PRECIOUS PAGES CORPORATION (PPC) began in 1992 when most businesses were closing down due to the crippling energy crisis. At that time, Tagalog romance pocketbooks were gaining popularity among Filipino romantics, especially the women. Segundo D. Matias Jr. and Richard Reynante, two creative think tanks from advertising, film and television, knew very well the Filipino taste in entertainment, so they decided to pool their resources and came up with the romance novel book imprint Precious Hearts Romances (PHR). Starting with one book every month, PHR became an instant hit, and in such a short time the company came up with several other romance novel book imprints.

The company flourished. Within the next five years since its birth, the PPC was able to pool its own stable of romance novelists, acquire printing machines, employ a core staff of mostly production workers, and rent a venue for both its business offices and production requirements. Book releases reached a high of 25 titles per month, with its banner book imprint PHR becoming the bestselling Tagalog romance pocketbook in the country, and created household names of PPC romance writers Martha Cecilia, Rose Tan, Amanda, Maureen Apilado, Cora Clemente, among others.

In time, foreign distributors started seeking out the company for the distribution of its pocketbooks abroad, in particular Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, some parts of the US, the Middle East and Europe. Likewise, the company started its series of book launchings (Manila, Cebu, Davao, Hong Kong), began participating in book fairs and exhibits both on the local front and abroad, embarked on a program of promotional campaigns by way of giving away prizes and house-and-lot packages to lucky readers, and held its first annual PPC summer romance writing workshop.

As it grew bigger, the company diversified into the conceptualization and production of other products, particularly song/music-cum-chord books, romance magazine, cellphone text messaging-cum-ringing tones books, joke books—and children’s books, which saw the birth of PPC’s sister company, Lampara Publishing House, Inc.-Easy to Learn Books, with its foreign subsidiary ETL Sidney (See Lampara Publishing House, Inc.-Easy to Learn Books/ETL Sidney profile).

By the end of 2005, PPC had long established its name not only as the number one publisher of romance pocketbooks (with 50 titles under various book imprints and series novels released every month) but also as a publication firm to reckon with in the industry. More than 200 people from nine departments were already manning its administrative, editorial and production offices. It had given three house-and-lot packages as prizes to three lucky readers. Its annual romance writing workshops had produced a new breed of prolific romance writers that includes Vanessa, Dawn Igloria, Claudia Santiago, Sofia, Laurice del Rio, Sheena Rose and Sonia Francesca, to name a few. In the pipeline were blueprints of new products: a series of books about horror stories, fantasy-romance pocketbooks, illustrated animé books, cookbooks, and English and Tagalog chick lit.

PPC is an active member of the Book Development Association of the Phil., Inc., National Book Development Board, Book Exporter Association of the Philippines, Inc. The Manila International Book Fair.

• 2005 Philippine Business Achievers Awards for:
  Most Outstanding Publisher Of Tagalog Novels
  
  
• 2004 National Shoppers' Annual Awards for:
  No. 1 Tagalog Pocketbooks (Metro Manila)
  
  
• 2004 Philippine Marketing Excellence Awards for:
  Most Outstanding Pocketbook Manufacturer
  
  
• Manila Critics Circle for:
  Citation for promoting reading among Filipinos through the publication of popular novels
  
  

To continually produce and make accessible to the public books and similar materials geared to entertain as well as provide insights into the human condition.