Beyond words R

IPPLES, yet again, in the West Philippine Sea, when China less than a week back was reported by the Philippine Coast Guard to have blocked its vessels for a resupply mission.

on. Literary events also play a pivotal role in nurturing a reading culture among Filipinos.

Reading is a gateway to knowledge, empathy, and understanding, and book festivals create an environment that encourages the love of reading.

They feature book launches, readings, panel discussions, and workshops that engage readers of all ages and backgrounds. The events cultivate a sense of curiosity, exploration, and imagination, and hopefully will instill a lifelong love for books and reading in the young.

Book events also foster community engagement and social interaction.

As readers, writers, and publishers come together, they form connections, share experiences, and exchange ideas.

These interactions create a sense of belonging and camaraderie within the literary community, and encourage aspiring writers to pursue their passion and develop their craft.

They also connect readers with writers and publishers for feedback, friendships, and fandoms.

The PCG said its vessels were en route to Ayungin Shoal, when China blocked and fired water cannons against the mission the former said directly threatened the peace and stability in the region.

5 Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea,” the statement read.

“Firing water cannons and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers, PRC ships interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew,” it added.

Book events also connect readers with writers and publishers for feedback, friendships, and fandoms

I attended that one, and, as I wrote in my June 7 column, I was “at a loss for words – superlatives escape me” in attempting to describe how successful the event was.

The NBDB’s staging team went above and beyond to provide a friction-free experience that allowed attendees to focus on enjoying themselves.

Billed as a “literary extravaganza,” the PBF will be from Aug. 18 to 20, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m at the SMX Convention Center, Lanang. Admission is free to all. View the entire program at www.philippinebookfest.com. Monitor updates at the NBDB Facebook page: www. facebook.com/nbdb.phil.

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The reason I’m writing about the PBF, and feature other literary happenings such as book launches in my columns, is because emphasis needs to be placed on the importance of such events in developing a vibrant national literature and in cultivating a reading culture among Filipinos.

These events provide a platform for Filipino writers and publishers to showcase their work and for readers to find them.

They offer a unique opportunity for both established and emerging authors to gain exposure, connect with readers, and network within the literary community.

By celebrating and promoting local literature, these festivals create a sense of pride and recognition for Filipino writers and their contributions to the country’s cultural heritage.

The written word preserves and promotes Filipino identity and heritage. Authors often write about the rich tapestry of Philippine history, traditions, and values.

These books serve as mirrors reflecting the collective experiences of the Filipino people, allowing readers to better understand their roots and cultural identity. By supporting and amplifying these voices through book events, the nation embraces its uniqueness and diversity, and ensures its cultural heritage is passed

In addition to promoting literature and reading, these events also have economic significance. By showcasing local books and supporting local publishers, the events boost the publishing industry, leading to its growth and sustainability.

This, in turn, contributes to the overall growth of the creative economy in the Philippines.

In short, what the PBF -- and by extension other literary events of the NBDB and other institutional members of the literary community – does in staging book events is conduct essential cultural events that contribute to the development of our national literature.

They provide a platform for writers to be recognized and celebrated, preserve and promote Filipino cultural identity, and cultivate a reading culture among Filipinos.

They provide opportunities for readers to connect with writers and find books that they may not otherwise be able to access.

These festivals are not only important for literature but also for fostering access to books and community engagement, encouraging creativity, and contributing to economic growth.

As such, they deserve continued support and promotion to ensure a flourishing literary and cultural landscape in the Philippines.

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Sending best wishes for safety and success to artist Solana Lim Perez, who is participating in the 2023 Mongol Derby happening right now.

Sol applied to join the race way back in 2019 and trained for endurance riding with the Kabadjo Horse Handlers Association (the one operating within Camp John Hay, Baguio City). She learned basic riding skills from the Wright Park “pony boys.” Perez is the first Filipina to join the world’s longest and toughest race.

The Mongol Derby distance is 1,000 kilometers across the steppes, with riders expected to navigate their own way between horse stations or ‘urtuus’ established at 35-kilometer intervals.

The event recreates the system used by Genghis Khan to convey messages across his vast empire.

The race uses GPS tracking equipment to monitor all the riders, and as I write this on Sunday afternoon, Sol is on her way to Horse Station 8.

There are 20 more stations after that before she reaches the finish line.

Check out the tracking map at blogging. mongolderby.com to see Sol’s progress and that of the other riders.

* * * FB and Twitter: @DrJennyO / Email: writerjennyo@gmail.com

THE nation is still recovering from the embarrassment generated by the recent fiasco at the Department of Tourism headed by Secretary Christina Frasco, a politician from Cebu. She belongs to the Garcia political dynasty that dominates the province.

Last month, news reports revealed Frasco’s DOT allocated a staggering P49-million for a campaign project to promote tourism in the Philippines.

The campaign called for a videogram to focus on tourist destinations all over the country. It also called for other promotional strategies, including a new slogan and a new template logo.

The project was awarded to DDB Philippines, a public relations company.

According to the DOT, the materials to be used in the campaign must be original creations, which means DDB Philippines must produce the videogram using its own visuals.

After some time, DDB Philippines submitted to the DOT a new tourism cam- paign slogan and the contracted videogram, among others.

Surprisingly, the new tourism campaign slogan was the bland and simplistic phrase “Love the Philippines” which is to replace the existing one—“It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

As for the videogram, the DOT apparently accepted it on its reckless assumption the visuals therein are, as promised by DDB Philippines, original footage of real Philippine tourist destinations.

Thereafter, the DOT disseminated the videogram to the news media, and online.

Soon after that, many experts on visual graphics noticed that several segments of the videogram are not original materials produced by DDB Philippines.

The segments are stock footage which DDB Philippines apparently acquired from an upscale distributor which sells them.

Aggravating the problem is the stock footage are not even about real Philippine tourist destinations, but sites located in Asia and the Middle East, among other places.

The DDB Philippines videogram made it appear those foreign sites are in the Philippines.

That revelation put Frasco’s DOT in very embarrassing light. The anomaly was all over the news, both

China’s coast guard countered it was implementing necessary controls in accordance with the law to deter Philippine ships, which it accused of trespassing and carrying illegal building materials.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas.

Immediately, the US Department of State said the People’s Republic of China’s firing of water cannons and employing unsafe blocking maneuvers against PCG vessels on Saturday “interfered with the Philippines’ lawful exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and jeopardized the safety of the Philippine vessels and crew.”

In a statement shared by the US Embassy in Manila via Twitter, the State Department reaffirmed its commitment with the Philippines and called on China to follow international rules and order because it has “no lawful claim” to the resource-rich region.

“The United States stands with our Philippine allies in the face of dangerous actions by the Coast Guard and maritime militia of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to obstruct an August