National Book Development Board reforms grant process

Charisse Aquino-Tugade, NBDB executive director, in a meeting with Arthur Casanova, chairman. (Photo from the Facebook page of the National Book Development Board)

MANILA, Philippines —The National Book Development Board (NBDB) has revamped its process of awarding grants to Filipino authors to make it shorter and clearer to expedite the process.

In a statement to the Inquirer, the NBDB cited several changes in its process of awarding grants as part of its shift in strategy to encourage the consumption of Filipino books.

“We have revamped the NBDTF’s (National Book Development Trust Fund) grant-giving process to enact a shorter and clearer process for application. As part of this shift toward more efficient processes, the NBDB pivoted to using digital technologies and platforms,” said NBDB executive director Charisse Aquino-Tugade.

While previous NBDTF cycles culminated at only the endorsement for publication of completed proposals, this year’s NBDTF will seek publication for completed manuscripts, she said.

Aquino-Tugade said the process “includes matching grantees with publishers to develop the manuscript, and to prepare it for publication.”

“The pursuit of a more democratized and decentralized process required NBDB to build strategic partnerships with regional partners, the literary hubs. During the initial screening process, these hubs will be vital in identifying and connecting potential writers with the NBDB and with partner publishers,” the NBDB official said.

She added: “By removing this gatekeeping process from the grant administrator, we hope to decentralize and expedite the process of grant disbursement.”

The NBDB held its public consultation to present the NBDTF 2022 guidelines and changes to the implementing rules and regulations on May 24. It will publish a call for submissions in the third quarter of 2022.

Response

An attached agency of the Department of Education (DepEd), the NBDB issued the remarks in response to an Inquirer report published on June 5, with the headline: “COA: Grant money for SciTech book authors unused since 2019.”

A 2021 audit report on the NBDB showed that the agency has P14.14 million in accumulated interest income from its NBDTF which had been untapped since 2019.

The trust fund was established to support Filipino authorship especially in the field of science and technology.

In its statement, the NBDB said it was taking steps to effectively revive the grant for Filipino authors, which the Commission on Audit report recognized.

The DepEd-attached agency added that state auditors also gave the NBDB an “unmodified opinion,” the highest rating for government agencies, for eight consecutive years.

“This recognition strengthens our commitment to support the local publishing industry, to promote readership, and to empower Filipino creatives,” the agency said.

The NBDB also gave P33.33 million in grants and domestic incentive programs in 2021, such as large-scale, institutional bulk-buy programs like the Book Nook reading centers, translation, publication, creative grants and professional training.

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