NOW in its fourth year, the Philippine Book Festival (PBF) will return on March 12 to 15 at the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City. It will serve as a marketplace for all Filipino literature and published works and a shared space where publishers, writers, illustrators, readers, and educators can gather.
There will be more than 100 advertisers who will bring a large collection of books. A variety of lectures and workshops are also lined up for the four-day event.
“In all our past programs, we have welcomed more than 120,000 attendees and generated approximately P80 million in retail sales,” said Charisse Aquino-Tugade, executive director of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), in a press conference for the festival on February 26 in Quezon City.
He emphasized the real issues behind the numbers. “Think of a child holding a newly signed book as if it were gold, a teacher who finds a title produced in a place that fits his class, a small regional publisher whose books flew off the shelves,” she said.
The first day will welcome all students and the Department of Education (DepEd) and its examiners from all over the country.
The festival will organize its offerings under four signature areas within a rainforest-inspired setting. “Aral Aklat” highlights books and educational guides; “Booktopia” invites visitors to explore Filipino fiction and non-fiction; “Kid Lit” offers interactive, kid-friendly books; and “Comics” celebrates the visual richness of Filipino comedy and graphic storytelling.
“These represent different audiences, different genres, under one forest – connected, growing, alive,” said Ms. Tugade.
National Artists of Film and Broadcasting Ricky Lee and Literature Virgilio Almario, and renowned historian Ambeth Ocampo will be on hand to sign books along with commercial book stars Jonaxx and Ron Canimo, children’s book authors Eugene Evasco and Luis Gatmaitan, and komiks legends Manix Abrera and Pol Medina. The GMA Network, along with PaperKat Books, will also launch Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’grefirst collected book based on Encantadia TV franchise, in PBF 2026.
The area will be divided into special nooks: Lugar Lagdaan with book signings and reader-author gatherings; Bahay Ilustrador exploring the world of virtual storytellers; Gubat ng Karunungan workshops, lectures, and masterclasses; the Fiesta Stage for big shows and concerts; again A fly in informal social discussions.
The NBDB, in collaboration with the National Library of the Philippines, will also display Jose Rizal’s facsimiles. Noli Me Tangere, Doctrina Christianaand Fr. This is Manuel Blanco’s place Flora of the Philippinesall rare works that strengthen the festival’s profound literary heritage of the Philippines.
The highlight of this four-day program is 43rd The National Book Awards, to be held on March 14 at the Fiesta Stage, honor the works of authors, illustrators, editors, translators, and publishers whose books have helped shape the country’s literary landscape.
Ms. Tugade said in a press conference that, in the last four years, NBDB has seen an increase in the number of books published, which are traceable using the International Standard Book Number.
“The articles are increasing, that means more people are reading, we look at the work of the publishers, and we have seen their articles increase,” he said.
Another indicator of growth is the number of subscribers in the publishing industry, which the NBDB reported “saw an increase” as well.
As part of its efforts to promote learning in the area, PBF will be open to the public from March 12 to 15. For more information on the Philippine Book Festival and free registration, visit www.philippinebookfest.com. – Brontë H. Lacsmana
