THE 2023 National Readership Survey conducted by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) confirmed what we have suspected all along. Filipinos are reading less than ever, according to the NBDB survey that was done by the Social Weather Stations. There were 2,400 respondents in the latest survey, and it focused on the reading of nonschool books.

The NBDB chair is our publisher, Dante Ang II, and its executive director is Charisse Aquino-Tugade. They have done a wonderful job bringing our books all over the archipelago — and on other shores as well. The Philippines will be the country of focus at the Frankfurt Book Fair next year, and the ongoing Asian Children's Book Festival in Singapore features a wonderful Philippine exhibit.