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  • Reading Advocates Decry Lukewarm Reading Culture, Draft Provisional Readers’ Agenda Presented in First-of-Its-Kind Milestone Meeting

    THE National Alliance of Reading Advocates (NARA), a group composed of readership advocates in the country and a project by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), held its first important NARA Milestone Meeting recently, where the provisional outline of the NARA Readers’ Agenda was presented.

    The group also decried the lukewarm state of reading culture in the country, as shown in the country’s State of the Reading Nation (SORNA) for the second quarter of the year.

    The alliance will work collaboratively in drafting and finalizing the NARA Readers’ Agenda, and hopes to finish it in time for the grand launch on November 16, 2024. Once fully ratified, NARA will then support activities and interventions in line with its contents, and shall form the basis of the NBDB’s readership interventions for the upcoming year, both as an individual readership advocacy agency and as the NARA secretariat.

    The NARA Readers’ Agenda is a guidebook that will contain NARA’s concrete vision for readership in the Philippines based on its analysis of the state of the reading nation. In laying out advocacy areas, it will be able to concretely grasp and measure its influence on reading communities and the reading culture.

    The second quarter SORNA, meanwhile, highlighted three key points, namely, the importance of community engagement and support networks, teacher training and professional development, and the issue of access to resources and materials. It also noted that efforts to boost reading should now extend to the farthest and underserved areas of the country to boost readership and spark a love for reading.

    The National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP), one of the organizations that attended the milestone meeting, earlier expressed its intention to work with the NBDB with regard to the quarterly SORNA, as expressed by NRCP Executive Director, Bernardo Sepeda, such as the provision of research assistance to NBDB members.

    The NARA is a unified network anchored on a collaborative working environment in order to better spread the news on existing readership initiatives. This is a project that serves as an integral part of the NBDB’s ongoing efforts to boost readership, given declining reading scores among Filipinos.

    Aside from the NRCP, more than 20 other organizations attended the meeting, such as the National Museum of the Philippines, National Library of the Philippines, AHA Learning Center, Ayala Foundation, Inc., St. Mary’s Publishing, Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, Libro Mo, Kaalam Ko Project, The Inteligente Publishing, Inc., Association of Progressive and Orthodox Litterateurs and Literature Originators, Pinoy Reading Buddies, Inc., Kuwento at Kultura à Paris, St. Mary’s Publishing Corp., Pinoy Reads Pinoy Book, Laguna Province Private Schools and Administrators Association, The Storytelling Project, Iloilo Provincial Library and Archives, BINHI English Literacy Foundation, Sadiri Publishing, UST Library, International Board on Books for Young People, IBBY Ph, and Anak han Sta. Rita.

    For media inquiries, please contact: (NBDB PRESS RELEASE-12 July 2024)

    Divine Reyes-Caraecle

    NBDB Communications

    news@books.gov.ph

    0919-9749770

  • In light of the reading crisis, NBDB introduces national reading alliance

    In light of the reading crisis, NBDB introduces national reading alliance

    PASAY CITY, METRO MANILA (May 02, 2024) — As part of its ongoing efforts to boost readership given declining reading scores, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) has formed the National Alliance of Reading Advocates (NARA), a network that gathers readership advocacy groups and individuals from all over the country to form a unified network that will enable collaboration and better spread the news on existing readership initiatives. 

    In anticipation of its official launch this November, the alliance had its soft launch last April 26, 2024 at the main stage of the Philippine Book Festival at the World Trade Center Metro Manila, where reading advocacy groups and individuals pledged their commitment to the alliance.

    As a platform dedicated to nurturing a robust national reading culture, the NARA shall form a mesh of various readership campaigns through an online community (called NARA Connect) and regular milestone meetings and conferences on the state of readership in the country. Besides consolidating readership campaigns from around the country, the alliance shall also aid in the cross-media adaptation of Philippine literary works, the creation of fan-based markets, and help popularize home-grown literary characters.

    Daniel Mariano

    “With the decline of readership in non-school books, it is high time for the NBDB to gather all advocates and like-minded people who promote readership in the country. We at the NBDB dream of a community of reading advocates who support each other,” said Daniel Mariano, chief of the Board’s Readership Development Division (the agency’s unit responsible for the nationwide reading community, the Book Nook project).

    “Many Filipinos love stories—be it in the form of film, TV, or literature. As reading advocates, we call on all our allies to enrich this interest in stories and use it to create a stronger national reading culture,” added Mariano.


    As the largest traveling book fair in the country, the PBF was the perfect venue to introduce to the public the NBDB’s latest readership campaign. 

    NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade

    “There is a reading crisis—and it is high time that we all start working together to address it. We have a systemic problem when it comes to building and nurturing reading habits in our society, and so we must therefore face this with a cohesive strategy,” said NBDB Executive Director Charisse, who delivered the State of the Reading Nation during the soft launch.

    The NARA soft launch also served as the alliance’s first wide-scale orientation, which was attended by representatives from the following organizations: UN SDSN Youth Philippines, ASEAN Youth Organization, READ to Achieve Foundation Philippines, Inc., Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, Binhi English Literacy Foundation, Magbasa Tayo Movement, AHA! Learning Center, The Storytelling Project, Libro Mo, Kaalam Ko project, Project Pearls Inc., School Readers Club, Pinoy Reading Buddies, IBBY Philippines, Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities, Association of Progressive and Orthodox Literature and Literature Originators, Laguna Province Private Schools and Administrators Association, Inc., Rizal Library of Ateneo De Manila University, St. Mary’s Publishing Corporation, Claretian Communication Foundations, Inc., Inteligente Publishing, Paper Katz, FDM Vision Care Research and Training Institute, Beyond Books Publication, 8 Letters Bookstore and Publishing, DIWA Learning Systems, Inc.

    Reference & Media Contact:

    NBDB Communications & Promotions