20 October 2021- The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt, in cooperation with the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Office of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, today unveiled the Philippine stand at the 73rd edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair which is being held from 20 to 24 October 2021 at Messe Frankfurt. Dubbed as “Books Philippines: An Archipelago of Stories,” this year’s stand highlighted the country’s rich oral and print literary heritage which has survived more than three centuries of colonization.
Consul General Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia expressed the Consulate’s unwavering commitment to partner with the NBDB and the Office of the Deputy Speaker in attaining the Guest of Honor (GOH) status for the Philippines in 2025 and in promoting Philippine book publishing at the annual international book trade. Though this year’s three-member Philippine delegation is miniscule compared with the 2019 FBF which saw the biggest ever Philippine delegation, the Consul General stated that “the Philippine participation provides a good opportunity to showcase Filipino publishing/cultural luminaries in the world stage while proving the country’s relentless pursuit of GOH status in FBF.”
NBDB Director Anthony Balisi and Vice Consul Mueller are set to meet with Dr. Juergen Boos, President and Chief Executive Officer of FBF, to continue discussions on the Philippines’s bid to become GOH country in the 2025 edition of the FBF. The Philippine delegation will be joined virtually by Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda and NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade to assure the FBF organizers of the country’s readiness to take on the responsibility of being the GOH country.
For six consecutive years now, the country brought to the 2021 FBF its top publishers, that included 19th Avenida, Adarna House, Anvil Publishing, Ateneo de Manila University Press, Milfores Publishing, University of the Philippines Press, University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, and Komiket, among others.
