How exactly did the National Bible Month celebrations start?

On November 19, 1982, through the initiative of the Philippine Bible Society, President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. signed Presidential Proclamation No. 2242. With the aim of “aiding the development of the moral character and personal discipline of the people,” the proclamation declared every last Sunday of November as Bible Sunday. Since then, it has also become the practice to celebrate the week preceding it as National Bible Week. Together, these two events serve to commemorate the beginning of Bible Society work in the Philippines in 1899.

Four years later, in 1986, President Corazon Aquino signed Presidential Proclamation No. 44, moving the National Bible Week celebrations to every last week of January, and the Bible Sunday to every Sunday immediately following. According to the president, every Filipino should start the year by reading and consulting the Word of God. The change in the celebration date was meant to reflect this.

In 1997, President Fidel Ramos strengthened these proclamations by signing Presidential Proclamation No. 1067, highlighting once more the importance of Bible reading for the Filipino people.

Years later, the Philippine Bible Society noticed that many churches were taking part in the National Bible celebrations not just for a week, but for an entire month! Inspired by this, then chairman of the PBS Board, Chief Justice Reynato Puno (Ret.), submitted a formal request to then President Rodrigo Duterte to declare the whole month of January as National Bible Month.

With his signing of Presidential Proclamation No. 124 in 2017, the month of January was officially declared as National Bible Month, with its final week as National Bible Week and the last Sunday as Bible Sunday. In the proclamation, President Duterte stated that the Bible has led people and nations throughout history to work for the good of their fellow human beings, even at great personal cost.

Reading the Bible allows believers to grow in their faith and be transformed by God’s powerful Word. As former President Fidel Ramos said, reading and understanding the Bible aids in molding our “spiritual, moral and social fiber” as a people. Let us take the opportunity presented to us every National Bible Month to start our year by diligently reading and obeying the Scriptures!