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| Source: Balilihan Congressional Library Facebook page |
The Balilihan Congressional Library in Bohol was awarded as the top-performing congressional library in 2019 by the National Library of the Philippines and the Asia Foundation. The library was established in 2008 through the effort of Cong. Edgar Chatto.
The library was lauded for its varied and extensive services such as children, PWD, Senior Citizen, Out of School Youth and Community Outreach, Tech4ed Center, Digital Computer Literacy Reference, Storytelling session, and Online References.
The Balilihan Library in Bohol is one of the four existing congressional libraries in the country, along with Tawi-tawi Congressional Library, Sentro ng Karunungan (Tondo Congressional) Library in Manila, and Kaban ng Hiyas Congressional Library in Mandaluyong City (Source: NLP website).
The House Committee on Education led by Chairman Cong. Roman Romulo recently recognized the library as a model library that should be followed by congressional libraries all over the country.
House Bill no. 2666, "An Act Establishing a Balilihan Congressional Library in the Municipality of Balilihan, Province of Bohol and Appropriating Funds thereof", was quickly approved by the committee.
This bill also made the library officially attached to the National Library of the Philippines and with budget allocation in the General Appropriations Act or GAA for its operations and personnel. The NLP will provide resources and equipment for the library.
The good thing about this is other members of Congress also expressed interest in building their own congressional libraries. Cong. Chatto was invited to the next committee hearing as a resource person on how to establish similar libraries.
Actually, a law already exists on establishing public libraries all over the country way back in 1994. It is R.A. 7743 or the "Act Providing for the establishment of Congressional, City, and Municipal Libraries and Barangay Reading Centers throughout the Philippines."
Sources:
Congress cites Bohol congressional library as Philippines’ model. (2020 September 9). Retrieved by https://www.boholchronicle.com.ph/2020/09/09/congress-cites-bohol-congressional-library-as-philippinesmodel/
Congressional. (2020). Retrieved from http://web.nlp.gov.ph/nlp/?q=taxonomy/term/89
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