National Bookstore is the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines with 92 branches in the

country.It was set to open its first overseas branch, in Hong Kong, in September 2007.

Type Private
Founded Manila, Philippines (1930s)
Headquarters Manila, Philippines
Key people Socorro Cancio-Ramos
Industry Retail
Products General Books
Office Supplies
Website www.nationalbookstore.com.ph

History

National Bookstore was established in the late 1930s in Escolta, Manila, as a small
stall selling school supplies and textbooks. At the end of the Japanese Occupation of the
Philippines, the whole Escolta area was burned, the shop destroyed in the conflagration. The
Cancio-Ramos family, the owners, were able to rebuild National Bookstore at the corner of
Avenida (now Rizal Avenue) and Soler. National Bookstore was able to recover due to the
post-war boom selling school supplies, mostly books and stationery.

OUR ORGANIZATION
Driven by the mutual desire to promote literacy and readership awareness among Filipino
children, National Book Store Inc. (NBSI), Anvil Publishing, Inc. and the Reading
Association of the Philippines (RAP) launched the Buklat Aklat Mobile Library Project in
1998. Buklat Aklat is a collection of about 500 books covering the fields of Math, Science,
Philippine Literature and Culture that visits public elementary schools, public libraries and
barangays nationwide. The mobile library gives every Filipino child the chance to freely
browse and read good books. The responses from each school visited across the country
were really overwhelming since many of them do not have libraries at all. But due to logistical
problems, Buklat Aklat temporarily halted. It was then revived after National Book Store
Foundation, Inc. (NBSFI) was established towards the end of 2004 by the third generation of
NBSI's Ramoses.

NBSFI holds the responsibility for the continuous implementation of the Buklat Aklat Mobile
Library Project as its acts as the official socio-civic arm of NBSI. The alarming problem of
inaccessibility to basic services in education has also prompted NBSFI to venture to other
projects that aims to help the underprivileged acquire rightful access to quality education.
These projects are not only limited to the mobile library but also has extended to book and
school supplies donation programs.

Recognizing its efforts, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Department
of Education (DepEd) and NBSFI in 2005. DepEd assists the Foundation in the
implementation of its programs to public schools. DepEd has also enlisted NBSFI as one of
their partners under its Adopt – A –School Program.
In 2006, NBSFI has also acquired accreditation from the Philippine Council for NGO
Certification (PCNC). PCNC was established to certify non-profit organizations that meet
established criteria for financial management and accountability in the service to
underprivileged Filipinos. Certification by PCNC is a "seal of good housekeeping" that funding
partners and prospective donors may consider in their choice of organizations to support. In
addition, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recognized NBSFI’s
effort to contribute in the upliftment of the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged sector of our
society.

VISION
We see a future where all Filipinos love to read.
MISSION

We aim to make Filipinos love books and we shall develop readers by making books
more accessible to the people who need them the most.

GOALS

• To assist underprivileged children acquire rightful access;

• To encourage reading, especially among public school children;
• To promote reading and its importance to the development of nation by exposing
young children to a wide selection of reading materials;
• To foster reading as a lifelong habit among Filipino children;
• To provide a venue for reading through mobile libraries and reading corners in the
schools and barangays; and
• To help build up-to-date, fully stocked libraries in public schools especially in
underserved areas in the country.
OUR PROJECTS Buklat Aklat Mobile Library

Buklat Aklat is a collection of about 500 books covering the fields of Science, Math,
Philippine Literature and Culture that visits public elementary schools and
other impoverished learning centers nationwide, giving every Filipino child
the chance to freely browse and read good books. The mobile library also
provides activities such as storytelling, author or illustrator talks and even
teacher and parenting workshops on reading. Since then, the mobile library
has already visited close to a hundred schools and learning centers benefiting more than a
thousand kids.

Buklat Aklat Leave Behind Library Project

Started in 2007, the Buklat Aklat Leave Behind Library is an off-shoot project of the
mobile library consisting of a similar collection with that of the Mobile Library. This library has
more reference and reading materials such as the Book of Knowledge, almanacs,
dictionaries, novels and other awarding winning literary materials. Unlike the Mobile Library,
the Leave Behind Library is permanently donated to a chosen scholastic
institution. Children can now enjoy longer access to good quality reading materials.

Buklat Aklat Mobile Library Cart

This project aims to reach more underserved areas with a creative means of acquiring
knowledge through reading. The Buklat Aklat Mobile Library Cart Project aims to deliver the
“wonders” of reading books to far flung barangays, by creating a make shift reading area
where the community children can gather and experience the benefits of reading.

Handog Ko, Aklat Mo: A Christmas Book Drive

Last November 2006, NBSFI has launched it’s first-ever book raising
campaign involving the NBS community. The campaign was aimed at
encouraging all NBS patrons to purchase books as donations which were turned-over to
different public scholastic institutions for their library start-up. Because of its success, NBSFI
and NBS will now adopt this project on a yearly basis hoping that more customers will
participate to help more children realize their dream of having good reading books within their
reach.

Buklat Aklat Mileage (BAM) Fund raising

Patrons of National Book Store Inc. can now directly help public school
children realize their dream of having a well-stocked and updated
library in their schools by buying B.A.M. marked products. What makes
it possible for National Book Store patrons to directly help in this project?
The answer is that part of the proceeds from the B.A.M products goes directly to NBSFI to
fund more Buklat Aklat Libraries for public schools nationwide. The more B.A.M. products you
buy, the more mileage you give Buklat Aklat to reach less fortunate readers in the country.

OUR BENEFICIARIES

Since 1998, the Buklat Aklat Mobile Library Project has benefited close to 1000
schools all over the country. With the birth of NBSFI and its projects, several education-
related groups have been assisted–from public schools, libraries, barangay daycare centers
and other civic and non-profit organizations. These were all carefully chosen to ensure the
organization’s line of thrust. For soliciting organization(s), a letter of inquiry must be submitted
to NBSFI. This will help us evaluate the amount of support we can extend.

Rebuilding

The war ended, but not before the whole area of Escolta, including the shop of the now
famous Ramos couple, was burned down. Through their persistence, the couple were able to
rebuild their business in form of a small "barong-barong" in the corner of Soler and Avenida
Rizal just in time to catch the post-war business boom. Using their door as a counter, the
couple sold textbooks, notebooks, pad paper, and pencils. Since only a few shops sold
schools supplies at that time, business went very well. The timing of National Book Store's
opening was strategic to welcome the first postwar school year.

Product development

In the 1950's, the company started making greeting cards and post cards which feature
the culture and sights in the Philippines. It was a brilliant move for the company, to increase
its earnings while promoting the traditions and sights in the country to the international
market. This would lead to the company's acquisition of the franchise of the international card
brand, Hallmark. The company also began a publishing program, with assistance from
international publishers such as McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, Lippincott, Addison-Wesley, and
others.

After five years of negotiation, the Ramoses were finally able to acquire a piece of
prime property owned by the Guerreros in 1955. And in 1963, the construction of the Albecer
Building. The building was named after the couple's three children -- Alfredo, Benjamin, and
Cecilia. This nine storey building would be the first of the many that they would build.

Growth

The Ramoses expanded their business beyond Avenida, Rizal. The company opened
a new branch on Recto Avenue, a place were many students hang-out at that time. And in the
1970's, they were able to acquire space in new shopping centers in Cubao and Makati.
National Book Store continued its steady growth and by the 1990's were already operating
over 50 branches across the country.

An institution in retail

In 1996, National Book Store decided to change its logo and hired a Singapore design
company to recreate the retail empire brand. The company logo evolved to become a
modernized script, with more solid stripes through the use of a bolder shade of red. With the
new logo also came the company's new image. The store layout was changed where color-
coded signages were used in addition to the logical merchandise display providing a more
customer-friendly atmosphere in the shops.

Over sixty years in operation and National Book Store has grown to be one of the
largest bookstore chains in the Philippines. With 2,500 employees in over 80 branches, the
company remains as a driving force in the Philippine industry.