Book reading declines sharply, survey shows

A NEWLY released independent national survey showed a notable decline in nonschool book readership among Filipino adults and children.

Based on the results of the 2023 National Readership Survey (NRS), which was commissioned by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and unveiled on Thursday, only 42 percent of Filipino adults, compared to 80 percent in 2017, and 47 percent of children compared to what in 2017.

Nonschool books refer to books that are not directly related to academic activities or school requirements and are typically read for personal enjoyment, study, or information. They can include religious or devotional books, novels, stories, poems, fictional works, books about art, culture, and personal interests.

The survey also showed that more Filipinos, both adults and children, prefer watching television as a leisure activity to sitting down and reading a book.

The results of the 2023 NRS prompted the NBDB to call on policymakers, educators, community leaders, and stakeholders to give priority to readership and literacy initiatives.

NBDB Chairman Dante “Klink” Ang 2nd said the survey should serve as a “call to action” and to ramp up efforts to boost reading among Filipinos.

“These findings, which provide a much-needed nuanced understanding of Filipinos’ reading habits and preferences, reinforce the fact that access to quality books remains a pressing issue in book publishing and education, so the sector’s focus now clearly has to be on addressing gaps in access,” said Ang in his opening remarks at the 2023 NRS media launch held at the Ardenhills Suites in Quezon City.

He noted that one of the main hindrances to reading revealed by the survey is access to reading facilities such as public libraries, particularly in the provinces.

Ang cited a 2018 study by the National Library of the Philippines that showed only 3 percent of local government units across the country have libraries.

“Some of them are really beyond the

THE Maritime Industry Tripartite Council (MITC) of the Philippines and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) called for the declaration of the southern portion of the Red Sea and the entire Gulf of Aden as “warlike zones” (WLZs) as a way to protect Filipino seafarers.

In a statement Thursday, the DMW said it has recommended the declaration to the International Bargaining Forum (IBF).

The move comes in the wake of continued missile and drone attacks launched by Houthi rebels sympathetic to the Palestinian militant group, Hamas.

“The MITC considers the Southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as more than just high-risk areas but now a warlike zones. And as you know, the International Bargaining Forum discussion is underway to declare, and hopefully they do declare the areas as a warlike zone,” Migrant Workers Officer in Charge Hans Leo Cacdac said.

Cacdac said Filipino “seafarers are not soldiers or military personnel and we cannot allow them to risk their safety and lives by operating in areas with conditions similar to a war situation.”

The IBF brings together the ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) and the international maritime employers that make up the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG).

In a virtual press briefing Wednesday, Cacdac said the DMW will put several mechanisms and processes within its regulatory scope that will allow Filipino seafarers to exercise their “right to refuse” sailing on vessels bound for areas classified as “warlike zones.”

He said a downloadable form, to be filled out by the seafarers who refuse to sail through conflict zones, will be available in the DMW website soon.

Cacdac said the agency has yet to receive formal manifestation of the right to refuse sailing, despite the two IBF resolutions that were adopted.

“We want to facilitate the process. We want to provide seafarers with access straight to the DMW because we already have a technology to do that,” he said.

The same form will be disseminated to manning agencies for proper distribution.

Cacdac said the MITC has prescribed that licensed manning agencies register any of their ships that will pass through the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden, through the DMW electronic Overseas Welfare Monitoring System (OWMS).

Failure to do so could lead to sanctions.