Book board reaches out to readers

THE National Book Development Board (NBDB) has formed a unified network that gathers readership advocacy groups and individuals from all over the country to boost readership.

Daniel Mariano, head of the NBDB Readership Development Division, said the National Alliance of Reading Advocates (NARA) is a platform dedicated to nurturing a robust national reading culture.

Mariano said NARA will “form a mesh of various readership campaigns” through an online community. It organized regular milestone meetings and conferences on the state of readership in the country

He said 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 homegrown literary characters.

“With the decline of readership in nonschool books, it is high time for the NBDB to gather all advocates and like-minded people who promote readership in the country,” said Mariano.

“We at the NBDB dream of a community of reading advocates who support each other,” he added.

During the just concluded Philippine Book Festival at the World Trade Center Manila, reading advocacy groups and individuals pledged their commitment to the alliance.

“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,” said Mariano.

Last March, the NBDB released the results of a national survey that it commissioned that revealed a notable decline in nonschool book readership among Filipino adults and children.

The 2023 National Readership Survey found that only 42 percent of Filipino adults, compared to 80 percent in 2017, and 47 percent of children reported reading nonschool books in 2023.

“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 Aquino-Tugade.