Evangelical Bishop Noel Pantoja, chairman of the Philippine Bible Society, welcomed the “good news.” He said the survey only showed that the Philippines is “a God-fearing nation ... despite all the trials we have.”

Catholic Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon said the news “is very rewarding, especially for me, because my very special ministry in the church is to promote the Bible among our people. This means that the collective efforts of all persons engaged in the biblical ministry have borne fruit.”

Bishop Bastes, who used to head the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate, revealed that the Philippine Bible Society used to have a campaign to sell copies of the Bible in different Philippine languages at about US$1 each. He estimated that over the past 10 years 10 million copies of the Bible have been distributed to Filipino families.

“If families have an average number of five members, 50 million Filipinos have a chance to read, pray and share their insights of the Bible,” said Bishop Bastes. “The Bible is indeed the most read book in our country. By the power of the Word of God, may the Philippines be transformed into a real Christian nation.”