One other reason he was in the Philippines was to sponsor a writing contest, while many people thought the bookstore behind the event merely paid him to come over (for publicity), we were all pleasantly surprised when it was revealed that Mr. Gaiman was very much involved in creating the Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards (now in its second year). He put up the money for the prizes and helped judge the entries, and even stood in the rain for a couple of hours in front of thousands of fans during the awards night.