30th Manila International Book Fair

SMX Convention Center, Pasay City -Philippines

The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) once again unrolls the carpet at the Exhibit Halls of the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, in Pasay City with the theme “Opening Doors and Pages: A Legacy of Books.’’

Goodwill Bookstore booth

Last September 18, 2009 friday ,   I went to the largest book fair in town. The 30th Manila International  Book Fair was scheduled from September 16th to 20th. This event was  considered  as the  Philippines’ premiere book event and the longest-running book fair in Asia, the annual MIBF celebrated their Pearl Anniversary. the show  featured new and  interesting events that  draw double, if triple the visitor-turnout this year.

Rex Bookstore

The five-day fair  included storytelling sessions (reading and interpretative performances for kids and kids-at-heart); book and product launching; live musical performances; cooking demonstrations; and competitions.

Tomas Pinpin- Prince of Filipino Printer  and Fray Francisco Blancas de San Jose- Father of Philippine Printing

There were  seminars on how to  published, freelance writing, intellectual property protection, care and repair of books, digital debate on archives, museum, and libraries, projecting a good image of the library, professional etiquette for librarians, how to export books, ICT in education, and dealing with the challenges the publishing industry faces amid the ongoing global financial crisis.

Vibal Publishing booth

With reading and literary as its battle cry, the MIBF has been successful in gathering and uniting publishers, authors, booksellers, educators, librarians, and readers of varying generations, cultures, interests, and backgrounds.

seminar

It has made books more accessible to an increasing number of Filipinos, especially those who have had little or no access to books. There were  foreign exhibitors which came from ASEAN member countries and Asian countries like Taiwan and China.

life -sized mannequin on display

Aside from the regular lectures, there are also life- sized mannequin exhibits and cos players during the event. The people who participated in the  cosplay event drew a lot of young spectators.

Diwa Publishing mobile van

MIBF has efficiently and effectively provided a venue for promoting new titles and authors, for dialogue with customers and readers, and for discussing ways to improve the quality of books with peers in the publishing industry. In its bid to promote reading and literacy, it has showcased traditional and new media and presented books and other published works in all their permutations to an ever increasing number of audiences.

National Bookstore

The MIBF is organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc. in partnership with the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc., the Book Development Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc., and the Publishers’ Representatives Organization of the Philippines.

National Artist Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera and Dr. Elmer Ordoñez during the PEN Writers talk

Philippine literary greats  appeared at the MIBF. The Philippine PEN (Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists) holds a series entitled “Dialogue with the Writers” at the business lounge, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Every year, thousands of book lovers would troop to the venue to buy the most interesting paperbacks or get the latest bestsellers at a much lower rate.

Anvil Publishing booth

Students , professors, bargain hunters, bibliophile also get to buy textbooks at discounted price. This is the event where books are sold at a wholesale or bargain prices.

children enjoyed playing inside the bus

It is heartwarming to know that despite the tougher challenges confronting the book and publishing industries, new trends and breakthroughs in technology, the economic crunch, and the fact that Filipinos are not a reading bunch compared to other Asian countries , the MIBF continues to espouse the noble mission of providing a venue that encourages reading, publishing, and book selling.

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