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May

25

Book Blockade: Is It Really Over?

Filed Under Books, My Comics, Philippine Comics | 11 Comments

Earlier today, it was reported that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, amidst a torrent of criticism towards the Bureau of Customs and their imposition of tax on imported books, ordered the Department of Finance to lift the tariff on books.

The book blockade has finally been broken!

But is it really? I hope people who supported the protest against the book blockade wouldn’t lower their guard so soon. It’s one thing for the President to issue an order, it’s another thing what Customs will do.

What if they still continue to tax your books at your local post office? What are you to do then?

Books are not the only things involved in this.

If one reads the provisions of the Florence Agreement carefully, it frees not only imported books from tariff, but a lot of other things as well:

Books, publications and documents

(i) Printed books.

(ii) Newspapers and periodicals.

In the Nairobi Protocol of 1976, the agreement is further refined:

Annex A

Books, publications and documents

(i) Printed books, irrespective of the language in which they are printed and whatever the amount of space given over to illustrations, including the following:

(a) luxury editions;

(b) books printed abroad from the manuscript of an author resident in the im-porting country;

(c) children’s drawing and painting books;

(d) school exercise books (workbooks) with printed texts and blank spaces to be filled in by the pupils;

(e) crossword puzzle books containing printed texts;

(f) loose illustrations and printed pages in the form of loose or bound sheets and
reproduction proofs or reproduction films to be used for the production of books.

(ii) Printed documents or reports of a non-commercial character.

(iii) Microforms of the articles listed under items (i) and (ii) of this Annex, as well as
of those listed under items (i) to (vi) of Annex A to the Agreement.

(iv) Catalogues of films, recordings or other visual and auditory material of an educational, scientific or cultural character.

(v) Maps and charts of interest in scientific fields such as geology, zoology, botany, mineralogy, palaeontology, archaeology, ethnology, meteorology, climatology and geophysics, and also meteorological and geophysical diagrams.

(vi) Architectural, industrial or engineering plans and designs and reproductions thereof.

(vii) Bibliographical information material for distribution free of charge.

Annex B

Works of art and collectors’ pieces of an educational, scientific or cultural character

(i) Paintings and drawings, whatever the nature of the materials on which they have been executed entirely by hand, including copies executed by hand, but excluding manufactured decorated wares.

(ii) Ceramics and mosaics on wood, being original works of art.

(iii) Collectors’ pieces and objects of art consigned to galleries, museums-and other institutions approved by the competent authorities of the importing country for the purpose of duty-free entry of those types of materials, on condition they are not resold.

There are many other items covered in the Nairobi Protocol which you can find here, and the original Florence Agreement here.

I’m coming back to this because it’s clear that the agreement includes graphic novels and comic books. Customs people can easily make the “interpretation” that they had been instructed to exempt only “BOOKS”. After all, “BOOKS” has been the main operative word of this entire protest. And yet, the Florence agreement includes so much more than just books.

The exemption SHOULD include comic books and graphic novels. And through this, comic books imported from abroad should become more affordable.

I hope the local comic book shops take advantage of this as I know fully well how much they are paying Customs with every shipment just to get their comics to the readers.

****************

Some authors have expressed gratitude for the taxation of books because they believe that when faced with expensive imported books, the people would read local books instead. This is of course, an assumption on their part that people simply don’t buy and read local books for no other reason than people prefer imported books, regardless of quality.

I don’t agree with this. I believe quality wins out. If your book is good, people will buy it whether it is local or imported. I don’t want to be forced by circumstance to read something I don’t want to read. If no one is reading your work, then there’s a good reason for it. You might just have to be prepared to accept that your book may not be as entertaining as Harry Potter. But if you think your work is good and would sell if only people will read it, well… what are you doing to promote it? What are you doing to get your work out there? Or are you just sitting on your ass waiting for people to come? It’s not enough that you write your book. You have to find ways to make people aware of it.

It’s also about subject matter. Except for a few people, hardly anyone wants to read intellectual masturbation. Many people are turned off by vocabulary that’s too deep. It’s one thing to want to raise the standard of writing and the quality of stories, but it’s another thing to write something so intellectualy impenetrable that you would alienate your audience.

Don’t be jealous of the audience of JK Rowling if your own work needs a dictionary for people to understand.

I’m not afraid that less expensive imported comic books would eat away the audience for my local comics work. I say bring it on. Bring it the fuck on. I believe in my work and in spite of the Secret Invasions and the Infinity Crisis comic books, people still read and buy my work. And I’m really proud of that.

Comments

11 Responses to “Book Blockade: Is It Really Over?”

  1. Danry Ocampo on May 25th, 2009 8:02 pm

    Hi Sir Gerry,

    I agree that comicbooks have been a lot pricey because of the taxes. This has also made me a “wait for the TPB guy” but trades are a bit pricey as well.

    I liked the last entry. We will definitely read and buy your work.

    Thanks. More Power!

    Danry

  2. auggie on May 25th, 2009 8:25 pm

    I guess there is really a need to spell it out in details to the Customs and Post Office brass because of their limited interpretation of the Agreement. Alam mo naman kung gaano katalino ang mga ito.

    Tungkol naman sa mga local publishers na nagbubunyi dahil akala nila sila ang tatangkilin, eh, it’s too premature. Maging competitive muna sila in the global arena, para ma-patronize natin.Kung magaganda naman at sensical, eh bakit hindi…..

  3. Caloy P on May 25th, 2009 9:17 pm

    YAY!

    regarding promotions, I’ve never seen a local book promoted on local TV… Pero na eempacho na ako sa sobra sobrang showbiz promotion

    Gerry, you should promote the Coching books on TV :)… tapos opening, “Helow yuchub”

  4. Gerry Alanguilan on May 25th, 2009 9:37 pm

    ha! ha! Caloy, pag may pagkakataon, gagawin ko yan.

  5. dexterwee on May 25th, 2009 11:32 pm

    Lol “Helow yuchub” that would be a blast!
    With your cute face and contaminating humor,
    people will surely flock to buy your books!!! ;)

    Good to hear re the Book Blockade been broken
    I just do hope that it’s all not words only but action. And yeah.. these people need some serious education re this issue.

    I always get pissed off every time the releasing officer charges me an amount for the customs that is not being correctly reflected on the receipt in order to release my comic books!

  6. Jose Mari Lee on May 26th, 2009 12:08 am

    Kailan ba magiging availabe sa Amazon itong libro ni FV COCHING? Kung hindi naman, saan ito mabibili diyan sa Pilipinas at kailan?

    Dapat na kasing alisin iyang parang ginagawa nilang luxury goods ang mga libro. Pati yata yung mga paperbacks ay hindi nila pinatawad, eh yun na ang pinakamurang version. Kung matitino ang mga pananaw nitong mga politikos na mga promotor nitong kabalbalang ito, a new tax could be levied on foreign industries to pay for cleaning up contaminated lands used by multinational companies in RP. This is a legit move and will also save a lot of poor Filipinos living in the area of these contaminated areas. We’ve heard and seen a lot of horrific devastation to poor Filipino victims. Meanwhile, multinational companies are going scotfree, leaving contaminated lands for the Filipinos to inherit the wind. When the Canadian company Placer Dome left Marinduque, they left behind the mess from years of dumping mine waste into Mogpog River. Canada, home to about sixty percent of the world’s mining corporations, leads the way in the global mining industry. Here, at home, Canadians are outraged by these inhumane practice of these companies abroad. We have labeled the mining industry as Canada’s number one contribution to global injustice, and new laws are being created to protect the population abroad affected by these devastations.

    Now, if Canadians are making a lot of noise about it, the Filipinos should do it as well. After all, the Philippine lands are yours. You have all the right to protect them. Bakit hindi magawa dito sa Canada ng mga hinayupak na companies ang mga kalokohan nila? Because there are laws that would send them to a grand holiday in… JAIL!

    Itong mga ganitong companies ang pagdiskitahan ng mga politikos sa Pilipinas, hindi ang mga walang malay na mga Filipinos na nagnanais na makapagbasa ng mga libro. Many may think that these two things are not related at all, but if you look deeper, the more you’ll realize the stupidity of this move to tax foreign books to high heavens. Meanwhile, they don’t see things that are more obvious and harmful.

    Wala talaga sa lugar itong mga binabalak nila. Kapag ibinalik itong planong ito, dapat, lahat ng estudyante sa bansa, mag-parada sa kalye. Kung nagparada sila sa EDSA noon, puwede rin silang magparada ngayon.

  7. Gerry Alanguilan on May 26th, 2009 12:53 am

    JM, tinanong ko ang Vibal about the international availability of the two Coching books (Biography/Art Book+ El Indio), and they said they’re trying to set up an online thing where you can buy it. They were actually surprised when I told them a lot of people abroad want to buy the books. So I hope ma inspire sila to go ahead with it.

  8. Pinoy Comics USA on May 26th, 2009 2:10 am

    Gerry, JM,
    Amazon would be the best place for the Coching book. I can’t wait to have it. But I’ll be buying as soon as it comes out. Maraming bibili para sa akin diyan. In fact I already sent money to my brother last year when it was suppose to come out.
    Rod

  9. auggie on May 26th, 2009 8:22 am

    Gerry,

    Nagtatanong na ang kaibigan ko sa San Francisco Bay Area, kailan daw ang labas at kung mag -kano daw ang retail price ? pati daw yung unang Coching book ni Patrick Flores kung mi available pa.

    This needs massive marketing & promotions, tulungan natin ang mga Coching.

    Please advice on the retail prices. Thanks.

  10. zencatt on May 27th, 2009 11:33 am

    Never turn your back on the Tax Man…

  11. Eusebio Yu on May 29th, 2009 2:56 pm

    The shipping charges from Amazon has become quite expensive nowadays. And that’s just for regular, and not expedited shipping! The thing with the post office is when your goods exceed fifty dollars, they charge 10 percent of the total amount regardless of contents. At least that’s the way the QC Central Post Office works. With regards to comics, I find it more convenient to order from Mile High Comics for their excellent selection and fast, and relatively inexpensive, shipping.