Press Release
January 28, 2019

Sen. Manny Pacquiao's National Bible Day Message

By virtue of Republic Act 11163, the last Monday of January every year is proclaimed as National Bible Day. President Duterte signed it into law on December 20, 2018.

Today, January 28, the last Monday of the month, we have gathered to celebrate the National Bible Day, a special working holiday in the Philippines.

As the main author and sponsor of this legislation, I am grateful for the support of my colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives. I would like to commend my brother, Congressman Rogelio Pacquiao, for filing it at the House of Representatives. I would also like to thank our dear friend and brother Sen. Joel Villanueva for being my co-author in the Senate. Maraming salamat din po sa Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, lalong lalo na sa ating mahal na pangulo sa pagpapahalaga sa ating panukala.

Throughout the entire legislative process, we recognize that it takes a team to accomplish a dream. Our dream of institutionalizing the celebration of the National Bible Day has come to pass because of the collective efforts of all our colleagues, all our partners, and all our staff.

The National Bible Day will be an annual celebration. In the coming years we will make the celebration bigger. We will invite and encourage our partners in the public and private sectors, as well as learning institutions, to celebrate in their own special way. Bible reading can be integrated during the flag ceremony. There may be Bible Distribution, Bible Study, Bible Quiz, and other creative ways of honoring the Word of God.

Today, we altogether declare that God's word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path.

Apart from God, we will stumble and fall.
Apart from Him, we are nothing.
But through Christ who gives us strength,
we can do all things.
We can face the giants.
We can overcome obstacles.
We can experience miracles.
We all need the Word of God to direct us
and guide us in every area of our lives.

As it is written in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

In John 6:35, we read that
Jesus is the bread of life. Whoever comes to Him will never go
hungry, and whoever believes in Him will never be thirsty.

This is why every morning, upon waking up,
I kneel before God and pray.
I take hold of my Bible and read the Word of God.
No matter how busy I am, I read the Bible day and night.

Salvation is God's gift for everyone.
He calls us into a relationship, not a religion.
When we believe in him and fully surrender our lives
to Him, He will change us from glory to glory.

Hebrews 4:12 says,
"For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

As we consistently read the Bible and meditate on God's Word day
and night, we will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which
yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. As we fully
depend on the Lord, whatever we do shall prosper.

While I was in Las Vegas for my fight with Broner,
I shared to those who attended the Press Conference
what is written in Jeremiah 9:23-24, This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their
strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who
boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and
righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.

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