In a milestone event for Philippine publishing, Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI) and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Academic Publications Office will launch four e-books on June 22, 2010, 4:00 p.m., at the Ariston Estrada Hall, DLSU main campus, Taft Avenue, Manila.
VFI is the pioneering book publisher in the Philippines to venture into e-publishing through its digital imprint, Vee Press. While the Foundation itself has established itself in the forefront of traditional print publishing, Vee Press extends its imprints by providing enriched versions of these books available in multiple e-book formats accessible on digital readers and mobile internet users anywhere in the world.
Together with the Foundation, De La Salle University also embarks on a landmark venture for Philippine publishing as the first university to have four of its exclusive book titles converted into e-book format.
The four e-books are Sanghiyang sa Mundo ng Internet (Reflections on the World of the Internet) by Rhoderick Nuncio; Filipino Religious Consciousness by Sylvia Palugod; Maharang, Mahamis na Literatura sa Tataramon ng Bikol (Spicy, Sweet Literature in the Bicol Language) by Paz Verdades M. Santos; and Mabathalang Pag-aaral (Religious Studies) by Jose M. de Mesa.
The e-books focus on Philippine literature, society and the arts and are based on manuscripts written by the four La Sallian authors. They may be purchased from Apple’s iBooks store and Amazon.com in formats compatible with iPad (ePub) and Kindle (Mobi), and may also be printed on-demand by VFI. Interested parties may place their orders via the Vee Press website, which contains the details of the e-books for sale.
Vibal Foundation aims to preserve and share Filipino culture and oral tradition by making available digital copies of rare materials. The launch of the e-books is a first for Philippine book publishing, as no other local publishers have yet released their materials in digital e-book format, and no other local publishers have their books on sale at the Apple iBooks store. Through VeePress, Vibal Foundation makes these books available for the first time to a global audience.
Gracing the launch will be Isagani Cruz of the De La Salle Academic Publications Office and Jack Victor Nera, Vee Press project lead. The four authors will also speak about their work.
Palugod’s Filipino Religious Consciousness is a study of the religious consciousness of the Filipino as reflected in customs, traditions, symbols, folk literature and popular culture. In her book, she presents a profile of spirituality consisting of commonalities in the worldviews of representative linguistic groups in the country via surveys of myths, legends, epics, proverbs and short stories, as well as first-hand cultural studies.
Book cover
On Kindle
On iPad
De Mesa’s Mabathalang Pag-aaral speaks of theology and how it affects and connects Filipinos via an experience of the Lord that they can claim as truly theirs — unique to the local Catholic tradition.
Book cover
On Kindle
On iPad
Santos’s Maharang, Mahamis na Literatura sa mga Tataramon na Bikol is a collection of the finest Bikolano literature, sampled from anthologies, magazines, newspapers, theses and dissertations. The works contained in this book were selected for their significance in Bikolano literary history and their unique Bikolano identity.
Book cover
On Kindle
On iPad
Nuncio’s Sanghiyang sa Mundo ng Internet brings the concept of the sanghiyang, a ritual fire dance reputed to cause an altered state of consciousness in performers, to the discourse on the Internet. Through a social science and humanity theoretical framework, the reality that the Internet creates is analyzed — its role in politics and economy, popular culture and communication.
Book cover
On Kindle
On iPad
For more information, you may visit the Vee Press website. For inquiries, email sales@vibalfoundation.org , or call +63 (2) 712 2722 local 350.
