IBBY-Ph Announces 2024 Honour List Selections

The International Board on Books for Young People Philippines (IBBY-Ph), the Philippine national section of the international non-profit IBBY, has announced the Philippine nominees to the 2024 IBBY Honour List.

Every two years, IBBY national sections select the best books from their respective countries and submit them to the IBBY Honour List, one of the most prestigious children’s book awards in the world. Three books are chosen for excellent and outstanding writing, illustrations, and translation. The books that will make the list will be formally presented at the IBBY World Congress and will be exhibited at international book fairs and conferences.

The 2024 Philippine honorees are Si Cielo at Ang Asong Si Stella, Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo and Eugene Evasco for writing; Agawan Base, Jericho Moral for illustration; and Bum Tiyaya Bum, Angela Narciso Torres for translation.

Acclaimed children’s picture book writer and creative writing professor Eugene Y. Evasco reimagined Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo’s short story about a little girl’s journey of finding, befriending, and losing a pet. Si Cielo at Ang Asong Si Stella (Cielo and the Dog Named Stella) is illustrated by Tokwa Peñaflorida and is published by Chikiting Books. “Masaya kami na makasama ang Pilipinas sa IBBY Honour List. Pagkakataon ito na makilala ng ibang bansa ang ating talento at mga kuwento,” says Evasco. “Challenge din ito na sumulat na hindi lang mahusay para sa bansa kundi mahusay para sa mundo.” said Eugene Evasco

Jericho Moral, a visual artist from Markina City who works primarily with painting, provided the illustrations for Agawan Base (Steal the Base), an action-packed game of birds versus insects published by CANVAS. “I'm thankful to the CANVAS team and the author Jez Martin de Veyra for entrusting me with the illustrations for the book, and to IBBY Philippines for the recognition," said Moral. "The illustrations were inspired by my fascination with birds and insects. And so, I hope that the book will spark interest in appreciating and preserving the local wildlife.” said Moral.

CANVAS Executive Director Gigo Alampay said that CANVAS is proud and honored to have played a part in Moral’s recognition. “CANVAS is proud and honored to have played a part in this recognition. We have always believed that it is not enough for children to learn to read. For reading to truly be a lifelong skill, children have to learn to love books. Jericho Moral's artworks bring Jez Martin de Veyra's original and whimsical story to vivid life, making it more likely that young readers will love this book,” said Gigo Alampay, CANVAS Executive Director.

Moral is a visual artist from Marikina City whose practice is rooted in worldbuilding and narratives. Working primarily with painting, his works have been exhibited through CANVAS, Art Underground, and other galleries in the Philippines

“If poetry is a universal language, translation is the bridge that connects us all, reminding us of our shared humanity,” said Angela Narciso Torres who provided the vibrant English translation that recaptured the delight and nostalgia of Rene Villanueva’s Bum Tiyaya Bum, a collection of Filipino rhymes and verses for the very young published by Ilaw ng Tahanan. Torres says that she is, “It’s a thrill[ed] to see Bum Tiyaya Bum on the IBBY Honour List (for Translation)” in thanking IBBY-Ph for the inclusion of this work in the honor’s list. "I’d like to thank IBBY-Philippines for the inclusion which will allow readers worldwide to enjoy this book."

“I’m grateful for Rene O. Villanueva’s inspired curation and for Sergio Bumatay’s magical illustrations that enliven these pages. Most of all, I’m indebted to Reni Roxas and Tahanan Books for trusting my vision as a translator, allowing me to explore ways to preserve and breathe new life into this Philippine childhood treasury,” said Torres. "If poetry is a universal language, translation is the bridge that connects us all, reminding us of our shared humanity. Bum Tiyaya Bum is now part of that bridge, and I am deeply grateful,” said Torres.

Torres is the author of the poetry collections What Happens is Neither (Four Way Books, 2020) and Blood Orange (Willow Books, 2013). Her work has appeared in Poetry magazine, Missouri Review, and Quarterly West. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Manila, she serves as a senior and reviews editor for RHINO.

IBBY Philippines President Kristine Mandigma said that submitting these books to the IBBY Honour List was the first official activity of IBBY-Ph after being awarded that national section status. “We created a selection committee composed of writers, editors, artists, illustrators, and parents with young children and asked them to choose the honorees. We are proud of these books and happy that they will be showcased internationally. It is time for the world to discover the stories and the books produced by Filipinos,” said Mandigma.

IBBY Philippines is mandated to fulfill IBBY’s commitment to bring books and children together. It supports literacy initiatives to promote the love for reading and children’s books in schools, communities, and among the general public. Its flagship projects are opening a research library on children’s literature, publishing and funding a professional journal review of children’s books, and organizing seminars, workshops, and conferences on children's literature for authors, illustrators, translators, publishers, teachers, parents, and readers.

To learn more about IBBY Philippines, please email rblim@ibby-philippines.org.

Education Trailblazers collaborate at Inaugural Philippines Canvas LMS User Group

Recently, Canvas held its first community user group in the Philippines at the De La Salle University Henry Sy, Sr. Hall. The meeting connected the first Canvas customers in the Philippines to discuss their use of education technology to transform education provision in their institutions. Principals and senior leadership from Baliuag University, University of the East, Jose Rizal University, De La Salle Lipa, Centro Escolar University and other schools were present, such as the host College of Computer Studies department at De La Salle University and EdTech leadership from Far Eastern University.

Technology has allowed other industries to compete globally and education is no different, with each institution sharing their strategic visions of how they can and will use education technology to enhance teaching and learning as well as compete for students in the region.  Through their use of the Learning Management System Canvas, each of these Philippine institutions are deepening their adoption of the latest innovations in teaching and learning, such as blended and flipped classrooms, which allows for greater focus on student engagement and personalized learning.
Roselle Basa, Program Coordinator for ICT at UE, was among the attendees who were new to Canvas. UE faculty have been training with the LMS since March, and the system will be deployed in full this year. “Canvas allows us to develop courses that are geared to student-centered strategies. It pushes the envelope of teaching strategies development and helps us avoid being confined to the classroom in a very enjoyable and engaging manner,” Basa said.

Canvas from Instructure was created in response to poor user experience of legacy LMS software by its founders as graduate students. They wanted a more flexible and personalized learning experience, one that was mobile and easy to use and extend with a wide variety of learning resources.
As an open, mobile and native cloud-based platform, Canvas allows students to easily access learning materials, take online tests, collaborate on the move, and drive their own learning journey. Teachers are able to deliver more personalized learning, choose from a wealth of learning resources to deliver a richer learning experience, grade tests more quickly, as well as use data in real time to give feedback on student progress.   This approach puts teachers and students at the center of the learning environment rather than the technology.

Regional Director Julian Yballe also took to the podium to explain Canvas’ view on openness and equity of experience. Instructure envisioned Canvas as endlessly extendable open APIs and the ability to add apps via the LTI standard.  This allows teachers to use the vast global resources that exist, exposing students to a huge variety of learning materials in a simple and easy way.
Along with this growing partner ecosystem, the Canvas community of global institutions, helps educators from around the world share ideas and experiences both online and at community events such as this user group session.  These leading institutions in the Philippines are now contributing to the community with their founding of the first user group in South East Asia.

Yballe underlined this specific focus on student-centeredness. “The feedback for Canvas from every stakeholder in this teacher and learning environment has been positive. And a lot of it is a combination of timing and how student-centered learning is becoming more of a focus due to two reasons, workforce preparedness, so graduates can contribute immediately, and a more competitive environment for a limited number of students, both locally and globally,” Yballe said.

What’s next on the roadmap for Canvas? APAC VP Troy Martin spoke of the company’s expansion plans in a post-conference interview. “We’re excited with the customers that have emerged over the last two years in the Philippines, particularly here in Manila, but we are excited to welcome some new institutions from Cebu City and we look forward to hearing from new institutions contacting Instructure about working with Canvas.”

*This is Press Release