History
The birth of the NBDB was a long struggle that started in the halls of Congress by legislators for ten (10) years or more who shared a vision and desire to see the growth of the book publishing industry of the Philippines through democratization of the supply of educational materials to public schools and non-imposition of tariffs and taxes. The first hearing commenced on July 25, 1994, and ended on June 2, 1995, when his excellency, former president Fidel V. Ramos signed into law the Republic Act No. 8047 or also known as the “Book Publishing Industry Development Act” which is a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 252 authored by Senator Edgardo J. Angara and House Bill No. 12614. The Republic Act 8047 was an amendment and repeal to the Executive Order 492 series of 1991 which formed the Instructional Materials Development Center under the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS). The National Book Development Board which was referred to as the “Board” was created through the enactment of Republic Act No. 8047 under the administrative supervision of the Office of the President. Its first chairman was Atty. Dominador D. Buhain.
Its first office was then located at A. Ma. Regidor Street, Area XI, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City from 1995 to 2007. After a few months, it was transferred to 2nd Floor, National Printing Office, EDSA corner NIA Northside Road, Diliman, Quezon City from 2007 until 2012. NBDB then moved at Unit 2401, Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road (formerly Emerald Avenue), Ortigas Center, Pasig from 2013 to March 2019. Then it had a short stay at 4th Floor Dorm E, Department of Education Complex, Pasig from April 2019 to December 2019. Starting January 2020, NBDB's new office is currently located at 3rd and 4th Floors, Regalado Hive Building, Regalado Avenue, Fairview, Quezon City.
Organizational structure
The National Book Development Board was composed of: The Governing Board and the Secretariat.
Governing board
The governing board assumes responsibility for carrying out and implementing the policies, purposes and objectives provided in the Republic Act No. 8047. It was composed of eleven (11) members. Five (5) representatives were chosen from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and nominees by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from the academe and training institutions; and, six (6) representatives from the nominees of organizations of private book publishers, printers, writers, book industry related activities, students and the private education sector, preferably representatives of the three main islands of the country in view of the substantial progress made by other regions in the book publishing industry. The appointees to the board shall be one of the three (3) nominees of the concerned nationwide organizations duly incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and with membership, whenever feasible, in all the cities and provinces throughout the country. The members of the board shall elect a chair from among themselves. The DECS representative in the board shall be the ex-officio vice chair of the board. Its current chair is Dante Francis Ang II.
History of Governing board members (representing Private sector)as of October 15, 2020| Arroyo Administration | Aquino Administration | Duterte Administration |
|---|
| Dennis T. Gonzalez | Flor Marie Sta. Romana-Cruz | Dante Francis M. Ang II |
| Christina P. Hidalgo | Karina Bolasco | Maureen Alexandra S. Ramos-Padilla |
| Queena Lee-Chua | Dr. Isagani Cruz | Teresita Q. Adriano |
| Alegria Sibal-Limjoco | Ruel S. De Vera | Resignation effective June 30, 2020 |
| Alfredo C. Ramos | Mary Ann Arcedo Ordinario |
| Roland Robles | Ani Rosa S. Almario | Jose Mirasol De Mesa |
Secretariat
The National Book Development Board have a permanent secretariat under an executive officer, who shall be appointed by the board. The executive officer have the authority and responsibility for the day-to-day management and direction of the operations and affairs of the board. The secretariat executes, administer and implement the policies and measures approved by the board. The structural and functional organization, compensation plan, and the staffing pattern of the secretariat shall be approved by the board upon the recommendation of the executive officer. The board may create, abolish, merge, or otherwise reorganize positions therein as may be necessary for the economical, effective and efficient discharge of its functions and responsibilities subject to existing laws.
Trainings, reading campaigns and book fairs
NBDB promotes reading and writing literacy for all ages by conducting several local and international trainings, reading campaigns and book fairs such as: Booklatan sa Bayan, Training the Trainers for the module “Writing Stories for Children”, Children's Book Summit, Philippine International Literary Festival, Rights Management, Book Industry Summit, Read Aloud, Read Pinoy Video Campaign, Book Fiesta, Booklatan Book Fair, and the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF). It is also an active partner and participant of the World Book and Copyright Day, Kuala Lumpur Trade & Copyright Centre (KLTCC) Fair in Malaysia, Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) in Germany, London Book Fair (LBF) in United Kingdom, and the 85th PEN International Congress.
It also has its own studies and publications such as the: Readership Survey, The Philippine Book Publishing Industry in Figures, Bookwatch, and Copyright Watch.
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