PRESS RELEASES

President Aquino to lead nation in reading

President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the nation in reading on November 27. He will read a
story to pupils of a Quezon City public elementary school. This is to celebrate araw ng pagbasa,
the official culminating activity of the National Reading Month (of November). The event
highlights the month-long celebration aimed at promoting the love for reading. It is conducted
through simultaneous storytelling sessions.///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
This is the second year that araw ng pagbasa will be celebrated nationwide, after the Department
of Education declared it as the culminating activity of the National Reading Month last year. In
its new memorandum, Memorandum No. 182, s. 2012, DepEd renewed calls to emphasize the
value of reading.////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The Department also enjoins all schools to initiate activities that would support this goal. The
declaration of November as National Reading Month with araw ng pagbasa as its culminating
activity is in line with President Aquino's Ten Point Education Agenda that promotes the Every
Child a Reader Program (ECARP).//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The date, November 27, is also very special as it commemorates the birth anniversary of the late
Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. who, himself, was a voracious reader. araw ng pagbasa
draws inspiration from the life of Ninoy who found hope and inspiration in books and letters
from his family during the dark years of his incarceration at Laur, Nueva Ecija.
araw ng pagbasa started in 2008 as a district-initiative of Rep. Jorge "Bolet" Banal (3rd District,
Quezon City) when he was City Councilor. In 2009, the Quezon City Council passed Resolution
No. 332, S-2009, making the event a city-wide celebration. In 2011, the Department of
Education made araw ng pagbasa the culminating activity of the National Reading Month,
pursuant to Memorandum No. 244, s. 2011. House Bill No. 3877, currently pending second
reading in the Senate, aims to declare November 27 as a regular working holiday to be called
araw ng pagbasa.//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
President Aquino's participation marks a milestone in the history of araw ng pagbasa. This will
give utmost significance to the event as it spreads the message of empowerment that one finds in
reading, while learning from the lives of Ninoy and other eminent Filipinos.
SOURCE: Media Relations Service, Public Relations and Information Bureau