VIBAL FOUNDATION BAGS PUBLISHING AWARD, LAUNCHES 10 NEW BOOKS AT 2024 MIBF

Kristine Mandigma (3rd from left) with VFI team

After receiving the prestigious “Best Academic and Scholarly Publisher” citation at the recently held Gintong Aklat Awards, Vibal Foundation Inc. (VFI) aims to sustain its momentum with the launch of 10 new titles during the 2024 Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) at the SMX Convention Center. 

Organized by the Book Development Association of the Philippines, the Gintong Aklat Awards recognizes the outstanding contributions of publishers for their exemplary books published from 2022-2023 – one of the annual highlights of the MIBF. 

VFI Executive Director Kristine Mandigma

VFI Executive Director Kristine Mandigma graciously accepted the award on the main stage of the MIBF and was invited to share some words: “On behalf of Vibal Foundation and Vibal Group of Companies, we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the BDAP and its president, Atty. Andrea Pasion Flores, the Board of Trustees, and our fellow publishers. We are sincerely and deeply honored by this acknowledgment and recognition by our peers in the industry. This award would not have been possible without our team, our excellent editorial and art production team, to my colleagues from Vibal Foundation, thank you for all your hard work through the years.” 

Prior to the announcement of winners last Sept. 11, four books from Vibal were also included in the shortlist of Finalists for the different categories of the Gintong Aklat Awards: “Best Book on Art” for Nineteenth-Century Masters of Angono Art by James Owen Saguinsin and Philippine Colonial Photography of the Cordilleras (1860-1930) by Jonathan Best; “Best Book on Humor, Sports, Lifestyle, and Business for Paseos de Intramuros: A Guidebook to Manila’s Walled City by Jose Victor Torres; and “Best Book on Food” for Heritage Dishes of the Philippines by Camille de Guia.

10 New Titles at the Vibal Tertulia

This year, VFI is launching 10 new books at the “Vibal Tertulia” – a celebration of music, dance, and literary discourse now on its second year at the MIBF. The two-hour spectacle to be held on the main stage of the SMX on Sept. 13, features distinguished authors and writers of VFI discussing their book, short feature films offering a preview of the published titles, and musical performances that will delight the audience. 

The show is free for the public and is emerging as one of the highlights of the book fair, which gathers thousands of visitors from all over.  

Mark Francis Francisco and Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

The new titles available are:

1. Old Jolo and Zamboanga 1268-1945 by Mark Francis Francisco

2. More Mindanawon Than We Admit: History, Culture, and Identity in the Philippine South edited by Jhoanna Lynn Cruz

3. More Political Than We Admit: Theories and the Problematic of Philippine Politics, edited by Julio Teehankee

4. The Conquest of the Philippines by the United States 1898-1925 (Second Edition) by Marcial Lichauco and Moorfield Storey, edited by Dr. Rolando Borrinaga and Cornelia “Nelly” Lichauco-Fung

5. Philippine Cinematic Art (Second Edition) by Gaspar Vibal, Andrea Peterson, Nicanor Lajom, and Christopher Datol

6. The Twentieth-Century Philippines In Ten Novels: Literature As History (1913–1975) by Soledad S. Reyes

7. Insular Yet Global: Selected Essays of Fernando Zialcita by Fernando Zialcita

8. Colonial Philately: Philippine Postage Stamps 1854-1946 by Jose Eleazar Bersales

9. Travel Notes by Paz Mendoza Guazon, edited by Irene Villaescusa Illan

10. A Visual Guide to Philippine Ancient History edited by Vicente Villan

About Vibal Foundation

Founded in 2007, Vibal Foundation is Vibal Group’s philanthropic arm. Its vision is to engage Filipinos in intellectual discussion of Philippine history, culture, and arts by providing beautiful and insightful print and digital materials.

Its institutional partners are the National Historical Commission of the Philippines; National Museum of the Philippines; Philippine Departments of Labor and Education; San Agustín Museum; UP Jorge B. Vargas Museum; Ateneo Art Gallery; Biblioteca Historica, Universidad Complutense, Madrid; International Rice Research Institute; Galleria Duemila; Gallery Genesis; and Premio Zóbel.