Pacquiao, a neophyte member of the Senate, wants the last Monday of January as “National Bible Day.”
Senator Manny Pacquiao has filed Senate Bill 1270 proposing ‘National Bible Day’ in the Philippines, which will happen every month of January.
His bill aims to “boldly emphasize the holiness of The Living Truth by allotting a holiday its celebration.”
“This calls for all Christians to altogether unite and celebrate the Holy Bible as the cradle of the Christian faith,” the bill states.
The neophyte lawmaker, who is a Born Again Christian, said the Bible was the “core of Christian faith.”
“As a predominantly Christian nation and the largest Christian nation in the Asia Pacific, this Act recognizes the value of the Holy Bible as the core of Christian faith,” the bill said.
“The last Monday of January and every year thereafter is hereby declared as a ‘National Bible Day Act’ and proclaim the same as a national holiday,” it added.
He said the proclamations were in harmony with declaring the last week of January of every year as “National Bible Week.”
He said a Bible Day, which will be a regular holiday, was necessary considering that the Philippine population is comprised of 93 percent Christians, making it the fifth largest Christian population in the world.
“The core of Christian belief is grounded on the Holy Bible. Sermons and homilies of Christian churches dwell in the teachings of the Bible. It is the primary source of spiritual manna,” Pacquiao said.
“It forms and transforms lives of people from generations to generations. It serves as the foundation of spiritual, moral, and social fiber, which molds a socially responsible citizenry and strong nation building,” he added.
“This calls for all Christians to altogether unite and celebrate the Holy Bible as the cradle of the Christian faith,” he added.
The senator added that the significance of the Holy Bible, was also recognized by former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, and Fidel Ramos in Presidential Proclamation Numbers 2242, 44, and 1067, respectively.