The Philippine Online Chronicles

Vibal Foundation, Inc., the philanthropic arm of Vibal Publishing House, Inc. (VPHI), will be conferred the prestigious Presidential Citation by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for its outstanding contribution to Philippine education.

The award is upon the recommendation of National Book Development Board Chair Dr. Dennis T. Gonzales, recognizing Vibal Foundation’s commitment as an active partner in its literacy projects.

The foundation and NBDB’s latest venture, Tulaan sa Tren 2: Off the Beaten Track, a collection of Philippine poems that are now in the Light Rail Transit’s (LRT) trains, are read by thousands of commuters everyday. Copies of the said book, published by Vibal Foundation, were also donated to community and university libraries to further rekindle interest in Philippine poetry. The Foundation, assisted by the VPHI's multimedia team, also recorded the poems featured on the book with the help of celebrities involved in NBDB’s Get Caught Reading program.

The project went on to become a multimedia venture as poems from Tulaan sa Tren were featured on The Philippine Online Chronicles (http://thepoc.net), with PDF copies of the book and audio podcasts made available for download on the site. POC is the a news and features website created as part of the Vibal Foundation's media innovations program.

Also recommended for citation is Ayala Foundation’s Filipinas Heritage Library.

“We do hope these organizations are considered for a Presidential Citation. They have no expectation that they would be considered for such an honor though we have no doubt that they would have rendered the same selfless service to the agency even without this much-coveted honor,” read Gonzales’ recommendation letter to Presidential Management Staff Secretary Ma. Elena Bautista.

The awarding ceremony will be on Monday June 28, 2010 at the Heroes Hall of the Malacañang Palace. VPHI President Esther A. Vibal will receive the award. Her son Gaspar is the foundation's Executive Director.