VALENZUELA City 1st District Rep. Rex Gatchalian filed a measure that seeks to institutionalize the national reading month to be held in November of every year.

Gatchalian said reading is a foundational skill that enables the building of context and acquisition of knowledge.

“It allows children to develop perspectives and empathy for characters in a story,” he said in his explanatory note.

House Bill 6749 or the proposed National Reading Month Act provides for multi-stakeholder participation in the inculcation of a culture of reading in basic education.

The measure aims to develop the habit of reading among basic education learners.

The bill seeks to declare November as the National Reading Month during which the DepEd shall formulate strategies and conduct reading activities and endeavors.

The purchase of any reading materials during the said month shall be discounted at a rate of not lower than 20%.

The measure also requires public telecommunications entities to provide free access to DepEd’s online educational platforms, digital libraries, and sites.

Gatchalian said that the economy is enhanced when learners have higher literacy levels.

“In our increasingly complex and rapidly changing technological world, it is essential that individuals continuously expand their knowledge and learn new skills in order to keep up with th epace of change,” he added.

The lawmaker said learning poverty in the Philippines was at 90.9 percent as of June 2022.