For the past 28 years, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have joined in solidarity with the country in the celebration of the Filipino family every last week of September of every year.
For its continued support of the nationwide observance of National Family Week, the National Committee on the Filipino Family awarded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a Certificate of Appreciation as well as a Special Citation for holding the 3rd Interfaith Family Forum virtually.
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Elder Steven R. Bangerter, General Authority Seventy and assigned to serve as the first counselor in the Philippines Area Presidency, accepted the recognition on behalf of the Church.
In his response message, Elder Bangerter shared the 1995 document that leaders of the Church published entitled, The Family: A Proclamation to the World.
“The Family Proclamation begins with these words,” he shared across over 100 attendees. “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that … family is central to the Creator’s plan toward the eternal destiny of His children.”
“What a profound declaration of God’s eternal plan for the family unit. From its opening statement, the Proclamation establishes the fundamental role of marriage and family relationships, such as the relationships that we’ve heard today so well described by Undersecretary Perez.”
Elder Bangerter then shared about Heavenly Father’s plan of providing love and support to all of His children through families as they experience the challenges of living on earth.
“We believe that it is no surprise that a kind and loving God would use the pattern of living and growing in a nurturing family environment as the basis for His plan to provide the greatest fortification against the pains and the trials of this mortal life.
“I applaud and express my profound gratitude for the efforts of all who promote family values, the strength of the family unit, and strive in their public service and within the walls of their own homes, to strengthen and build upon the foundation of the family as the course of work upon which a successful and vibrant society is established.”
At the conclusion of his short message, Elder Bangerter shared his appreciation and admiration of the strength he has seen within the Filipino families, citing that they have so much to learn.
Hosted by the NCFF, the Virtual National Family Week Closing Ceremony included speakers such as Hon. Rolando Joselito D. Bautista, Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare (DSWD) and Development and Chairperson of NCFF; Hon. Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagosa, Mayor of the City of Manila; Undersecretary Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development; and Usec. Luzviminda C. Ilagan, Undersecretary for Policy and Plans of the DSWD and the Alternate Chairperson of NCFF.
About National Family Week
Through Proclamation No. 60 signed in 1992, the country celebrates National Family Week with various activities together with government agencies and civil society groups. The Church remains at the forefront of the celebration as one of the early core members of the national steering committee.
Despite the limitations brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Latter-day Saints celebrated the National Family Week by holding various activities through virtual means.