The National Book Development Board (NBDB) has recently launched the National Alliance of Reading Advocates (NARA), the “first united step of the Philippines towards a vibrant reading culture.” The launch, which also served as NARA’s first conference, was held on Nov. 23, at the Senate Hall of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Manila.
This initiative aims to unite various organizations, stakeholders, and reading enthusiasts who all have the common advocacy of reading. In an exclusive interview with The Benildean, Ms. Yazhmin Galit, NBDB’s Reading Campaigns Section Head, detailed how NARA came to be: “Multi-faceted ‘yung reading crisis. However, we also saw na may reading advocates na tumutugon sa challenge na ito. Madami siya—from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao.”
:However, they are operating in islands. Sabog-sabog. And the team saw the need for a national alliance, kung saan itong mga advocates na ito will form a mesh, para ‘yung impact natin ay bigger, greater. Para ma-amplify ‘yung narrative na [the] Philippines will be a reading country,” she explained.
Historical roots and the fruit of the future
The venue was symbolic of the weight of NARA’s beginning—with the Senate Hall being a place that witnessed the drafting of foundational laws, now living to see such an ambitious project unfold. NARA’s agenda was presented by Ms. Galit and Mr. Daniel Lorenzo Mariano, NBDB’s Readership Development Division Chief.
NARA’s main goal is to build a “reading Philippines from the ground up,” with the objective of sowing results by 2030. To do this, they have identified three main aspects of the progress that needed to be made: reading and development, reading advocacy, and reading culture. All three “spheres”—as they’ve been named—aim to make books more accessible, gain support to make the project more sustainable, and foster a nation where reading is the norm.
Projects that are just over the horizon
The event also showcased NBDB’s reading campaign, with the theme “Let’s Talk About Reading!” There were a total of four projects teased for 2025, which all coincide with NARA’s efforts to reverse the nation’s reading gap.
This includes the third season of “Show Your Shelf,” a web series whose each episode features various Filipino creatives and their book recommendations, and how those have helped them in their personal and professional lives. Some notable figures within the series are historian Ambeth Ocampo and Palanca-winning author Jose “Butch” Dalisay Jr.
Continuing the NBDB’s past projects, there was also the reveal of Book Nook sites—a small area where anyone may read books from a mini-library—set to launch across National Museum sites in the Philippines. Moreover, Readership Development Grants will be made available for NARA members the following year as well.
Lastly, for the first time, the NBDB will be hosting the “Readers Rising! Hackathon for a Reading Nation.” More than just coding, this hackathon encourages brilliant minds to come together to use “tech and creativity in a way to make reading more accessible, more fun, and more engaging.” This event is looking forward to seeing ideas for different applications and platforms that may further enrich reading culture.
NARA seeks nothing more than for Filipinos to start picking up more books, and to see spaces that allow them to do so. Coinciding with Library and Information Services (LIS) Month, spearheaded by the National Library of the Philippines, the stars have aligned to point at a singular agenda: keeping the love for reading alive.
“Para sa’tin, reading can be an isolated activity—it’s a solitary activity. Pero, we want them to know that with NARA, you get a community out of it,” Ms. Galit encouraged.
It is not only through NARA that one can deepen their appreciation for literature. For example, Benildeans can indulge in the vast collection the Center for Learning Resources (CLR) has to offer or join in the festivities they have hosted for National Book Week.
As Ms. Galit said, a community may be brought together through reading—and it may only be a shelf away once you yearn for it.