NCBD 2017 Aftershocks 1 of 2

And the 2017 National Children's Book Day (NCBD) came to pass. It commenced with the awarding of the Salanga Prize and Alcala Prize at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) to Mr. Genaro Gojo Cruz and Ms. Sophia Demanawa respectively. Three things made this year's NCBD Awards Ceremony truly touching, at least for me. These are the presence of Elyrah Salanga Torralba and Boyet Alcala, children of Alfredo Salanga and Larry Alcala, who granted the awards to the winners this year; the honest and spontaneous acceptance speeches of Mr. Gojo Cruz and Ms. Demanawa; and the loving tribute of the PBBY Board to one of its own who has gone to the great beyond, Mrs. Gloria F. Rodriguez. It was also delightful to see, former Usec Dina Ocampo attend a PBBY event in a long while. The usual suspects were there, present, of course. Kuya Rey Bufi of the Storytelling Project hosted the ceremony and read aloud the winning story of Mr. Gojo Cruz, Dalawa Kami ni Lola.

Pepper Roxas was the guest speaker during the NCBD celebration in CCP. She flew in from New York to deliver a stirring keynote on the power of stories and why, in this dark and dangerous times, artists, especially the ones in the Philippine Children's Literature industry must continue telling and creating stories. 

Ms. Roxas was also the plenary speaker in the 2nd Philippine Children's Book Summit.

The CCP, being an institutional member of PBBY, organized a mini-book fair, conducted workshops in the afternoon on writing, film animation and gave tours to young visitors. The tour is a regular program of the CCP to strengthen art education and art studies in the basic education level. Visit the CCP website for more information about the My CCP tour for young people.

In the days that followed, PBBY got wind of more NCBD Celebrations. SM malls had a two-day run of storytelling and reading aloud sessions featuring illustrated story books, Two Friends One Word by Ramon Sunico (Anvil, 1990) and Bumabara-bara-bara by Fernando Gonzales (Chikiting Books, 2015). PBBY President, Tarie Sabido, gave a workshop on books and reading to teachers of  Malabanan Elementary School in Biñan, Laguna. Kuya Rey Bufi conducted a workshop on storytelling in the same school. 

On July 22, 2017, the 2nd Philippine Children's Book Summit, Illustrators Fair and Storytelling Festival were held at the GT Toyota Asian Center in UP Diliman. The National Library of the Philippines conducted its annual international conference on Children's and Young Adult Library and Museo Pambata had a storytelling workshop facilitated by Kuya Bodjie Pascua.

NCBD 2017 and Voice of the Teachers

On Sunday, June 25, 2017, I was a guest in the radio show Voice of the Teachers. It goes on air at 1PM-2PM every Sunday at DWDD Katropa Radio 1134 kHz. It is hosted by an intrepid team of teachers and trainers namely, Sir Robert Peter "Bobby" Sagun Ancheta, Teacher Fe Mutallano Lustañas, Sir Jet Ramos and Teacher Herman Briñas. 

I was one of the four guests that afternoon. Each of us talked about our advocacy and field of expertise. Teacher Julia shared the findings on her research about factors that contribute to the migration of Filipino teachers for greener pastures. Sir Mike and Miss Abigail are professional trainors, teachers of teachers and allied professionals. It was an enjoyable and insightful afternoon!

When it was my turn to talk about the Annual National Children's Book Day (NCBD) and the granting of the Salanga and Alcala Prizes, everyone in the room was all ears. It was their first time to know about the NCBD and the writing and illustrating prizes that the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) confer to the winners. When I told them about past awardees, honorable winners and the books that bear the Salanga and Alcala medals, their faces lit up in delightful familiarity. The titles I mentioned were Alamat ng Ampalaya, Chenelyn! Chenelyn! Ang Pambihirang Buhok ni Lola! and Bruhaha! Bruhihi. 

The hosts, most especially, knew these stories and I was surprised as well when each host gave a summary of the book they are familiar with. They recalled these stories with fondness, like it was a part of their childhood years, a bygone age of  innocence and wonder. Such is the magic of stories and the enchantment that readers of all ages find in Children's Literature! 

Thank you to the hosts of Voice of the Teachers! Thank you to Teacher Marose Lagunsad for endorsing PBBY to the show as guest. It is always my pleasure to share and speak of our advocacy and literacy campaigns. 

On July 18, 2017, the awarding ceremonies of the Salanga and Alcala Prizes to this year's winners will be held at the CCP. On July 22, 2017, the second Children's Book Summit will take place in GT Toyota Asian Center in UP Diliman. Two sibling activities are also up on schedule that day. The Illustrators' Fair and the Storytelling Festival are two events for kids age 5 to 12 years old. These events are free and are being made possible through the collaborative efforts of the PBBY and the National Book Development Board (NBDB).

Happy National Children's Book Day! Laging bago ang mundo ng libro!

Call for Entries: The PBBY Alcala Illustrator's Prize 2017

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2017 PBBY-Alcala Prize.

The winner shall be given a cash prize of P25,000.00, a gold medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in an appropriate ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children’s Book Day on July 18, 2017.

Contest Rules

1. The contest is open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity.
2. Entries must be based on the 2017 PBBY-Salanga Prize winning story, Dalawa Kami ni Lola  by Genaro Gojo Cruz. A copy of this story may be requested from the PBBY Secretariat or downloaded from the PBBY website.
3. All entries must be original unpublished illustrations that have not won in any previous contest.
4. All entries must consist of three (3) illustrations that are of the same size and medium. Entries do not have to be based on consecutive spreads/parts of the text.
5. A contestant may send in more than one (1) entry.
6. Each entry must be signed by a pen name only, preferably on a small piece of paper pasted on the back of each artwork.  Entries with a signature or any identifying marks are automatically disqualified.
7. Together with each entry, contestants must submit a separate envelope, on the face of which only the pen name of the contestant shall appear.  The envelope must contain the contestant’s full name, address, contact numbers, short description of background, and notarized certification vouching for the originality of the entry and for the freedom of the organizers from any liability arising from the infringement of copyright in case of publication.
8. All entries must be sent to the PBBY Secretariat, c/o Adarna House, 109 Scout Fernandez cor. Scout Torillo Sts., Quezon City by April 28, 2017. Entries may be submitted in person or by courier service.
9. Winners will be announced no later than June 19, 2017.  Non-winning entries must be claimed no later than August 7, 2017 after which they will no longer be the responsibility of the organizers.

For more details, interested parties may contact PBBY by calling +632 3526765 local 203 or emailing pbby [at] adarna.com.ph.