THE DEPARTMENT of Education participated in the recent Philippine Book Festival held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City from June 2 to 4, 2023.

The event, spearheaded by one of its attached agencies, the National Book Development Board, aimed to highlight Filipino books that feature Philippine literature and culture.

“We have been considering the need to more effectively streamline our book and educational material purchases for many years. We are joining NBDB and its partner organizations at the first Philippine Book Festival in this spirit, and as a result of the Festival’s creation to specifically highlight the range and depth of our books and the diversity of our national voices,” DepEd Undersecretary Gina Gonong said.

The festival also served as a venue for DepEd teaching and non-teaching personnel to conduct market scoping for supplementary learning resources in various grade levels as part of its vision to provide quality materials for learners.

DepEd also featured learning resources, such as storybooks and digital learning materials from its Learning Resource Portal developed by teachers and field implementers.

NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade said that her agency is committed to providing enough reading materials to Filipinos.

“The National Book Development Board is here with you to ensure that we have access to reading materials. It is time to give our voice primacy. It is our time, and we have to do it now,” she said.