“It all started with my lolo Vicente,” recounts thirtysomething Ruth Valorie Catabijan, business development manager of St. Matthew's Publishing Corp.
“He was a former agent for another publishing house doing rounds and delivering books when he met my lola Esther, a math teacher,” she tells InsiderPH.
When the publishing house Vicente worked for closed, he set out on his own with the desire to publish mathematics books for his wife.
He eventually became one of the first Filipinos to produce a math textbook, including Pag-Aaral at Pagtuturo: Mga Bagong Pamamaraan sa Mathematika that came out in 1967 under St. Mary's Publishing which he organized two years earlier.
The second generation branches out
With St. Mary's already a thriving business, Ruth's father, Raymund—the heir apparent—decided in 1989 to branch out. Together with his wife, Isabel, he established a new publishing company focused on textbooks for preschoolers."
“Targeting the pre-school market wasn't a thing yet at that time,” Ruth shares. “In fact, there weren't a lot of materials coming out for preschool kids.”
Thus, St. Matthew's Publishing Corp. was born, named after the Catabijan family's roots in San Mateo, Rizal.
The titles they publish cover reading, language, science, and math for both public and private schools, adhering strictly to current curricula. These books are distributed nationwide, with the Visayas—Bacolod in particular—emerging as a fast-growing market, thanks to their dedicated agent who has established strong relationships with local teachers."
Joining the family business
Though not explicitly imposed on them, Ruth, a Legal Management graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University, inevitably found herself in the family business along with two siblings Regine, who is creative director, and Rainier, e-commerce specialist.
“I received a message from my dad one day inviting me to join,” says Ruth. “Without any formal role I had to create one for myself – that of business development manager.”
One of her early, significant contributions was the hiring of in-house artists which resulted in faster turn-around times and increased productivity.
Previously, St. Mathew's relied on freelancers, which became problematic during peak seasons when rush jobs arose, and production was delayed, especially when there were several revisions.
Ruth also ensures that they participate in book fairs like the Manila International Book Fair, which helps increase their visibility within the industry and is a good venue for institutional selling. She also established and maintains their active social media presence where they get numerous inquiries.
Venturing into children's books
It was after participating as a volunteer in Singapore's Asian Festival of Children's Content or AFCC that Ruth saw the potential of children's books. While her parents, her mother in particular, were initially skeptical (“walang pera diyan!”), she eventually won them over.
Through Kahel Press, she produces books “that inspire patriotism and time-tested values with a fresh perspective.”
In the popular Bayani Biographies series which aims to humanize our national heroes, Ruth, as editor, works with the likes of public historian Xiao Chua, Ateneo history lecturer John Ray Ramos, and Natasha Kintanar, senior lecturer in Anthropology at UP Diliman. Among their buyers are companies that give out books as gifts and nongovernmental organizations or NGOs.
Major challenges
Rising material costs and logistical concerns are the main challenges facing the local publishing industry, says Ruth. The price of imported paper continues to climb, with other countries receiving top priority, leaving local publishing houses with lower quality stock. The impacts of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the volatility of global oil prices are also being felt, external factors that continue to impact book prices.
Locally, Ruth identifies distribution and shipping costs as another significant roadblock.
“It's actually cheaper to ship from Madrid to Manila than from Manila to Mindanao,” she explains.
As a result, a book that originally costs P150 can rise to P200 in regional markets. To mitigate this, St. Matthew's relies on large orders and bigger print runs, since they don’t operate their own printing press.
Looking to Indonesia, which has a robust publishing industry, Ruth admits, “A lot more must be done.”
The future looks bright
Despite the challenges, Ruth says the future of the local book industry looks bright, pointing to recent regional, community-based initiatives that excite her.
There's the Atimonan Book Fair coming this August, a homegrown event in Southern Quezon that Kahel Press is supporting, as well the rise of independent bookstores like Alitaptap in Kidapawan.
“Going to different parts of the country, celebrating books in these areas, making affordable books available to them is the way,“ she says.
By the looks of it, St. Mathew's and Kahel Press are in good hands, ready for the next chapter.
Features Reporter
