National Book Development Board (Philippines)

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National Book Development Board

Flag of the National Book Development Board
Agency overview
FormedJune 7, 1995 (1995-06-07)
JurisdictionPhilippines
Headquarters3rd and 4th Floor, Regalado Hive Building, Regalado Avenue, Fairview, Quezon City
Annual budget₱237.636 million Php (2024)
Agency executives
  • Atty. Fatima Lipp D. Panontongan
    , Acting Chair and concurrent Vice Chair
  • Charisse Aquino-Tugade
    , Executive Director III
Parent departmentDepartment of Education
Websitebooks.gov.ph

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) is an attached agency of the Department of Education[1] that develops and promotes the Philippine book publishing industry. The agency was established with the enactment of Republic Act No. 8047, also known as the “Book Publishing Industry Development Act.”[2] As the book authority of the Philippines, the NBDB leads the formulation and implementation of policies that support the growth of the book publishing industry in the Philippines.

Among its operational plans include capacity-building initiatives, investment and trade promotion activities, grants and incentives, readership development campaigns, and industry research and data gathering.[3]

History

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The NBDB was established following over a decade of legislative efforts to strengthen the book publishing industry by promoting equitable access to educational materials and eliminating tariffs and taxes.[4] The initiative began with public hearings on July 25, 1994, and culminated in the enactment of Republic Act No. 8047, signed by President Fidel V. Ramos on June 7, 1995.[2][5] This legislation, consolidating Senate Bill No. 252, authored by Senator Edgardo J. Angara, and House Bill No. 12614, aimed to position the book publishing industry as a key element in education and national development. The Act repealed Executive Order 492 of 1991, which had established the Instructional Materials Development Center under the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS).

Mandate and functions

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The NBDB is mandated by R.A. 8047 to:[6]

  1. Promote the growth and development of the Philippine book publishing industry;
  2. Formulate and implement a National Book Policy and a corresponding National Book Development Plan;
  3. Encourage the publication and distribution of books, most especially the Filipino-authored ones, with emphasis on writing focused on science and technology, education, arts, culture, and literature;
  4. Ensure the availability of affordable, quality books for all sectors of society;
  5. Support authorship and readership initiatives through grants, subsidies, training programs, and awards.

Organizational structure

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The NBDB is governed by a Governing Board composed of representatives from the government and the private book industry sectors.[2] The agency is led by its Chairperson, assisted by a Secretariat through an Executive Director, who is designated by the NBDB Governing Board.

Programs and initiatives

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The NBDB implements various programs aimed at developing both the supply and demand sides of the book ecosystem. These include:

  1. Readership Programs: The Book Nook Project,[7][8] the traveling Philippine Book Festival,[9][10] National Alliance of Reading Advocates (NARA) in partnership with USAID,[11] Booklatan sa Bayan,[12] the Children's Book Summit,[13] and the Philippine International Literary Festival.[14]
  2. Grants and Subsidies: The National Book Development Trust Fund,[15] Publication Grants,[16] the NBDB Translation Subsidy Program,[17] and the Creative Nation Grant.[18]
  3. Industry Incentives: Tax and Duty-Free Importation of Raw Materials and exemptions under the Omnibus Investment Code of 1987 (Tax Holiday).[4]
  4. Literary Awards: Co-organization of the National Book Awards (with the Manila Critics Circle),[19] the National Children's Book Awards (with the Philippine Board on Books for Young People),[20] and the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Executive Order No. 189, s. 2003". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Republic Act No. 8047". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. June 7, 1995. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  3. ^ "The hope of the Philippine book publishing industry amid stagnant readership | IPOPHL". Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines. April 23, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  4. ^ a b De La Cruz, Christa I. (August 15, 2022). "A law to help the Philippine book publishing industry". BusinessWorld. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  5. ^ "Republic Act No. 8047 | Development of Philippine Book Publishing Industry". Jur.ph. August 28, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8047 - AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY THROUGH THE FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A NATIONAL BOOK POLICY AND A NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT PLAN - Supreme Court E-Library". elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph. Archived from the original on May 18, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  7. ^ "National Book Development Board launches Book Nook project". ABS-CBN News. November 24, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  8. ^ Cua, Aric John Sy (October 22, 2024). "NBDB: The Book Nook project and Frankfurt Book Fair". The Manila Times. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  9. ^ III, Feliciano Rodriguez (June 2, 2023). "National Book Development Board celebrates grand opening of Philippine Book Festival". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  10. ^ Roa Cabrera-Paraiso, Janelle (August 16, 2023). "The Philippine Book Festival Goes to Davao!". Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  11. ^ "USAID and National Book Development Board Team Up to Promote Reading". U.S. Agency for International Development. August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  12. ^ "Pay more attention to reading, literacy NBDB urges; works to get more Filipinos to read". Philippine Information Agency. March 22, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  13. ^ rdevera (July 19, 2015). "NBDB to hold National Children's Day bookfest, summit". Lifestyle.INQ. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  14. ^ Uson, Melanie (March 9, 2025). "Philippine Book Festival returns this March—here's what to expect". Philstar Life. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  15. ^ "REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9521 - AN ACT CREATING A NATIONAL BOOK DEVELOPMENT TRUST FUND TO SUPPORT FILIPINO AUTHORSHIP - Supreme Court E-Library". elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph. Archived from the original on May 20, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  16. ^ "National Book Development Board to help writers with its first-ever publication grant". GMA News Online. May 19, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  17. ^ "NBDB offers translation subsidy for Filipino works". Panitikan.ph. September 2, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  18. ^ Cruz, Kaithreen (June 7, 2021). "NBDB offers grants to authors, publishers". The Manila Times. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  19. ^ Parungao, Adrian (December 9, 2023). "NBDB announces 41st National Book Awards winners". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  20. ^ "LIST: Winners of the National Children's Book Awards 2022". Rappler. July 19, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  21. ^ "The Filipino Readers' Choice Awards is returning after 7-year hiatus". Philstar Life. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
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