"I come from a place where it feels that no one cares about the beauty of the stories that serve as the pillars of our literature and windows into our way of life. The works of foreign writers are more patronized than our own. Watching shows from other countries has become a more enjoyable pursuit for many than reading the literary works of our writers. It has been tough for our own literature to thrive even on social media; around me, I miss in the youth of my generation the appreciation and love for our homegrown books and stories. I want to hear from them the same stories I grew up with." - Christian Dave Loren | Christian Dave C. Loren, 23, is a secondary education teacher at a public high school in Borongan City, Eastern Samar. Education, as he sees it, amplifies the magnitude of influence of Filipino literature towards defining our country, and that celebrating and enriching it should happen in every generation every single day. As a teacher of literature, he values reading the stories of our literary gems as a way of resonating that the story of each of us matters.

About our partner, the University of the Philippines' Consulting Group (UPCG): Now in its second year, The Business Building Bootcamp (BBC) of the UP Consulting Group aims to educate small business owners on ways to take their business to the next level. This year's BBB will be held on March 5 and 6, 2022 (Saturday and Sunday) and will cover the following topics: business planning, digital marketing, and brand positioning, finance and accounting, legal matters, and corporate social responsibility. Each segment will consist of a 30-minute talk by prestigious industry experts, followed by an open forum, and a workshop.