ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES – Iloilo City will host a landmark gathering of educators, storytellers, artists and community reading advocates this August 20-22, 2025, as the National Book Development Board (NBDB) stages its annual Book Nook Conference.
Billed as “Sug-álaw: A Grand Encounter of Stories, Cultures, and Communities,” the three day event seeks to confront the Philippines’ widening reading gap by fostering collaboration, innovation, and community-driven cultural production.
“What we are looking at right now is essentially the result of over four years of slow but consistent and meaningful changes to reading communities in the regions. The Book Nook Project has always committed toensuring that love for reading is not just centralized in our urban capitals, but also nurtured in the remotest reaches of the Philippines,” NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade said.
Founded in 2021 by Aquino-Tugade, the Book Nook Project is a nationwide network of safe, inclusive reading spaces housing thousands of Filipino-authored and published books. Built on the principle of aklat para sa lahat (books for everyone), the project is both a response to limited book accessibility and a call to protect Filipino cultures, languages, and literatures from being lost to the so called “reading crisis.”
The Iloilo conference will be more than just a symposium. Attendees can expect hands on workshops on building sustainable reading spaces, harnessing digital platforms, and designing creative community based literacy programs.
One highlight is a day of public reading activities at Nabitasan Integrated School in Barangay La Paz, envisioned as a living demonstration of how grassroots collaboration can fuel literacy and culture.
“We have partnered with the local community, and we’ve brought the nation’s storytellers, artists, and educators to show what ‘It takes a village’ really means. In our most ambitious Book Nook Conference yet, we are envisioning a space for forging new partnerships and strengthening existing ones, ensuring that the collaborative spirit of The Book Nook Project continues to thrive long after the event concludes,” Aquino-Tugade said.
NBDB emphasizes that Sug-álaw is not designed to be a one off event. Rather, it aims to formalize long-term, community-specific strategies that will enable underserved areas to become self-sustaining hubs of reading and culture.
The agency envisions stronger regional networks of advocates working toward a future where book access is no longer a privilege, but a guarantee.
“Ultimately, the 2025 Book Nook Conference is the manifestation of a movement in action. We’ll witness how the power of stories connects and wills people to ensure that no child, no family, and no community is left without access to our rich and storied Filipino literature,” concluded Aquino-Tugade.
