HISTORY OF THE

PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
OF THE PHILIPPINES
 EARLY
HISTORY
According to Pacific Aprieto, historians trace
the beginning of book publishing in the
Philippines to two events. The printing of
the first book, Doctrina Christiana, and the
setting up of the first press in Manila.

(Maslog, 1988)
Doctrina Christiana is a religious
handbook in Spanish and Tagalog
antedated by nearly half a century of the
earliest book in America, the Bay Psalm
Book. The Doctrina was printed in 1593 by
a Chinese named Juan De Vera who used
the ancient Chinese Method, block printing.
In block printing, the wooden block surface was rubbed over
with a paste, probably made from boiled rice, to smooth it and
prepare it for receiving the characters. The text was finely drawn
on thin transparent paper which was then pressed to the block,
face down,, and rubbed off, leaving a reverse image. With sharp
tool, the engraver cut away all the non-image portion leaving the
characters in relief.

The image area was inked, then a thin sheet of paper was laid on
the block. A dry brush was run gently over it on the impression.
By this method, an experienced craftsman could produce 2,000
copies a day.
• 1602 – Juan De Vera set up a printing press in Binondo that used
movable types.

• 1613 – De Vera’s press moved to the Collage of Santo Tomas in

Intramuros and later to the University of Santo Tomas campus in España,
Manila.

• 1610 – 1639 - The Father of Philippine Printing, Tomas Pinpin printed 14

books. His First printing job was Librong Pag-aralan Nang Mga Tagalog
Uicang Castilla. The bilingual was 119 pages.

• 1613 - Pinpin printed the first tagalog dictionary, Vocabulario Tagalog by

Father San Buenaventura.
AFTER SECOND
WORLD WAR
As more Filipinos went into textbook
publishing. In 1985, Ernesto Sibal set up
Alemar-Phoenix Publishing house and
championed Filipinization of textbooks. In
1947, Ceferino M. Picache put up
Bookman Inc. and became one of the
biggest textbook publishers; Pablo L.
Bustamante, published his first reference
books and teaching guides for elementary
and intermediate schools and 1948;
Jose Francisco with his wife organized
Jonef Publications in 1948 “in the firm belief
that Filipinos, better than the foreigners can
write their own schoolbooks.”