Section 4Sec./Art. 4

National Book Policy. - The National Book Policy shall conform to the policy provided for in Section 2 hereof and shall have the following basic purposes and objectives:

a. to create conditions conducive to development, production and distribution of books, especially the acquisition and adoption of state-of-the-art technology, equipment and machineries on book publishing;

b. to obtain priority status for the book publishing industry;

c. to ensure an adequate, affordable and accessible supply of books for all segments of the population;

d. to promote book readership especially among the young and neo-literates, through programs promoting literary and good reading habits, book fairs and exhibits; and an efficient nationwide system of libraries and reading centers especially in the rural areas;

e. to promote the development of indigenous authorship and of translations among various language groups in the country;

f. to promote the translation and publication of scientific and technical books and classic works in literature and the arts;

g. to promote the effective distribution of books in the domestic as well as in the international markets through an efficient and reliable postal and transport delivery system;

h. to foster the development of the skills of personnel engaged in book publishing through in-service training programs and formal degree and non-degree book publishing courses in schools;

i. to respect and inculcate the concept of intellectual property ownership and to protect the rights of authors and publishers by strictly enforcing copyright laws and providing legal assistance to authors and publishers in suits related thereto;

j. to reaffirm and ensure the country's commitment to the UNESCO principle of free flow of information and other related provisions as embodied in the Florence Agreement and in other similar international agreements; and

k. to promote whenever appropriate the use of recycled/ waste paper and other inexpensive local materials in the manufacture of books to reduce the cost of such locally produced books.