values, and
Work Ethics (Trinitas Publishing)
by Luzviminda F. Ramirez and
Eden Tongson-Beltran.
W
hen the NBDB launched the Get Caught
Reading campaign in 2006, Miriam
Quiambao was one of the very first celebrities
who signed up to support the program.
Known to be an ardent supporter of many
social causes, Miriam also volunteers for the
World Mission Vision Philippines and antichild labor campaigns. Being a bookworm
herself, she joins NBDB in helping make the Philippines a
reading nation and shows Filipinos how reading has helped her
accomplished what she has achieved.
Miriam shares how books have not only brought her to
imaginary places whenever she browses their pages, but reveals
how being a voracious reader had flown her to the Miss Universe
pageant in Trinidad and Tobago, continues to take her further as a
TV host and a venturing entrepreneur, and helps her get through
life’s most trying times.
Sisterly bonding
Miriam developed the habit of reading at an early age. Reading
started as a fun activity at home, when as a kid, she would play
pretend with her sister. “Ever since I was young, I remember
playtimes with my sister where we would reposition the furniture,
cover it with bedsheets, and play bahay-bahayan. Then my sister would
go to school and I’d be her teacher, and I’d be reading books to her.”
The love for reading has stayed with her ever since. “I’ve always
liked reading books. I remember when I was in elementary I liked
Enid Blyton, and then in college there was Judith McNaught. Back
when I was in Hong Kong, when I did not have work, I would just
be collecting one book after another. When I got back home, I
brought two giant balikbayan boxes of books, and I couldn’t even fit
them in my new apartment!”
Miriam’s
Universe
of Books
Miss Universe runner-up-turned TV host Miriam Quiambao
talks about how she conquered the world through
books and reading. By Camille Dianne S. Mendoza
16
BOOKWATCH
PHOTO BY OCS ALVAREZ
Beauty and Brains
Miriam recounted how reading helped her bagged the Binibining
Pilipinas title that eventually brought her to the Miss Universe
pageant in 1999, where she was crowned Miss Universe First RunnerUp. “Aside from the physical preparation, reading, more importantly,
helped me brush up on current events through which I developed my
own opinions regarding the events happening around the world.”
Besides taking her to the Miss Universe pageant, reading
continues to open more opportunities for Miriam. We remember
her not only as a charming beauty queen, but she now reigns as a
formidable TV host as well.
In 2006, Miriam co-hosted GMA 7’s Palaban with Winnie
Monsod and Malou Mangahas. Palaban was a highly-acclaimed
current affairs program that tackled pressing national issues.
“Palaban required me to do a lot of reading especially on political
and social issues, so I’d have a clear picture of what is happening
and be critical of these things.”
Miriam makes sure she does not miss out on current events
by regularly reading newspapers. She said reading gives one an
in-depth perspective of her surroundings and keeps one in touch
with the different parts of the world without having to be there
physically. “Reading has allowed me to expand my mind and bring
me to places that physically I may not be able to go to.”
Inspired by Books
When not busy with her shows and school (she is taking
up Venture into Entrepreneurship at the Asian Institute of
Management), Miriam finds time for herself and unwinds
through books that are inspiring and uplifting. Titles in her
bookshelves include Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now, Don
Miguel Ruiz’s The Mastery of Love, and Lance Armstrong’s
autobiography It’s not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, and
Living Brands: Collaboration + Innovation = Customer Fascination by
Raymond Nadeau. She also just obtained a copy of Angelina
Jolie’s memoir Notes from My Travels, which chronicles Jolie’s travel
missions as a UN ambassador.
These days, she reads a lot of business books, especially since
she has set her mind in expanding her real estate business.
On boosting the reading culture
Miriam is happy to see more and more book stores opening
these days and hopes this spreads to the rest of the country.
She believes that in spite of the many other media that start to
replace books as the primary reading material, holding a book
and perusing its pages is still the best way to take you places.
She hopes that whenever she is caught carrying a book with her,
Filipinos would also be influenced to take time to read, as she, in
spite of her very busy schedule, tries to do.
To boost the country’s reading culture, Miriam encourages
sharing and discussing with other people the books you have
read. “It is fun to discuss books with people so you can exchange
ideas. It’s important because it enhances the reading experiences
when you have interaction, and it stimulates more interest in
reading books.”
She is delighted to hear of the NBDB Book Club and hopes
more Filipinos would form reading groups of their own.
Having been raised an insatiable reader by her parents, Miriam
strongly believes that parents are the key to making avid readers
out of children so that they will grow up fond of books and
reading. “It all starts with the parents. If the children see their
parents reading books, if parents start reading to their children
at an early age, the children will easily develop a habit of reading
books. Discussion among family members of the books they
read definitely encourages children to read.”
Writing her own story
Being a big fan of inspirational books herself and with the many
accomplishments she has achieved, it is not surprising if one of
these days we find an autobiography of Miriam Quiambao in
one of our bookstore shelves. Miriam confides how she plans to
pen her autobiography and be an inspiration to more Filipina
women by sharing how she gracefully emerged triumphant in the
hardships that came her way. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and
downs and I want to share that with people. I want to share with
them my story.”
Miriam’s love for books and reading has brought her to many
places both imaginary and real. A book-filled world crowned her
with the best things life can offer, from being a little girl who
read books to her sister under the blanket-covered furniture into
becoming a woman that every girl looks up to.
17
Imagination
and Creativity
in the
Contemporary
World
This is my second visit to the Philippines,
Photo by Sophia Quach
by Neil Gaiman
18
BOOKWATCH
and one of the main reasons why I agreed to come was that I was
so impressed during my first visit here. I was really impressed
with the quality of the minds out here – the incredible creativity,
the artists, the young writers I was meeting – just how smart
and how literate people were. And I loved that. And by the same
token, I found myself really frustrated with how cut off the
young artists and writers I was meeting seemed to be from the
world, from the giant global thing that is going on out there.
And it bugged me.
When I went home, I thought about it. Then I contacted
Jaime Daez of Fully Booked, and I said, “Look, I wanna do
something about this. I wanna do something to encourage
these guys. I wanna do something to get them involved, and
I wanna get them to raise their sights.” Together we cooked
up a plan, which was a competition for all science fiction and
fantasy writers – age was fairly irrelevant. I would put up the
prize money and he would organize the competition. And
this weekend, the first collection is being published of the
winners and the finalists of last year’s competition and they are
inaugurating this year’s. And the reason why I came back here
at all, was I was fascinated by the incredible potential that we
have here, and the talent and the smarts; and frustrated by seeing
people who do not seem to be doing anything.
19
In Africa, in Tangganika, they used to go fishing using
shadows. And they would get rods and stretch out the rods.
And the sun would beat down. They would go fishing on the
right time of day. They would use the rods to herd the fish, and
the fish thought something solid was approaching, and they
eventually encircled. It was all space. And the fish never seemed
to realize that they could swim through the shadows, that there
wasn’t anything solid there.
And in circuses, elephant trainers know that a fully grown
elephant can very very easily pull up its chains. What they do is
they chain baby elephants, stake them to the ground, and they
chain them up. And the baby elephant is growing up unable to
break its chains. And they try, and they back off, and they do not
try again. So as they get bigger, as they get stronger, they do not
actually pull on their chains, and they do not find everything
very easily to pull up.
You wind up with people restricted like shadows, like elephant
chains, like imaginary wanderers, and that was why I started to
worry about the Philippines. I wanted to try to push people if I
could through imaginary barriers. When I was growing up, the
comics that I was reading, the American comics were drawn by
Filipinos, and all these amazing talent, people like Alex Nino,
Alfredo Alcala, Nestor Redondo, Tony de Zuniga—these people
who’re loads more, I am pretty sure.
I got frustrated that the Filipinos I talked to, people were
seeing the Philippines as a backwater. And it is not. Nowhere
is it anymore. Everything is global and I am an English writer
living mostly in the US, with my work read all over the world.
That is my little speech on the competition. And any of you who
fancy yourselves writers or artists should take the gauntlet.
Before I start talking about the imagination, a little bit of
background on me for any of you who have no idea who this
person standing in front of you is. Hello. I’m Neil Gaiman. I
am 47 and I think I must be on my third or fourth career, often
more or less accidental. And all of them united by the fact that
what I like doing, and I liked doing ever since I was a kid, is
making stuff up. I love it.
When I was little, I would make stuff up and people would
tell me off. They would say “Don’t make stuff up” or “You’re
making stuff up again” or “How many times do I have to tell
you don’t make stuff up?” And sometimes, they even say “Do
you know what happens to people who make things up?” And
they wouldn’t tell me. You get lots and lots of money, you’ll fly
all over the world, you’ll win awards, and unless you agree to
give a talk first thing in the morning, you do not even have to get
up early. I started out wanting to write so I started up writing. I
sent short stories, even children’s books out to publishers. They
all came back. I thought either I have no talent, which I do not
choose to believe, or I am doing this all wrong. So I got up one
morning and decided I wanted to be a journalist. I did not even
know if there were lots of rules to becoming a journalist, and
because I did not know that, I just did it. So I got up, and I was
a journalist, and I bought a copy of the English Writer/Artist
Yearbook. Then I started phoning editors and pitching them
stories. And some of them bought, and I had to write. This was
back in the day when there were typewriters. I had a manual
typewriter at the time and I wound up typing up a quote from
Muddy Waters and taping it to my typewriter. It said “Don’t
20
BOOKWATCH
“The best bit about creating
is the sheer joy that you get
when it goes right. It is magic;
it is something out of nothing.”
let your mouth write no check that your tail can’t cash,” which
seemed very important to me at the point when I realized that
I just sold two books and had never written a book; and now I
had to find out if I could write two nonfiction books by writing
them. And I did, and I quite enjoyed it, and I spent four or five
years being a journalist.
My obsession with the imagination goes all the way back
but it crystallized when I was in China. I was in Chengdu at a
science fiction conference co-sponsored by SF World, a Chinese
science fiction publication and very much approved of by the
Chinese government. Now this is a huge turnabout, because
science fiction for years was not approved of by the Chinese. It
was disapproved of because they did not really like things like
fiction. I asked them about crime fiction and said that until
recently, no crime fiction was allowed to be published because
officially, there was no crime in China. Science fiction was not in
quite the same place, but it was hugely, enormously disapproved
of and very recently, literally the last couple of years, the Chinese
government changed their minds on SF. I was fascinated
talking with the government representatives – the reason why
they changed was because they started to notice that what the
Chinese were good at putting stuff together for everyone else
in the world –taking things that had been invented everywhere
else in the world and doing it cheaper and more efficiently and
selling it back to them. What they were not doing was making
stuff up. What they were not doing was inventing and creating.
They caught up and looked at some of the most successful places
in America that invented and created, and they looked at Google.
They looked at Microsoft, they looked at Apple, places like that.
And I have been to all these places, and one of the things they
had in common is that they are staffed by people who love and
loved as kids and write science fiction and fantasy; staffed by
people who liked to imagine; who thought that the world could
be different; who liked differences, who liked creating, who can
toy with themselves.
Those are the people who are either inspired by science fiction
and fantasy or just inspired by the idea that things could be
different and started to give us this new world. The Chinese
government, having realized this, decided to start encouraging
the literature of the imagination. That fascinated me. I thought
you know that everything we have that is important is imagined. Yet we forget that. I started to explain this to the Chinese and
made a speech to them. I said, everything you see was imagined
first. It is very very easy to think of the world and accept that it
always existed, as in having been created and imposed upon us.
But the reality is that if it has not always been, if it is not a wave
or a rock or a tree that was there before people turned up, it was
imagined! Before there were chairs or houses or fields or mp3
players or elephant Howdah counters, somebody had to imagine
them. Somebody had to daydream; somebody had to ask the
big question of fantasy which is WHAT IF? That is the most
important question there is; whether you are a science fiction or
fantasy writer or a human being. What if. It does not have to be
like this. It can be different.
I write about what I know, that is something to tell young
authors. They say write what you know. And mostly, authors
hate that line because when you are told to write what you
know, they think that means you need to write about your
life, changing nothing. I wrote a story about people living
underground in sort of semi-imagined London because I know
that. I wrote what it is like to cross a magic wall looking for a
falling star because I know that. Right now, I am writing a book
about what it would be like to be a kid whose family has been
killed and he has wandered into a graveyard and is being raised
by dead people, and taught all the things that dead people know.
Because I know that!
I was in China and I started telling these people that I thought
they should daydream more, I have never seen a bunch of people
so shocked –very excitedly shocked. It was as if I had said to
them you ought to get more sex or something. But it was telling
them to daydream. Telling them that is important, telling them
that, and they’d say, “But you’re talking about escapism.” I said
escape is really good. The only people who grumble about escape
are mostly jailers. The rest of us really like it. You get to go
places you haven’t been before, you get to breathe new air, eat
new food, get out. You gain new skills, new points of view and
when you get home, the best thing about any kind of holiday,
any kind of escape, is the return. Because the place you get back
to is not the place you left. You get to look it at new eyes, you get
to take things, see things that you have taken for granted freshly
and that is incredibly important. That is half of what I think
being creative is all about – looking at things and seeing them a
thousand times for the first time.
The whole point for me of getting out and talking to people
about the imagination, talking about creativity, is I worry that
people think it is something special. I worry that people think it
is something magical that only a tiny number of people can do
– whether you’re writing, whether you’re in advertising, whether
you’re in the arts, whether you’re writing things or creating or
whatever. A lot of people think that the magical created stuff
is something that only the blessed can achieve. I don’t think
that is true. I don’t even think that is slightly true. Writers are
probably better at it, and creative people are probably better at
noticing that we are doing it and noticing that has some kind of
importance or value; but we all do it, we all drift off. Just let our
minds follow strange old paths.
You get ideas from daydreaming. You get your ideas from
being bored. You do this all the time. The only difference
between writers and other people is we notice when we do it.
We get ideas when we ask ourselves simple questions. The most
important question is WHAT IF. What if you woke up with
wings? What if your sister turned into a house? What if you
all found out one of your teachers was planning to eat one of
you at the end of the term and you didn’t know which? I said
another important question is IF ONLY. If only we all lived in
Hollywood, if only I could shrink myself small as a button, if
only elves would do my homework. Then there will be others.
I WONDER. I wonder what she does when she is alone.
And WOULDN’T IT BE INTERESTING. Wouldn’t it be
interesting if the world used to be ruled by cats? If cats used to
rule the world, why don’t they anymore and how do they feel
about that? An idea does not have to be a plot notion, just a place
to begin where plots often generate themselves as we start asking
ourselves questions and are prepared to discover what it is.
Sometimes an idea could be a person. There’s a boy who wants
to know about magic. Sometimes it is a place. There’s a castle
at the end of time which is the only place there is. Sometimes it
is an image—a woman in a dark room filled with empty faces.
Often, ideas come from two things coming together happening
together at all. If a person bitten by a werewolf turns into a
wolf when the moon is full, what would happen if a goldfish
is bitten by a werewolf? What would happen to a chair that is
bitten by a werewolf? What would happen? What if somebody
is sitting there, leaning back on his chair, and then the leather
starts getting furrier? You have to write. And sometimes it will
not work but not in the way you first imagined. And sometimes
it does not work at all, sometimes you throw it out and start out
again and sometimes it works. And that is magic.
I think people should be more creative, by which I mean,
people should care to imagine. I think they should daydream,
they should take joy in imagining. I think you should follow the
hearts in your head that nobody has followed before and I think
you should enjoy that; to think that you should think huge.
The best bit about creating is the sheer joy that you get when
it goes right. It is magic; it is something out of nothing. One
moment you know nothing at all, the next thing you do. You
have a bunch of ideas. You have something really special.
n
Neil Gaiman is one of the world’s best science fiction
and fantasy writers. He wrote the popular Sandman
series, American Gods, Neverwhere, and Stardust. This
speech was delivered during the 20th Philippine Advertising
Congress last November 21, 2007 in Subic where he was
keynote speaker.
This speech is printed with permission from Mr. Neil Gaiman.
Many thanks to McCann-Erickson Chair Emeritus Emily A.
Abrera for sharing it with Bookwatch.
21
An
afternoon
with the
Penman
Jose Y. Dalisay Jr., the only Filipino shortlisted for the 2007 Man Asian Literary
Prize, spent an afternoon with the NBDB Book Club to talk about his book
Penmanship and Other Stories, the amusing experiences that drew him to
write his award-winning stories, his well-known fondness for old fountain
pens and Macs, and his hopes for the future of Philippine Literature and the
country’s readership situation. Here are excepts from the discussion.
Yes, but then I don’t really plan that. When I write my stories, I
don’t know how they will end. I don’t know where they will go. I
don’t plot. Plot is important to me. But I make it up as I go along.
I think if you sit down and write the plot of the story, that’s the
death of it. Wala ng discovery. Wala ng fun.
Let me tell you something about the title story here,
“Penmanship.” The last four stories in this book, starting with
“We Global Men,” I wrote mostly in one month when I got a
grant to go to this wonderful castle in Scotland.
But “Penmanship” was kind of funny. I think that some of you
know my hobby is collecting fountain pens. The fountain pen in
the story, which is what you see on the cover, is one of my Holy
Grails. It’s a 1934 Parker Vacumatic in burgundy red. Everywhere
I go in my travels, I’ve looked for it. Anyway, nung nasa Scotland
ako, I went to this shop to take a break in Edinburgh.
I saw a pen shop, and katuwaan lang, I walked in. I asked the
lady at the counter, “Would you happen to have a 1934 Parker
Vacumatic in burgundy red?” and then she said, “As a matter of
fact, we do.” Sabi ko, “Wow!!” I asked, “How much?” Sabi n’ya 150
22
BOOKWATCH
pounds. In 1994, that was a lot of money. That’s a lot of money
now. That’s like 12,500. But I knew that I was never gonna see
another one of those again. Talagang lakas loob na lang. Nilabas ko
yung credit card ko. Tuwang-tuwa ako. Hawak-hawak ko ‘yon pauwi.
Mula sa bus, hanggang nasa castle na ko sabi ko, “Ang ganda nito
ah.” Pero maya-maya nagi-guilty na ‘ko. Sabi ko, “You just spent a
whole lot of money you didn’t have on that stupid pen. How are
you going to explain this to people and what will you do?”
And that’s when I thought, let’s write a story about a pen. At
least, meron na akong excuse. This is when the story begins with
something like, “There was nothing in the world that could
write…” And that’s the first line I wrote, and I had absolutely
no idea what would follow. This was a story that was completely
made up as it went along.
Do you have a lot of strong women in your life?
I guess, yes. But they’re strong in very quiet ways. My wife, June, is an
artist. She’s very quiet and rather small, but also tremendously strong
yet very gentle. And I think that’s how they eventually influenced me.
My mother too – these are women who’ve never had any problems
letting the men go on stage and do this and do that. They work very
How much of the author is in the story “Penmanship”?
Reading it, it was like looking at Butch Dalisay because of the
fountain pen, the craft, and the writing.
There was actually very little of me there. I should tell you that
except for my first novel, there’s very little of me in most of my
stories. I think it’s important that after your first book, you write
about others. The more mature you become as a writer, you write
about other people. Of course there’s always something of you
there. But in this case it’s my penchant for pens. But it’s only that.
Why do you like to collect fountain pens?
Photos by Glenn Malimban
The women break the heart of all the male characters in this book
for some reason. They play a very crucial part in the men’s lives.
quietly. They had their own thing. But you know, it’s they you’ll be
going home to and want to be with because they comfort you and
protect you. Of course, they also agitate you and sometimes distress
you. But they’re much more influential than they think.
Because, number one, I am a writer. Number two, I remember my
father using fountain pens, so they remind me of him. Also, as I’ve
often written, they’re jewelry you can write with. Hindi naman ako
mahilig sa mga singsing, so ito na lang ang pinaka-accessory ko.
I would collect sports cars if I could afford to. But I can’t, so ito
na lang. Actually, I can barely afford these things, many of these I
got as gifts. I’m so happy my daughter likes them, so they will go
to someone who knows how to appreciate them. I have about a
hundred of these at home.
How many Macs do you have?
About fifteen. Anything that has to do with writing – pens, ink bottles,
typewriters, computers, laptops. I collect old Macisntosh laptops. I take
them apart then put them back together. That’s my therapy.
Isn’t it a futile endeavor to write in the Philippines?
No. Kahit naman sampu lang ang magbasa sa akin masaya na
ako. And I understand why few Filipinos read or read that kind
of thing that I write and some other Filipino writers write. We’re
busy working our butts off. And books are expensive.
Have you ventured into other kinds of writing?
The most avante garde I’ve done in my fiction is a story titled
“Sarcophagus” in my second collection. Para sa akin it’s a challenge,
being able to switch. One of the things I wrote for NEDA, I had
a background in Economics, was to write the popular version of
the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. I re-wrote it in
everyday language. Isa sa mga personal advocacies ko ‘yan. Let’s
make things clear for people so they can decide more intelligently.
Naiinis ako sa jargons. One of the things I do is go to offices and
give them brief workshops on writing in plain English. I like doing
those things. One of the last things I’ve done was write a report on
procurement practices for the World Bank. That has nothing do
with fiction but I like being able to switch back and forth.
No writer should ever be told, “Write this or write that.
Write like this or write like that.” I mean they can argue among
themselves about how to write. But if we all wrote the same way,
about the same things, then what kind of world is it going to be?
I’ve accepted the fact that the only thing I can probably do well
is to write in a realist mode. I don’t do fantasy. Now and then I like
reading fantasy when it’s well done. But I’m much more intrigued by
the real world. Because there are more mysteries there than we can
imagine. I often tell my students, “Wag na nga kayo doon sa Galaxy
XYZ and Galaxy Far Far Away. Write me a story that takes place in
Jollibee sa Farmers sa Cubao. And then, show me something fantastic
23
Every piece I write
should say something
about us. I’m fascinated
by the character of
the Filipino, which is
something not fixed.
there. Something extraordinary. Something I’ve never expected before
that could happen there.” That’s the challenge for me, with the kind of
writing I do. You write about very ordinary things.
When you write, do you deliberately write some kind of
social context? Because your stories are very grounded in
the Philippine society. Is that deliberate?
Every piece I write should say something about us. I’m fascinated
by the character of the Filipino, which is something not fixed. Many
young writers today, especially in my class Speculative Fiction, they
have this long debate about what Filipino is, etc. Kahit ano’ng sulatin
mo, Pinoy ka, may lalabas na Pinoy d’yan, even if you’re writing in
English. It has nothing to do with language. Because the Filipino is
not some fixed entity, it’s not some guy in Bagumbayan. He’s not ‘yong
Noypi ni Gabe Mercado na naka-barong at naka-salakot. For better
or for worse, we are a very mixed bag of things. Halo-halo tayo, and
that’s both our weakness and our strength. When you say Filipino, it’s
not something ideal. It’s not some statue that you all want to be. It’s
just a description of what we are at any given point. And I think that
will show through in the work. Kaya nga tayo papansinin kasi may
sinusulat tayo tungkol sa mga sarili natin. It’s not like pretending to
be some American so you can get noticed. It’s all about writing about
who and what we are in all of its complexities.
How old were you when you started to read books?
Kasi nga lumaki kami na mahirap. Ito ‘yong sad story ko na lagi
kong kinukuwento. Nag-aaral ako sa La Salle pero pag-uwi ko sa
bahay ang kinakain ko kanin tsaka pulang asukal. Dumating kami sa
ganoong punto. Kasi nga wala naman kaming pera, ang kaligayahan
ko na lang magbasa sa library. Doon ako nagbababad. Tinapos ko
‘yan lahat ng Hardy Boys tapos Nancy Drew, pati mga history at
science books, and then we had that SRA thing. I got a huge kick
out of being able to read a lot. I developed my interest, of course
initially, in reading. Then it occurred to me, baka naman kaya ko
ring gawin ito. When I was around nine years old, I started writing
my own little booklets. Kukuha ako ng bond paper. Mahusay akong
magtahi, kahit ngayon, I can cuff my own suits. Nagtatahi ako ng
bond paper para mukha na silang libro. Tapos susulat na ako ng
kunwa-kunwarian kong istorya parang kopya rin ng Hardy Boys.
‘Yong Bayport naging Boni Avenue na. I did read a lot of books,
a lot more when I was a kid than now. Kaya importante sa akin na
magkaroon ng magandang library ang mga bata. I deliberately read
beyond my own understanding just to familiarize myself with the
way words look and how they behave in the paper. I was always
reading, reading, reading. Surprisingly, in college, although I still
read a lot, much of the pleasure suddenly vanished. Noon wala pa
kaming alternative na amusement. Ngayon, maglaro ka na lang ng
Ragnarok. I hope there would be some kind of game that would
24
BOOKWATCH
also involve raising the youth’s reading skills. But I don’t know if
that’s going to happen anytime soon. Kasi puro graphic na ngayon.
Nawawala at lumalayo na sa teksto.
Were your parents readers?
My father was. He never finished college but he was a bright guy,
very brilliant guy in my hometown, but because he was so poor he
couldn’t go to college. That was one of my issues. Kaya tinapos
ko ang kolehiyo ko kahit 30 na ako. Kaya lumuluha ang nanay
ko noon. My father never finished college but he was very good
in writing. He kept books around the house kahit mga Readers’
Digest lang. Noong bata pa ‘ko, binabasahan n’ya ako. Gabi-gabi
binabasahan n’ya ako. Tapos puputulin n’ya ‘yon kapag suspense
na. I think that was a big factor. My mother was a school teacher
in elementary, although tumigil din ‘sya ng pagtuturo. So we were
are family that valued reading a lot
I don’t think we can ever bring it back to the way it was before.
Reading is going to have to adapt to the new media and create
something that will supply them with whatever they have to learn
in terms of dealing with texts and using their imaginations.
Did you ever think of going abroad?
I don’t want to live abroad. I’ve lived abroad for certain durations.
I studied and lived in the States for five years. You know, a month
each here and there. Ang States naman parang Cubao na lang sa
atin ngayon basta may pamasahe ka at visa. Parang wala na namang
bago doon. But my daughter lives there so I’ll probably be there
more often than I really care to. Pag ‘andun ako makikita mo ang
mga isinusulat ko mga pa-lonely, pa-exile, wala namang nag-e-exile
sa akin. Pang-minority. You can get into that mindset. Tapos may
mga identity crisis ka pa. Wala nga akong identity crisis dito eh.
Ang saya-saya ng buhay ko dito. Bakit ako pupunta doon?
Don’t you feel like you need recognition internationally?
From another market?
I’d like my books to be read by other people elsewhere but again
it wouldn’t even be a victory if I’m read there when I’m not even
read here. Mas gusto kong mabasa dito. I’m not thinking like a
big fish in a small pond. Actually our pond is very large if you
come to think of it with 90 million people. It’s bigger than Japan,
it’s bigger than the UK, it’s bigger than Australia. Put them all
together, mas marami pa rin tayo halos. Except that we really have
problems with readership. You don’t solve that by going away. Of
course, if we publish abroad then good. But first, yung readership
dito importanteng makuha.
Do you feel bad that most people here who do read books read
Western, Americans, Japanese, everybody else but Filipino?
Siyempre you wish that they read you too, pero I understand
that perfectly. Ang kakompetensya naman namin talaga, ang
kakompetensya ko hindi naman si Charlson Ong. Kundi si Danielle
Steel. That’s the real competition. We’re all competing for the same
disposable peso. I write in English. And I write about serious, mindboggling things that will give you a headache. So I understand that.
I think in this generation there’s not going to be a Pinoy blockbuster
or bestseller. That’ll probably come in another generation or two,
employing another medium. But it won’t be a published book. You
can imagine a Filipino story being on the internet and getting a
million hits. That I think is the thing that will happen.
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For the attention-deficit readers of this
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volumes of whopping 30 stories in
Filipino and 40 in English.
Edited by Vicente Garcia Groyon, this
anthology of short short stories features
the best of today’s young writers. Be
engaged in these 60-second gems while
waiting in long queues or taking your
morning MRT ride to the office. In one
to three pages, the stories are complete.
The stories may be over in just a few
minutes, “but those minutes may linger
in the reader’s mind forever.”
Mga Kuwentong Paspasan and Very
Short Stories for Harried Readers are
available in National Bookstore for P259.
Beguiling Tales of
Enchantment and Fantasy
Enter worlds magical, wild, twisted, and
vibrant as Milflores Publishing gathers
together twenty of our country’s most
exciting young writers with their own
modern versions of folk tales and fairy
tales in Tales of Enchantment and Fantasy.
Edited by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo,
this vibrant collection blends ancient
lores and old legends with the surreal
modern world resulting to a treasure
trove of modern fantastic fables. The
tales are sometimes humorous, some
are scary, oftentimes weird but are all
enchanting, weaving the old with the
new, and invigorating our literature in
their own spellbinding ways.
Plunge into different worlds from a
de-familiarized world of call centers to
the giddy realm of rock and roll, meet
familiar and unfamiliar characters from
the manananggal and vampires to a gang
of sinister blackbirds and a knife that
believes its purpose is to be loved. This
landmark collection proves just how rich
our very own folk tales are, made even
more enthralling in the hands of our young
talented writers. Marivi Soliven Blanco,
FH Batacan, Andrea L. Peterson, Karl R.
De Mesa, Carljoe Javier, Jose Cluadio B.
Guerrero, Romina M. Gonzalez, Anna
Felicia Sanchez, Ian Rosales Casocot, Nikki
Alfar, Dean Francis Alfar, Darryll Delgado,
Vicente Garcia Groyon, Tara FT Sering,
BJ A . Patiño, Cyan Abad-Jugo, Natasha
Gamalinda, Samantha Echavez, Emil
Flores, Gisela M. Gonzalez all contributed
to this fête of the surreal and fantastic.
Basic Upland Ecology
New Day Publishers, in cooperation with the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) and Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange
Programme (NTFP-EP), recently launched the book
Basic Upland Technology. The 166-page book, with
a foreword from former DENR Secretary Angelo
T. Reyes, presents a well-studied and accurate
description of how the upland environment works.
(L-R) Ma. Teresa G. Padilla of the NTFP-EP; Dr. Delbert Rice, the author; DENR Undersecretary
Teresita Samson-Castillo; and Denia Pascua, editorial head of New Day Publishers.
25
hot off the press
AGSB and Anvil
Release New Business
Casebook
T
he Ateneo Graduate School
of Business (AGSB) and Anvil
Publishing, Inc. proudly
release a new business and
management casebook entitled Blue
Way: Case Studies on Leadership,
Strategy, and Ethics edited by Joseph
B. Gonzales and Jonathan Chua. The
book contains six cases on Strategy,
five on Leadership, and four on Ethics,
written by AGSB faculty members from
their own work experience for use in
classroom discussions.
These cases cover small, medium,
and large institutions, representing
various business enterprises in different
industries and some government
instrumentalities. Cases developed are
those for a television company (GMA
7), an electronics company (Soltronicz),
two hospitals (The Medical City and
Good Samaritan Community Hospital),
a softdrinks company (RC Crowne Cola),
the Central Bank (Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas), two local governments (Biliran
and Cebu), a sugar regulatory agency
(SRA), an agribusiness company (Tristar
Feeds), a bank (Banco De Oro), a mining
company (Marcopper), a cosmetics
marketing company (Venus Marketing),
a construction company (Metro
Stonerich), and a restaurant (Hidalgo).
Alran R. A. Bengzon, M.D., Dean
of the AGSB, has high expectations
for the book: “It is… my sincere hope
that the casebook can contribute to
the development of this ideal business
executive – an ethically grounded
leader with excellent business strategies,
concerned not only with profit but also
with nation-building.”
Joseph I. B. Gonzales, MBA, Ph.D.
is a communications and research
professional with teaching and industry
experience in the U.S. and the Philippines.
He has taught communication and
research courses at various universities
in the U.S. and at the Ateneo de Manila
University. In 1998, he applied his
knowledge of cognitive psychology
and research methods to management
research. He is an independent
communication and research consultant.
Jonathan Chua, M.A. teaches literature at
Anvil and PETA launch Tongues oN Fire
A
nvil Publishing, Inc. releases
the latest book of veteran
columnist Conrado de
Quiros entitled Tongues
on Fire, a series of compilations of his
columns based on themes—speeches
and long essays written passionately
about things he felt strongly about.
These speeches are products of long
years of commentary, of feelings inspired
by events and his engagement of them.
The book encourages the reader to
supply his own voice, or the voices in his
head, to bring these pieces to life.
Mr. de Quiros shares the true
meaning of speeches in the Preface:
“Speeches are not just sense, they are
also sound. They are not just meant to
26
BOOKWATCH
inform, or impart insight, they are meant to
inspire, terrify, spark in audiences’ hearts
more turbulence that have been wrought by
the super storms.”
Conrado de Quiros has been writing the
column “There’s the Rub,” where most of these
speeches / essays appeared for close to twenty
years now. He first unleashed the column in
The Philippine Daily Globe in November 1987
and brought it to the Inquirer’s doorsteps in July
1991. It has remained there since, where it has
been comforting the afflicting and afflicting the
comfortable.
Available at all National Book Store and Powerbooks branches
nationwide. Tongues of Fire sells for P495 (ISBN 97127-19394
book paper) and for P195 (ISBN 97127-19387 newsprint). For
inquiries, contact Joyce Bersales at 747-1622 / 0906-2759537.
The Best
Philippine
Short Stories
of the Twentieth
Century
the Ateneo de Manila University. He coedited and wrote for the Cultural Center
of the Philippines (CCP) Encyclopedia
of Philippine Art (1994). He was also
editor of Feasts and Feats: A Festschrift
for Doreen Fernandez (2000) and The
Critical Villa: Essays in Literary Criticism
by Jose Garcia Villa (2002), winner of
the National Book Award.
Available at all National Book Store and Powerbooks branches
nationwide. Blue Way sells for P580 (ISBN 97127-19325 book
paper) and for P295 (ISBN 97127-19332 newsprint). For inquiries,
contact Joyce Bersales at 747-1622 / 0906-2759537.
Francisco Arcellana, N. V. M.
Gonzalez, Nick Joaquin, F.
Sionil Jose, Bienvenido Santos,
Jose Garcia Villa: how can one
find fault in the fact that this
anthology of Philippine short
stories in English definitely
contains the best of the
century? Edited by Isagani
R. Cruz, this compilation
of fiction that extends from
1925 to 1998 is a transient
travel through our recent past
that will leave an enduring
sentiment on our growth as one nation.
Twenty-five male and 25 female writers, both
well-known and unfamiliar, have been included
in this anthology. The young reader should not be
apprehensive of the thickness of the book and the
tedious academic connotation of reading stories
written by persons who are from and who speak of
a bygone time. For the lovesick and dreamy, there
is Paz Marquez-Benitez’s immortal Dead Stars,
which, despite being written in 1925, can still pull
the heartstrings of this generation’s lovers. There is
Charlson Ong’s How My Cousin Manuel Brought
Home a Wife juxtaposed with Arguilla’s original for
those looking for a bit of humor. In addition to this is
Jessica Zafra’s Portents which tackles abortion with
a sting that young people will love. I recommend
my own favorites, Estrella Alfon’s Magnificence and
Lakambini Sitoy’s Touch, but I shall not say why. That
is up to my fellow juvenile readers to find out.
–Corren Marcelo
The Best Philippine Short Stories of the Twentieth Century
received the 2002 Gintong Aklat Award for Literature.
Published by Tahanan Books, it is available at the Filipinas
Heritage Library’s bookshop Libros Filipinos for P795.
Corren Marcelo is a member of the NBDB Volunteers Group.
Frontline Leadership:
Stories of 5 Local
Chief Executives
By the Ateneo School of Government
and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Reviewed by Alvin J. Buenaventura
G
overnment is best seen and experienced
in the local level. Local government
is the front line in the battle to serve
the people. Before citizens give their
assessment of the national leadership, they first
look at how each local chief executive performs and
delivers the goods to their constituents.
“Frontline Leadership” features the stories and
best practices of local leaders in the real-time
management of the local government. Written by
several authors, the local executives were presented
with their achievements, idiosyncrasies, mistakes,
and difficulties to serve the common good. The book
painted realistic pictures of Naga City Mayor Jesse
M. Robredo, San Fernando City Mayor Mary Jane
C. Ortega, Bulacan Governor Josie M. de la Cruz,
Surigao del Norte Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers,
and an anonymous lady governor in the Visayas.
Ateneo School of Government associate dean and
the book’s project director Dr. Dennis T. Gonzalez
states in the book’s Afterword, “Our country needs
more members of the political and economic elite
who will exercise ethical and effective leadership,
even at the expense of their family interests, to enable
the many families mired in poverty to lift themselves,
to equalize opportunity to political and economic
advancement, and to strengthen democratic
institutions and the political party system.”
Current and future local chief executives can learn
much from the hands-on experiences of these leaders.
The examples of these fellow Filipinos show that hope
for a better Philippines is alive. We should all work
hand in hand and pray for more leaders like them in
the frontlines of service.
Frontline Leadership is available at both the
Rockwell and Loyola Heights offices of the Ateneo
School of Government.  For inquiries please call 8997691 loc. 2401/2 or 426-5998, 426-6001 local 4643.
27
Our Favorite List
Read Pinoy this 2008. Curl up with these 25 notable books that came out last year.
n
Lists are guilty pleasures. From to-do lists to top
10 lists, or simply making a list of lists, we all
find amusement in writing them down.
To start the year off, we at BOOKWATCH are pleased to
present to you our list of books published last year that
caught our attention—and perhaps, yours too. Ranging
from fiction, history, poetry, fantasy, and creative
nonfiction, whatever genre you prefer, we hope at least
one of these books caters to your reading palate.
Here are 25 books to indulge in all year-round.
Philippine Speculative Fiction
Volume 3
Bagets: An Anthology of
Filipino Young Adult Fiction
Ang Batang Maraming Bawal
Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street
Dean Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar | Kestrel IMC
The anthology gathers together stories
from the new breed of promising
fictionists in the country who are
taking speculative fiction to the
forefront of Philippine literature.
Edited by Carlas M. Pacis and Eugene Y. Evasco
| UP PresS
Bagets compiles finely written stories,
both in English and Filipino, that
tackle the issues and concerns of the
Filipino young adult
Tatlong Pasyon Para
sa Ating Panahon
Written by Rio Alma | UST Publishing
National Artist Rio Alma’s poems
confront issues about society, justice,
and truth. The poems are made
all the more powerful through the
visual interpretations of three of the
country’s premium painters Mark
Justiniani, Leonilo Doloricon, and
Ferdinand Doctolero.
Written by Fernando Rosal Gonzalez and
illustrated by Rodel Tapaya-Garcia | Canvas
and UST Press
Ang Batang Maraming Bawal won
CANVAS’ second annual Romeo Forbes
Children’s Storywriting Competition. It is
a simple tale of a sickly boy who did not
let his illness stop him from living a full
life, a touching story of innocent hope
and imagination.
101 Filipino Icons
Araneta, A Love Affair
with God and Country
Cine: Spanish Influences on
Early Cinema in the Philippines
Tongues on Fire
How to Win an Election:
Lessons from the Experts
Lagalag sa Nanyang
Maria Kalaw Katigbak,
A Charmed Life
Adarna House
Adarna House and Bench worked
together in this reference book of
101 noteworthy icons of Filipino
heritage. With notes to guide teachers
for classroom discussions, this book
presents a survey of people, places,
objects, and events that every Filipino
should know.
If a Filipino Writer Reads Don
Quijote: Three Lectures
by F. Sionil José, Vicente García Groyon & Alfred
Yuson | UST Publishing and Instituto Cervantes
This is the assemblage of lectures
delivered by three Filipino writers
representing their respective
generations. Alfred Yuson, Vicente
Garcia Groyon, and National Artist
F. Sionil Jose discuss the influence
Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quijote had
on their work as well as its influence
on Philippine Literature.
BOOKWATCH
By Carmen Guerrero-Nakpil | Nakpil Publishing
The much-awaited sequel to Nakpil’s
promised autobiographical trilogy,
Legends & Adventures sustains the
appeal and exceptional writing of its
award-winning predecessor Myself,
Elsewhere.
Sawi: Funny Essays, Stories
and Poems on All Kinds of
Heartbreaks
Edited by Ada J. Loredo, BJ A. Patiño, and Rica
Bolipata-Santos | Milflores Publishing
Readers, brokenhearted or not, will
find delight in this bilingual collection
of essays, poems and stories,a
which turned heartbreaks into
fascinating stuff of lighthearted, even
uproariously hilarious literature.
28
Legends and Adventures
By Maria Lina Araneta Santiago
A daughter’s account of two centuries
of the lives of the Araneta, Zaragoza,
Lopez and Ledesma families, the book
beautifully intertwines Philippine
history with accounts of the families’
colorful lives and their great love affair
with Filipinas (the Philippines).
Edited by Chay Florentino-Holifena | Ateneo
School of Government-Center for Social Policy
How to Win an Election is a mustread for any political neophyte who
wants to run for public office in the
Philippines. It includes interviews
with campaign strategists, select
elected officials, and public relations
experts, a practical manual that lays
out what every candidate has to do to
win office.
Anvil Publishing | Written by Nick De Ocampo
Award-winning filmmaker and writer
Nick de Ocampo investigates the
history of Philippine cinema and
presents engaging insights on the
influences of our country’s Spanish
background in the origins and
evolution of film in the country.
Written by Bai Ren and translated by Joaquin
Sy | UP Press
This landmark translation of the
contemporary Chinese novel Nanyang
Piaoliuji by Bai Ren. The novel
chronicles the hardship experienced by
A Song, a poor migrant worker in the
Philippines. Joaquin Sy won a Gawad
Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas for
Translation from the Unyon ng mga
Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL) for this
translation.
By Benjamin Pimentel | Ateneo de Manila
University Press
Benjamin Pimentel’s debut novel tells
the story of the former guerillas who
left their families to fight their final
battle in the land of a former ally. In
Powell Street in San Francisco, they idly
waited for the approval of a Veterans
bill that would finally allow them to
claim the benefits of US citizenship.
Written by Conrado de Quiros | Anvil Publishing
Veteran columnist Conrado de Quiros
collects his past speeches 17 years
after his last compilation Dance of the
Dunces. Included in this compilation
are his best speeches, including: “The
War in Our Midst,” “Losers,” and
“Tongues on Fire,” the final speech in
the collection.
Written by Monina Allarey Mercado |
Anvil Publishing
This is the biography of one of the
country’s most important female
political figures, former senator
Maria Kalaw Katigbak, which
shows the many faces of Maria as
a Senator,a wife, a writer, as the
head of the Board of Review for
Movies and Television, and as a
grandmother.
29
Written by The Anon Pinoy and Illustrated by
Elbert Or | Tahanan Books
The More The Manyer collects garbled
English expressions by Pinoys from
“That’s what I’m talking about it!” to
the classic “Come, let’s join us!” This
little book with hilarious illustrations by
Elbert Or is both funny and educational
as it provides the corresponding correct
English expressions at the end.
Dalawang Bayani Ng Bansa
Written by Rene Villanueva | Adarna House
Beloved children’s story writer
Rene O. Villanueva retells the lives
of heroes Jose Rizal and Andres
Bonifacio in this book, where the
experiences of both heroes are
narrated side-by-side. In the end, their
heroic journeys eventually intertwine.
A La Carte: Food and Fiction
Edited by Cecilia Manguera Brainard and
Marily Ysip-Orosa | Anvil Pulishing
Interspersing food recipes with
equally delectable stories, the
book genuinely renders Filipino
culture, as each chapter is
introduced by a recipe, followed
by stories interweaving the food
with the complexity of everyday
relationships.
Textual Relations
By Ramil Digal Gulle | UST Publishing House
Award-winning poet Ramil Digal
Gulle eroticizes reality through
language in this canny concoction
of playful, irreverent, and sensual
verses.
Buhay-Pinoy: Mga Piling Interbyu’t Artikulo
By Fanny A. Garcia | UST Publishing House
Fictionist and feature writer Fanny A. Garcia compiles
select interviews and articles that cover a wide range of
subjects; from Jaime Cardinal Sin to Mariang Hilot, from
Hospicio De San Jose orphans to Sapang Palay farmers.
30
BOOKWATCH
READ ALERT!
Banyaga: A Song of War
By Charlson Ong | Anvil Publishing
Banyaga, which won last year’s
National Book Award for Best Book
of Fiction in a Foreign Language, is an
epic portrait of three immigrants over
eight decades in which according to
literary critic Caroline Hau, Ong’s main
achievement “lies in his revelation of the
wondrous alchemy that turns foreigner
into Filipino and, just as important,
Filipino into someone (and something) at
once familiar and ineluctably foreign.”
THE
RIGHT
BUTTON
Dateline Manila
by the Foreign Correspondents Association of
the Philippines (FOCAP) | (Anvil Publishing)
The book compiles essays and
photographs of significant events that
took place since the founding of FOCAP
and provides snapshots of events from
the declaration of Martial Law up to the
travails of the Arroyo presidency at present.
Being Truly Filipino: Personal
Expressions of an Identity
Written by Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo |
Anvil Publishing
Conchitina Sevilla-Bernando recounts
her experiences as wife to the
Philippine Ambassador to Spain in
this book epitomizing what being a
Filipino truly is as the author tried to
find balance between the acceptable
norms of the country they were in
with that which is distinctly Filipino.
Alyas Juan dela Cruz at Iba
pang Kuwento
Written by Placido Parcero, Jr. | Ateneo Press
The book is a compilation of
appealing stories about the journeys,
relationships, and hopes of an
ordinary Juan dela Cruz.
The Kite of Stars and
other Stories
By Dean Francis Alfar | Anvil Publishing
From the imagination of Philippine
speculative fiction’s brightest star and
award winning fictionist Dean Francis
Alfar comes this collection of 16
marvelous stories of fantasy, science
fiction, horror and things in between.
by Glenn L. Malimban
Photo by Ocs Alvarez. Taken at Circle Cafe (2/F Centro Bldg., Tomas Morato cor. Timog Ave., Quezon City).
Models are Hannah Alagon and Marcus Flores. 100 Questions Filipino Kids Ask published by Adarna House.
The More The Manyer!
Pinoy Cliches and Other
Words of Wisdumb
O
ne of the major programs
of the National Book
Development Board to
promote the love for books
and good reading habits is the Booklatan
sa Bayan program. The Booklatan sa
Bayan, which simply translates to “open
a book,” is the NBDB’s response to the
country’s great need to encourage people,
young and old, to love books and engage
in reading as a lifelong habit.
As part of the team implementing
the Booklatan, I get the chance to be in
different places in the country and meet
people. Most of the time, I get to meet
and talk with librarians and teachers. I
consider them as advocates of literacy and
education. Next to parents, they are the
ones that a child listens to.
One significant fact that teachers,
librarians, and parents share with me is that
girls are easily taught to love reading books
than boys. One mother shared how she
got her son to read at least one book each
month by buying him toys that he asks for
in exchange. Now, her son asks for books
to read every time he wants something.
The strategy is obviously quite pricey but
nonetheless, it worked and the mother was
able to get her son to read at a young age.
So, why are young boys difficult to train
to love reading? Children these days have
very short attention span. When a child is
asked to do a thing, his/her attention would
easily shift if one exciting thing comes along,
like playing and toys. Boys by nature are
hyperactive and restless. Anything that does
not move or lacks in visual presentation
would not interest them.
Unless someone introduces the wonders
of a book at an early age, a boy will have
difficulty appreciating books. According to
Manolo Silayan, one of the best storytellers
in the country and one of the NBDB’s
resource speakers for the Booklatan sa
Bayan, the best time to introduce the
love for reading and books to kids is at
the earliest age possible or during their
discovery years when they are still eager to
learn the things they see around.
Mr. Silayan added that a child should
already know how to read and to appreciate
reading story books with less visuals when
he reaches Grade 4. It is best to instill to
children good reading habits while they are
still young. It will be difficult to introduce
the habit when they are already older when
most of their concerns are focused on
their appearances and other young adult
activities like dating.
Teachers and parents should equip
themselves with creative and innovative
strategies to initiate good reading habits.
They must continuously get young
children interested in books. Young
children can start appreciating books if
parents read to them or if they see their
parents reading.
Though it is never too late for anyone
to learn the fun side of reading, it is really
best to start while still young. Children
have that innate desire to eat, to sleep,
to play and to learn. All they need is
someone to push that right button in
them to start it up.
31
- Emily A. Abrera,
Philippine advertising leader
32
BOOKWATCH
Photo by Alvin J. Buenaventura
The physicality of a book matters to a book
lover. This is the first thing you love—to
hold it in your hands. There’s no smell to a laptop.
You can’t ruffle the pages. There’s a different
sensorial thing about reading a book...And that is
the reason why people love to hold it in their hands,
they love to turn it around, and notice its design,
its weight, and the way a book looks. These are all
part of the reading experience—the book
reading experience.