F. Sionil José’s Solidaridad Bookshop sells for less than P35 million

The sale comes just days after it was announced that the cultural landmark would be closing after being in business for nearly six decades

MANILA, Philippines – Just days after its closure, late National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José’s Solidaridad Bookshop in Ermita, Manila, was sold for less than P35 million on Tuesday, July 1.

José’s eldest son Antonio “Tonet” José confirmed the news to The Flame.

“Hindi umabot ng P35 [million]. Kasama ‘yung mga books, mga furniture, lahat ng nakadisplay, puwera ‘yung mga artworks, hindi kasama,” he said, according to the same report from The Flame.

(The sale didn’t reach P35 million. It came with the books, furniture, everything that was displayed, except for the artworks, which weren’t included.)

The late National Artist’s eldest son, who had overseen the shop’s administrative affairs before its closure and eventual sale, earlier said that their family decided to sell the bookshop due to old age and a lack of successors.

“After me, none of my siblings will be able to manage it. We are all getting old. My siblings are all abroad — it was only I who came back to take care of our parents and manage the bookshop. If I were a lot younger, I would not sell it at all,” he told The Varsitarian.

The bookstore had been around for 59 years and was a cultural landmark in Ermita, Manila, before its closure. It was established in 1965, and had even been described as the “best little bookstore in Asia” and the “biggest little bookshop in Ermita” throughout its nearly six-decade run.

As of this writing, further details on who the bookstore was sold to have yet to be disclosed. – Rappler.com