Philippine lawmakers have filed resolutions seeking to declare September as National Family Month, as evangelical leaders urge churches and Christian communities to make the strengthening and restoration of Filipino families a greater ministry priority.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian filed Senate Proposed Resolution No. 686, while Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante Jr. filed House Resolution No. 1455 on Sept. 17, both calling for a September observance and sustained programs to protect and strengthen Filipino families. The House measure remains pending with the Committee on Population and Family Relations.
The initiative has been welcomed by the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) Family Commission, which has encouraged Christians to continue advocating for the measure. “We pray for a strong nation. We start by strengthening our families,” the commission said in a Facebook post announcing Gatchalian’s resolution.
The PCEC Family Commission also welcomed Abante’s House resolution, describing the development as another opportunity to advance its advocacy for Filipino families. “We also thank God, who opens doors for our advocacy for the Filipino family,” the commission wrote in Tagalog. It urged Christians to continue writing to lawmakers and praying that legislators and the president would support the proposal.
The religious emphasis is also reflected in Abante’s resolution, which frames the family within Christian teaching and describes it as part of God’s design for society. The resolution cites biblical passages including Psalm 127:1 and Genesis 2:24 and calls for policies that would “restore the family as God intended” and strengthen the family as the foundation of a “strong, blessed and righteous Philippines.”
It also proposes integrating a Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual (BPSS) approach into government family interventions, combining practical, psychological, social and spiritual support. The resolution calls for stronger protection of children, assistance for solo parents and struggling households, family-supportive wages, protection against domestic and digital harm, and mental health and spiritual support.
The PCEC’s advocacy comes alongside a recent call for churches to make family restoration a ministry priority. Evangelical leaders urged churches to strengthen marriages, support parents and protect children through worship, prayer, preaching, counseling and family-focused programs. They described family ministry as both a practical response to social challenges and a renewed commitment to Christian teaching on family life.
“Let us stand as a beacon of hope,” the leaders wrote, calling Christians to participate in “restoring, healing, and strengthening the Filipino family.”
Both congressional resolutions point to the existing constitutional recognition of the family as the foundation of the nation and to laws and executive issuances that already provide various forms of family protection and support. September is currently observed through Family Week, established by Proclamation No. 60 in 1992, while Proclamation No. 326 in 2012 designated the fourth Monday of September as “Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga” Day.
Gatchalian has said expanding the observance from a week to an entire month could provide more opportunities for government agencies and different sectors to coordinate family-focused programs and highlight the importance of the Filipino family.
While the proposed National Family Month remains a resolution, not yet a law, Christian leaders see the legislative initiative as an opportunity for churches to engage not only in advocacy but also in the work they say begins at home: strengthening marriages, equipping parents, protecting children and pointing families toward faith.
“If we want a strong nation, let’s strengthen the Filipino Family,” the PCEC Family Commission said.
