FILCOLS Celebrates World Book and Copyright Day 2012 with NBDB and IPOPHL

The FilipinasCopyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) celebrated the World Book and Copyright Day 2012 recently at the Planas Garden, Quezon City Memorial Circle. Dubbed as “Summer Slam,” the program was organized to promote copyright laws and protest widespread piracy.  People from all walks of life took part in the school fair-themed celebration. 

FILCOLS partnered with the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Intellectual Property Officeof the Philippines (IPOPHL) to turn the important event into a venue to disseminate information on the respect for copyright and to help stop rampant piracy in the country. 

The chair of NDBD, Neni Sta. Romana Cruz and IPOPHL director general Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor urged the event participants to uphold copyright advocacy.  The program included the awarding of this year’s winners of the NDBD Trust Fund: Ma. Florina Y. Orillos-Juan for “Ang Kabihasnan at Lipunang Pilipino sa Harap ng Pananalanta ng Balang 1569-1949” and Ma. Mercedes G. Planta for “Traditional Medicine in Colonial Philippines 16th to the 19th Centuries.” Antonio R. Enriquez’s “The Siege of Fort Pillar” also won for the Novel category.

The formal ceremonies were followed by informative entertainment, which started with a modern version of Balagtasan by The Batutes (Siege Malvar and GP Abrajano). Malvar is the author of Visprint Publishing’s young adult novels “Crash” and “Roles.” Other excellent performances followed from bands Quartermoon and Carlos Castaño; the Quezon City Public Library puppeteers; as well as a storytelling session from Kuya Rich and a spoken word performance by Miko Pepito.

FILCOLS also featured Talentadong Pinoy champion ventriloquist WANLU, who did a great puppet show about the value of authors in the modern world and the importance of supporting local products by buying only original copies.

Among the co-organizers present were Alvin Buenaventura, FILCOLS Executive Director; Napoleon Almonte, FILCOLS Executive Officer for Licensing, and author of “Rizal is My President;” and Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta, author of Anvil Publishing’s “The Proxy Eros,” both of whom gamely participated in the fun and games with Malvar. Books written by FILCOLS members were given as prizes to the winners. 

FILCOLS Executive Officer for Membership and Documentation Beverly “Bebang” Siy emceed the program. She ended the FILCOLS’ segment by thanking the organizers, co-organizers, FILCOLS’ funders NORCODE and KOPINOR, and the team that made the participation of FILCOLS in Summer Slam a success: the Freelance Writers Guild of the Philippines (FWGP), headed by organization founder Ime Morales; Zaldy Arbozo, Maritez and Marisa Laudinez, and Anthony Marabe of Siyudad ng Antipolo Arts Guild (SINAG); Paul Arpee Zapata; BlackPen Publishing; Pandora’s Books Online Shop; Balangay Productions; Jojo Perez; and, Wanlu.

Summer Slam or the World Book and Copyright Day 2012 Celebration was organized by the NBDB and the IPOPHL in partnership with FILCOLS, Filipino Society of Composers, Authors andPublishers (FILSCAP), Komikon, Metroserye, QCPL, Vibal Foundation, and Visprint Publishing.