Last August 14, 2015, a Kapihan Session was held for the National Book Development Board’s registered individuals and entities. The event was facilitated at the NBDB office in Ortigas Center, Pasig City. The goals of the session are to reorient the NBDB registrants to the policies and procedures and introduce the new amendments in the incentives and services implemented and offered by the agency. The four-part session started with the introduction of the current state of the book publishing industry in the Philippines. In the discussion, the stakeholders were made aware of the main industry players and the abundance of local authors. NBDB Executive Director Ms. Graciela Mendoza-Cayton also discussed the National Book Development Trust Fund grant that is carried out every year to help authors develop and publish their manuscripts. Incentives for registered stakeholders were enumerated and discussed by Mr. Wilfred Castillo, NBDB Director I. These incentives were tax- and duty-free importation of raw materials and books, income tax holiday, National Book Development Trust Fund, and endorsement of applications for registration with the BOI to avail incentives under Executive Order 226 or the Omnibus Investment Code. The Executive Order 226 or Omnibus Investment Code is created to encourage investment in desirable areas of activities. Ms. Melanie De Belen-Dingayan, a representative from the Board of Investments, further explained the EO 226 and its application process. According to her, it is mandated to accelerate the development of the national economy and to support small and medium scale industries. Atty. Rhia Aladin, NBDB Acting Director I, briefed the attendees on the amendments of the rules and provisions of the agency. One of these amendments is in regard of the registration process. New registrants will only have to pay a one-time filing fee of Php 100.00 and annual registration fee of Php 300.00 will be done annually. Individuals such as author/writer, book translator, editor, illustrator/designer/lay-out artist, and literary agent, are exempted from the registration fee however required documents must be submitted annually for the renewal of registration. The session concluded with a Q&A portion and the presentation of the directions the NBDB will take in the next five years. Related articles: NBDB’s first kapihan session: http://facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152234569895498.1073741852.371941300497&type=3 http://nbdb.gov.ph/images/bookwatch/1%20BookWatch%202015.pdf