VFI was conferred the award upon the recommendation of the National Book Development Board (NBDB), which hailed the organization’s active assistance to the NBDB in implementing the programs that benefited outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo‘s goal of providing education for all Filipinos.

VFI was particularly honored for its participation in the Tulaan sa Tren 2: Off the Beaten Track project, which aimed to reinvigorate interest and appreciation for Philippine poetry by posting pieces by the country’s best poets in Light Rail Transit trains.

Along with its mother company, Vibal Publishing House, Inc. (VPHI), VFI supplemented the endeavor by printing copies of the anthology, which are now distributed among community and university libraries nationwide. VFI and the VPHI Multimedia Team also recorded the poems featured in the collection, free of charge, for the NBDB-driven Get Caught Reading program.

The poems were also published on VFI’s news and feature aggregation website, The Philippine Online Chronicles, where they are available for free download in PDF format and as audio podcasts.

Esther A. Vibal, President of VPHI and VFI, accepted the citation. Her son, Gaspar A. Vibal, is the Executive Director of VFI, the corporate social arm of VPHI.

The full citation reads:

“This Presidental Citation is awarded to Vibal Foundation, Inc. in recognition of its steadfast support, vital partnership and full cooperation with the Philippine Government under the Arroyo Administration, which contributed significantly to the successful implementation of its policies and priorities, particularly the Beat the Odds program, and to the upliftment of the lives and welfare of the Filipino people.”

The Filipinas Heritage Library (FHL), a division of Ayala Foundation, Inc., also received a presidential citation for its cooperation with the NBDB’s programs. The FHL has produced public performances and readings of Philippine literary works in shopping malls, and has aided the NBDB in conducting capacity-building workshops on Philippine literature for public school teachers.

All in all, around a hundred government employees, private individuals, government agencies and non-government organizations received presidential citations in recognition of their outstanding service to the government. Among the other private organizations honored were the local arms of the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Development Program, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Institute of Management, and the Asia Foundation.

Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza and Presidential Management Staff Secretary Elena Bautista conferred the citations in lieu of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the ceremony held last June 28 at the Heroes Hall in Malacañan Palace. Also on hand were National Book Development Board (NBDB) Executive Director Andrea Pasion-Flores and NBDB Chairman Dennis T. Gonzalez.