AT least two provincial board members of Bataan have batted for more barangay-based libraries to further boost literary and education in the province.
Board members Tony Roman and Harold Espeleta filed a resolution at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) urging municipalities and barangays in the province to establish libraries and book centers “to promote reading culture in the communities.”
The resolution was unanimously approved on Monday during regular session of the provincial council presided by Roman as the acting vice governor.
Republic Act 7743 enacted in 1994 encourages the establishment of congressional, provincial, and municipal libraries and barangay reading centers, but a study by the National Library of the Philippines in 2019 showed the actual number of public libraries represented only three percent of the ideal number prescribed by the law.
As of last July, the province has only three existing public libraries, namely, the Bataan Provincial Library, the City Library of Balanga, and the Samal Municipal Library.
