Rex Education Offers FREE Books, Discounts, and Exciting Deals at MIBF 2023

Are you looking for budget-friendly quality books and educational materials? Rex Education has got you covered! As part of its continued participation in the renowned Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), this year, REX treats book lovers, young and adult learners, parents, educators, and other professionals with free tickets, exclusive discounts, promotions, and fun and exciting activities.

The 44th MIBF will be held from September 14–17, 10:00 AM–8:00 PM, at the SMX Convention Center Manila, which has become the fair’s home for many years. More than an event, MIBF is a platform for beneficial partnerships highlighting more than 200 local and international exhibitors, showcasing the largest and most comprehensive selection of books, educational resources, and engaging activities for everyone. It has been attended by more than 160,000 visitors consistently in the last 3 years—all gathered for one purpose—to celebrate books!

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a long-time fan, getting entrance tickets is now a breeze. All you need to do is register with Rex Education through this link: http://bookfair.winposunlimited.com and save the e-ticket to enter the venue. Also, make sure to put Rex Education as the invitation source when you register. Registration is open until September 8, so sign up early and claim limited freebies, including free college books.

Along with freebies, REX will also provide exclusive discounts on storybooks, activity books, and educational materials, including bestsellers in Basic Education, Higher Education, and Law. Prepare your shopping list now and visit the REX booth as early as possible to get your much-needed books.

Moreover, you can seal great deals with REX's Bookay-Bookay, where you can avail of K–12 books for as low as PHP 50.00 and college books for PHP 100.00 or less. Take advantage of up to 50% discount on selected titles, and join the raffle to win additional prizes.

Yes, there’s more from REX! For extra fun and creative experiences, REX will also host a face painting activity to nurture the artistic expressions of your little explorers. A storytelling activity will also be featured to keep them entertained and engaged while learning. Lastly, what a great opportunity to capture memories through a roving photographer! So, celebrate books, visit the Rex Education booth, and satisfy your book cravings.
Championing lifelong learning at MIBF

MIBF is essential to Rex Education's advocacy of championing education. It offers an excellent opportunity for REX to spread its mission of nurturing every child for lifelong learning, inspiring every individual to advance oneself, uplifting others, and sustaining the environment for a better world. It has been a cherished tradition for REX to participate in the fair to provide access to more affordable, high-quality books and educational resources.

With the theme "Masterpieces of Human Civilization with UNESCO Highlights," this year's booth will be greatly inspired by and will feature 12 countries and their most significant contributions to human civilization, including artifacts and UNESCO tidbits. These countries are Iraq, India, Egypt, China, Mexico, Greece, Iran, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the USA, and the Philippines.

The MIBF, the Philippines' largest and longest-running book fair, brings together local and international exhibitors, authors, and book lovers, celebrating books and collaborating and converging for the love of reading and learning.

For more updates on Rex Education's MIBF offers and promos, follow REX’s Facebook page and Instagram page, or visit the MIBF official website at www.manilabookfair.com. Stay tuned, and see you at the fair!

DTI Chief Signs IRR of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, strengthens PH Creative Industries

MAKATI CITY - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as spearheaded by Trade Secretary Fred Pascual signs the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11904, otherwise known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA).

The PCIDA, which lapsed into law on 28 July 2022, mandates the development of a vibrant Philippine creative industries by protecting and strengthening the rights and capacities of creative firms, artists, artisans, creators, creative workers, indigenous cultural communities, creative content providers, and other stakeholders.

The law provides adequate support measures to the Philippine creative industries which currently face various binding constraints to growth, such as high output costs, fragmented education systems, piracy issues, lack of data and statistics, underdeveloped branding and infrastructure, and wide skill gaps and mismatch, among others.

To steer and oversee the implementation of the law, it creates the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council (PCIDC), which will be chaired by the DTI Secretary, and composed of the Secretaries of the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Tourism (DOT), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); the Chairperson of the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), and private sector representatives from various creative domains.

Aside from the PCIDC, the law also mandates the development of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Plan (PCIDP), which shall embody several support mechanisms geared to address the specific concerns in the creative ecosystem covering infrastructure, research and development, innovation, digitalization, financing, investment, and education, among others.

The law also seeks to develop and promote Philippine Creative Cities to produce more UNESCO-designated creative cities in the country by placing creativity and culture at the heart of local development plans and promoting the establishment of creative hubs and clusters.

The promulgation of the PCIDA-IRR is set to advance the country’s efforts in effectively executing the PCIDA towards enabling the creative industries to be a key driver of the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

DTI Secretary Fred Pascual sees the signing of the IRR as an important step towards harnessing the enormous potential of the Philippine creative industries. “The collaborative efforts of different stakeholders in the creative ecosystem are all vital in building a vibrant and globally competitive Philippine creative economy. Hence, we have made sure that the PCIDA-IRR would be a product of synergistic discussions with other government agencies and the creative industry players”, he said.

Secretary Pascual also emphasized that “the signing of this IRR is an important enabling measure to effectively execute the PCIDA towards transforming the creative industries to drive our economic recovery and fuel an inclusive and sustainable growth.”

Further, highlighted that the PCIDA is set to bolster a collaborative environment for local creatives and the government; “the IRR will promote a better work environment and livelihood for creative workers, improve education and access to financial support, develop industry data and statistics for policymakers, and harness other innovation efforts to help workers and firms in the Creative Economy”, Pascual added.

He also acknowledged the enormous potential of the Philippine creative industries, noting the role of different stakeholders in building a vibrant and scaled-up Philippine creative economy at the forefront of the Asia-Pacific Region, driving the country’s development, and further enriching our local culture. In fact, the creative industries contribute almost 8% to the economy, employing 5 million workers and generating exports accounting for 12% of the country's total exports.

Meanwhile, Competitiveness and Innovation Undersecretary Rafaelita Aldaba added that "With new technologies & digital transformation, creative industries present new opportunities & innovation prospects for creative and cultural workers. Leveraging on cultural richness, skilled content artists and creators, and new technologies, the creative industries can act as the prime catalyst for creative disruption and innovation in the country".

The creative industries are included in the priority industries of the DTI under its science, technology, and innovation-driven industrialization strategy, which aims to grow globally competitive and innovative industries and create more and better jobs in the country.

The signed version of the IRR may be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bsoPGKvKDwV14sQeAmSaXg9nqPlbqvmy/view

Cebu City is Among 66 Worldwide Designated by UNESCO as New Creative Cities

On October 30, Cebu City joined 66 cities designated as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.

Cebu City is now officially part of the UNESCO Creative Cities International Network under the design category.

As explained in the UNESCO website (https://en.unesco.org), the UNESCO Creative Cities are laboratories of ideas and innovative practices that bring a tangible contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through innovative thinking and action.

Through their commitment, creative cities from all continents and regions with different income levels and populations are championing sustainable development actions that directly benefit communities at urban level.

“All over the world, these cities, each in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “This favours political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generations.”

With 66 new creative cities this year, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network now counts to a total of 246 cities all over the world.

As stated in the website, UNESCO Creative Cities Network members work together towards a common mission: placing creativity and the creative economy at the core of their urban development plans to make cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Venus Tan is the New Chief Operating Officer of TPB

The Board of Directors of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Marie Venus Tan as its Vice Chairperson and concurrently, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the TPB.

Prior to her assumption of office at the TPB, COO Tan was the Director of the Department of Tourism in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR) for three (3) years. In that capacity, she spearheaded several urban rehabilitation tourism initiatives, including her brainchild campaign, Rev Up, Revive, Revisit, Revitalize (REV-BLOOM), Project Stobosa, Project PURAW and the Village Innovation Community Enhancement Project, among others. Likewise, COO Tan held the post National Coordinator for International Marketing and Promotions of North Luzon and Palawan from May 2015 until September 2018.

She is known for her genuine dedication to the cause of sustainable tourism, as attested by her affiliation with notable local and international organizations dedicated to socio-civic causes. COO Tan is a member of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Mountain Partnership in Slow Food International, Chair of the Asia Pacific Government Cluster and the focal person in the Philippines for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network 2017. She is Vice President of the Cordillera Association of Regional Executives (CARE), the founding Chair of the non-governmental organization Inspirational Women of the Cordilleras (IWOC), the International Organization Women in Travel, and Asia Travel Marketing Association.

COO Tan started her career as a Senior Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) from January 1980 to December 1986. She went on and acquired nearly 13 years’ worth of experience as Chief III of the Europe and the Americas Divisions of the then Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC), the precursor of the TPB. COO Tan’s hard work lead to a significant contribution to the development of Philippine tourism relations with Western, Central and Eastern Europe for 15 years, serving as Tourism Attaché for these regions beginning 2000 to 2015.

COO Tan is determined to make the TPB the DOT’s best performing agency under her administration. Topmost among her priorities are the development of meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibition events (MICE), providing optimal experiences for long-staying guests, and aiming for the Philippines’ high-spending source markets.