PEPA 75 Years: Celebrating Philippine Educational Publishers and Textbook Industry Growth




PEPA 75th Anniversary: Honoring Philippine Educational Publishers and the Book Industry

The Philippine Educational Publishers Association (PEPA) celebrated its 75th anniversary on December 5, 2025, at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas. This milestone event honored the association's achievements in developing Filipino textbooks and advancing the Philippine education publishing industry.

Key Recognition Recipients


Highlights of the 75th Anniversary Celebration included the recognition of several government and private sector leaders instrumental in education policy and textbook development:

• Senator Sherwin Gatchalian received recognition for pushing educational reforms as former Chairman of the Senate Education Committee
• Senator Rodante Marcoleta was honored for legislative contributions
• Congressman Antonio Cerilles recognized for education advocacy
• Congressman Rufus Rodriguez honored for supporting education initiatives
• Atty. Rodelio T. Dascil recognized for the Book Industry Development Act (RA 8047)

Besides government officials, government agencies and private institutions also received plaques:

• Department of Education (DepEd)
• National Book Development Board
• Private Education Assistance Committee
• Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines

Legacy Leaders of PEPA


Former and current PEPA presidents received special awards for their service and dedication:

• Dr. Ernesto Sibal
• Jesus Ernesto Sibal
• Jose Agaton Sibal
• Atty. Dominador Buhain
• Jose Maria "Toots" Policarpio
• Jose Paolo Sibal (current president)

Senator Gatchalian's Vision for Educational Reform


Senator Sherwin Gatchalian delivered an acceptance speech emphasizing the need for decentralized textbook procurement. His proposal allows public schools to select textbooks best suited for their students and conditions, mirroring the system used in private schools.

The senator highlighted that this approach is used by top-performing countries in international assessments such as the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment):

• China implements decentralized procurement with strong PISA results
• Japan uses decentralized textbook selection
• Finland maintains localized textbook choice policies
• Singapore allows school-based textbook selection

PEPA President Emeritus Dominador Buhain supported Gatchalian's proposal, noting that these advanced countries achieve high international rankings through competitive textbook procurement processes.

Textbook Procurement Challenges


Gatchalian emphasized that centralized procurement creates delays in textbook allocation to public schools. He estimates that with an enhanced DepEd budget, the proposed P28 billion peso allocation would provide one textbook per subject per student.

Unfortunately, procurement for school year 2025 through 2026 has faced delays due to new procurement guidelines under Republic Act 12009 (RA 12009).

Future Outlook and PEPA's Mission


As PEPA looks ahead to the next seven decades, the association remains committed to supporting the diverse learning needs of Philippine schools. The organization will continue developing quality educational materials that meet the rigorous demands of modern education and support improved student outcomes.

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