Anyone who can guess what was our late senator Benigno Servillano “Ninoy” Aquino’s birthday? Well, for anyone who does not know, the Bill 1457 is for you. This Bill 1457 seeks to establish November 27 as the National Reading Day or the “Araw ng Pagbabasa” in the Philippines.
The bill was authored by the Quezon City 3rd Representative Jorge Banal, and according to him, the proposed date coincides with the birth date of the late senator Ninoy Aquino. According to Banal, he set the date on Aquino’s birthday for Ninoy served as the model to make more reading relevant to all Filipinos.
The Bill 1457 mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement the activities for the observance of the said National Reading Day in consultation with the National Book Development Board and other government agencies.
The president of the Reading (–foul word(s) removed–)ociation of the Philippines Dr. Tina Ocampo also backed up the bill and proposed the integration of reading materials on the lives of Filipino heroes.
Banl said that the bill will also help uphold Filipino heritage and values as well as generate awareness on cultures and philosophies.
If p(–foul word(s) removed–)ed into law, November 27 shall be a regular working holiday.
Recently, the Bill 1457 was approved by the House Committee on Revision of Laws for plenary debate.