Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the book by Vice President Sara Duterte, with opinions divided, but what was the first book published in the Philippines?

It’s undeniable that many of us enjoy reading books.

Whether it’s romance or horror, as long as the story is good, people are sure to read it.

But did you know that the very first book published here in the Philippines is far from these genres?

It is the Doctrins Christiana.

This is a book with 74 pages about the teachings of the Catholic Church.

It was written by Dominican missionary Fr. Juan de Plasencia and was published in 1593 using his own funds.

This book was created to further spread Catholicism in the country.

The book is written in Spanish, but it has now also been translated into Filipino.

Some of its contents include prayers such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, the Apostles’ Creed, and many more.

The book was printed using xylography or woodblock printing, where each letter on a page was carved into wood before being inked and printed on paper.

Because the printing was done by hand, the number of copies produced was limited.

Some copies of this book can be found in the Vatican Library and the Library of Congress in the United States.