Metro Cagayan de Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY- Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan’s boutique sized XU Press has attained another milestone in its publication journey.

In an announcement posted in its social media page, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) announced the recipients of its 2025 Publication Grant.

From 238 applications, the NBDB selected 20 submissions that will be its Publication Grant recipients for 2025. The genres of this year’s awardees range from fiction and poetry to children’s literature and non-fiction.

What is remarkable about the latest selection is no less than 5 of the 20 recipients were submitted by XU Press. XU Press submitted 13 manuscripts for the NBDP’s consideration.

*A Collection of Preliminary Materials on the Lumad Belief System of Mindanao by Rudy Buhay Rodil

*Touching Our Roots: A Convergence of Tri-Peoples of Mindanaw and Sulu In Question and Answer by Rudy Buhay Rodil

*The Churning of the Sea Milk and Other Essays by Elio Garcia

*Marawi in the Heart by Elin Anisha Guro

*Pagsantop han Waray by Voltaire Oyzon and Tom Payne

“Our deep gratitude to NBDB for this recognition and support! This means so much for Xavier University’s small publishing outfit that provides a voice to narratives from the regions, preserves cultural heritage, exploring unexplored themes or research areas, and countering the centralizing influence of the bigger national publishing industry,” said Arlene J. Yandug, XU Press Manager and Editor.

Another grant recipient, AND NOT TO YIELD (World War II Stories from Mindanao) will also be published by XU Press but was submitted individually to the NBDB by author Rene Michael D. Baños.

Previously, XU Press won four of the 22 grants awarded to  publishing houses chosen by the NMDB as recipients for its 2023 publication grants, selected from 118 applications from publishers all over the Philippines.

The winning titles from XU Press include Bride Price and Other Stories, a short story collection by Dr. Calbi Asain; Sikwateng Uwan, a multi-genre collection of post-Sendong literary works by Dr. Maria Elena Paulma and Dr. Jeena Rani Marquez-Manaois; Lasang sa mga Pasumbingay: Sixteen Southern Writers, an anthology of works and poetics of Southern writers edited by Merlie Alunan, Aivee Badulid, and Lemuel Zalradarriaga; Lanao Boy: A Life: The Writings of Manuel E. Buenafe (1916-1963), a collection of literary works and memoirs edited by Dr. Maria Corazon Buenafe.

Due to its conservative three-person staff and limited budget, XU Press could only take a maximum of two to three publications a year, inclusive of the Kinaadman Journal.

Former XU Press Manager Elio Garcia, who is one of this year’s grant recipients, acknowledged the constraints posed by its personnel, relative youth, and budget limits, noting how it takes time to cultivate a relationship with the reading public and the wherewithal to publish emerging and established writers. He believes Xavier Ateneo can meet these challenges by investing in human and technical resources “so we can meet the writers exactly where they are, and accelerate the production of vetted knowledge.”

Yandug reiterated the importance of the University’s name in giving the press credibility and power, hence attracting authors who trust the press’s vision, its peer review and editorial mechanism.

She further stated that XU Press is not a commercial publisher, and that its most important role is in its ability to nurture new authors, and amplify local voices that do not easily find their way into the national publishing houses.” 

“In this way, regional presses have the power to diversify the national narratives and enrich the literary landscape and knowledge production of the country,” she added.

Tapping grant-giving institutions such as NBDB can help offset publication costs and provide support for writers who want to develop their manuscript.

“We hope that XU Press can provide guidance and conversations for writers who need to incubate their work, especially the emerging ones, by organizing workshops, forums, demystifying the publication process, and linking writers to those who can mentor and provide support,” Elio noted.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) is an attached agency of the Department of Education that develops and promotes the Philippine book publishing industry. As the book authority of the Philippines, the NBDB leads the formulation and implementation of policies that support the growth of the book publishing industry in the Philippines.

Among its operational plans include capacity-building initiatives, investment and trade promotion activities, grants and incentives, readership development campaigns, and industry research and data gathering

The NBDB co-organizes the National Book Awards with the Manila Critics Circle, the National Children’s Book Awards (with the Philippine Board on Books for Young People), and the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards.

A number of grants and subsidies including The National Book Development Trust Fund, Publication Grants, the NBDB Translation Subsidy Program, and the Creative Nation Grant are also available from the organization.

The National Book Development Board (NBDB) Publication Grant is a Philippine program that provides financial assistance to publishers, enterprises, institutions, authors, and editors who intend to publish a Filipino book. Deserving manuscripts are set to receive grants for as much as PHP 200,000.00, covering publication costs such as editing, layout, and printing. Applicants must be registered with the NBDB and submit an application along with the complete manuscript. 

Bringing in the written word from the peripheries

In pursuit of the Jesuit mission “to reach out to people beyond their frontiers” in Mindanao, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan’s (Xavier Ateneo) XU PRESS presents itself as an “alternative press” for the Mindanao-focused writings, research and literature, which would otherwise would not have been published by the country’s “Manila-centered” publishing industry.

XU Press was conceptualized in 2007 as a publishing arm of Xavier Ateneo by then University President Fr Jose Ramon Villarin SJ to systematize its academic and scholarly publications. 

As a University-based publisher, XU Press plays a role in publishing instructional materials pertinent to the academic curricula and books that address the knowledge gaps in the region. This latter role, in view of the scarcity of publishing outfits in the region, has made XU Press vital in promoting awareness of Mindanao to the bigger world.

Set up by Hilly Ann Quiaoit, PhD, under the Kinaadman Research Center (now Kinaadman: University Research Office) during her term as Director, XU Press was formally established in 2008 with the launching of The Immortal Sea, a collection of lectures, addresses and homilies by the late Fr Miguel Bernad, SJ.

Since then the Press has evolved through time, producing textbooks as a staple product, on top of Kinaadman Journal which is its flagship publication, notes Yandug.

Currently, XU Press publishes literature, literary studies, and social science books that advance Mindanaoan identity, history, and culture (alongside the usual instructional materials used by XU students).

Noting the growth of this mission-driven publishing outfit through the years, Yandug says that XU Press has “slowly, but steadily ventured to publish books that cover a wider range of topics and cultural expressions, including poetry, interviews, and anthologies.”  

One of its books, Songs Sprung from Natives Soils (2019) edited by Ricardo M. de Ungria, won the 39th National Book Award for Best Book of Literary History in English this year, a recognition not only of the author, but also of what the Press and the University stand for.

“This is the first time that XU Press won an award such as this, and the timing could not have been more propitious, as the office with its new manager is gearing up for the future with strategic plans,” Yandug stressed.

More recently, Yandug’s Coming Home to the Island: Poems won the 41^st Philippine Literary Arts Council Prize for Best Book of Poetry in English.

The author expressed her delight with the citation, but likewise some trepidation moving forward to her next book, given her duties as Kinaadman Journal, and concurrently as manager of the XU Press, on top of a teaching load.

The 41st National Book Award’s Best Book of Poetry in English is a significant literary award in the Philippines, specifically aimed at recognizing and celebrating outstanding poetry written in the English language.  It is organized by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle, and it is one of the most prestigious accolades for poets and writers in the country.

“We are aware that there are a lot of writers in the region, whose works need to be showcased, and by publishing with XU Press, we are balancing the ecosystem of publishing since we are among the few university-based presses outside Manila. In a sense, we participate in the decentering of knowledge production,” Garcia noted.

Alongside local presses, XU Press hopes to gain leverage in drawing attention to the distinctiveness of local cultures through publication of works on Mindanao, and thus contribute to the local publication industry and flourishing of the knowledge ecosystem that is reflective of the country’s diversity.

-INDNJC-