De La Salle Academic Publications Office (DLSU-APO) and Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI) launched the first set of e-books published in the Philippines last June 22, 2010, at the De La Salle University main campus in Manila.

De La Salle Academic Publications Office (DLSU-APO) and Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI) launched the first set of e-books published in the Philippines last June 22, 2010, at the De La Salle University main campus in Manila.

VFI and the DLSU-APO worked together to launch the four e-books—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—in an effort to incorporate e-book technology with the preservation of Philippine culture and heritage. “Gusto naming mapalawak ang literatura at mga pag-aaral na ginagawa ng Pamantasang De La Salle at mahalaga ang ganitong partnership sa Vibal Foundation dahil tangan nila ang access sa makabagong teknolohiya upang matupad ito. (We want to popularize literature and academic studies initiated by the De La Salle University and our partnership with Vibal Foundation is good because they bear the modern technology to fulfill this project),” said Dr. Isagani Cruz, director of the De La Salle Academic Publications Office. These four e-books hold the record for VFI as the first Philippine e-book publisher and DLSU as the first university in the Philippines to go on digital e-book publishing. Although e-book critics, like local bookstores, say that there is still a small market for e-books in the Philippines, e-book technology is ever so slowly making its presence felt in the market, considering the availability of the Internet and of the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad in the market as of April 2010. VFI believes that e-books are the answer to Philippine books establishing a global presence via the Internet. Cruz meanwhile emphasizes e-books as the environmental-friendly option in publishing.

Source: http://www.vibalfoundation.org/2010/06/a-first-in-philippine-publishing-vfi-dlsu-launch-e-books/