Latest News #305
March 4, 2005

The following news concerns the Philippines.

Children participating in a street procession held as part of Bible Week celebrations in Pag-asa, Quezon City, Philippines, on Bible Sunday, January 30, 2005. Photos: PBS/Nestor Reyes (PHI05DJ-25.JPG, PHI05DJ-4.JPG, PHI05DJ-31.JPG & PHI05DJ-30.JPG)

Bible Week celebrations prove timely
in wake of tsunami

PHILIPPINES — As people gathered in villages, towns and cities across the Philippines to celebrate this year's Bible Week in many different ways, they were united by a common concern for the victims of the tsunami that had struck south-east Asia only weeks before. This concern made the theme of Bible Week – "God's Word: Foundation for Unity and Transformation" – particularly appropriate.

Bible Week has been officially celebrated in the Philippines since 1979, but it has perhaps never been held at a time when so many people are asking very difficult questions about the nature of God's love. As the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) collaborated with representatives from Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and with government and private agencies to prepare for Bible Week, it could not have known just how important the resulting materials, which included posters, sermon outlines and a leaflet containing basic information about the Bible, would prove to be.

In Manila itself, Bible Week began on January 24 with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall at which Mayor Lito Atienza spoke about how the Bible had provided him with much valuable advice. Other events in the capital included a Forum on Biblical Values organised by the National Social Action Council and a Bible Convocation organised by the Department of Labor and Employment. And President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself gave her support to Bible Week in a special message: "The Holy Bible is the most beautifully written book in the world. God's love lives in its pages. As we celebrate National Bible Week, let God's Word be our sanctuary, especially in this year of urgent change and fervent hope. Let's work for national solidarity through prayer and hard work."

Throughout the week, the Bible was brought into the centre of public awareness in places as far apart as Davao City in the south – where events included a Bible rally and competition and a Basic Bible Translation Seminar at which PBS President and Chairman Dr Daniel Arichea was guest speaker – and Ilocos Sur in the north, where Bibles and Selections were distributed at two prisons. Through rallies, radio slots, concerts, street distribution and many other initiatives, churches of different denominations worked together to ensure that as many people as possible were reached by Bible Week.

Reflecting on this year's Bible Week, PBS General Secretary Nora Lucero concluded that it was "a timely reminder that if we are serious in using God's Word as foundation for change – change in ourselves, change in our families, in our communities, in our nation – we will see a growing, blessed and transformed nation." (438 words - PHILIPPINES.03.03.05)

A street procession and Scripture distribution during Bible Week celebrations in Pag-asa, Quezon City, Philippines, on Bible Sunday, January 30, 2005. The procession was arranged by the Pag-asa Community Christian Church in collaboration with other local churches. Photos: PBS/Nestor Reyes (PHI05DJ-13.JPG, PHI05DJ-19.JPG & PHI05DJ-23.JPG)