By Charissa Luci-Atienza

“If only the Bible is read, proclaimed, obeyed and practiced, the Philippines, our beloved and only country, would be a much better place to live in and our government would be a government of honesty, righteousness, and order.”

This was stressed by Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante Jr., a pastor, as he batted for the passage of a bill seeking to make Bible reading mandatory in all public elementary and secondary schools.

“If only Biblical discipline, principles and standards are taught and inculcated in the minds of our children, there would be no much problems on leadership, governance, and peace and order,” he pointed out.

Abante filed House Bill 2069, the proposed Mandatory Bible Reading Act of 2019, which seeks to make Bible reading a part of the curriculum of public schools.

In filing the bill, he explained that the best stage to mold and strengthen the youth’s moral, spiritual, ethical, intellectual and social character, and personal discipline is in the elementary and high school levels.

“While we have earned the identity of being the only “Christian” nation in Asia, it seems that we have not truly appreciated the relevance, importance, and power of one Book, called the Bible–a literary masterpiece, the best seller of all books in the world, and the only book that contains a truly lasting solution to man’s and society’s problem, ” Abante said.

The Manila representative is pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries in Sta. Ana, which he founded in 1975.

“If, therefore, religion is allowed to be taught in public elementary and high schools, and if such literary works as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are being read and studied in school, with more reason that the Bible which teaches creation, science, and history, among others, should be read and studied in elementary and high schools,” he said.

Under House Bill 2069, the subjects English and Filipino, in public elementary and high school, shall include the reading of, and discussion and examination, on the Bible.

In the case of Muslim pupils and students, such subjects shall include the reading of, discussion, and examination on, the Koran, the bill provides.

Abante’s bill mandates the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) to promulgate the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed Act within 30 days from its effectivity.

The proposed Act shall be effective and implemented starting the next school year.(Charissa M. Luci-Atienza)