Books - Philippines

Our Rights, Our Victories: Landmark Cases in the Supreme Court by Marites Dañguilan Vitug and Criselda Yabes

2011-10-19T15:05:00.000+08:00

From the back cover:

“Our Rights, Our Victories: Landmark Cases in the Supreme Court” by Marites Dañguilan Vitug and Criselda Yabes is not your usual book about law and cases decided by our Supreme Court.

What makes this book interestingly different and easily readable is that it was not written by lawyers. Spared from a legalistic presentation, it is meant for the larger audience beyond the legal community. It tells stories of ordinary people and how the Bill of Rights entered and gave new meaning to their lives. It is for many of our people, who need the protection of the Constitution, but are hesitant to invoke its power because they believe it is beyond their reach. Our basic law comes alive as an accessible and effective foil against unwarranted official intrusion into the lives of our citizens.

This book opens the doors to constitutional rights in a manner that the ordinary citizen can readily appreciate. It shows how seemingly commonplace problems can and should merit the attention of even the highest court of the land. It will be easy for the reader to identify with the plight of many of those whose stories are captivatingly told, and to learn from their experience. This book delivers the refreshing message that the law is not just for lawyers. It is for everyone.

— Pablito Sanidad

Former National Chairman

Free Legal Assistance Group

Radical Prose: Selected Writings of Antonio Zumel

2010-07-24T14:18:00.000+08:00

From the Introduction by Satur Ocampo

…This book is about the writings of Antonio Zumel, divided into three phases of his life. Part I contains selected pieces he wrote as a journalist until the eve of Marcos’ declaration of martial law. Part II draws from Tony’s writings as a member of an underground Party collective writing for and publishing Ang Bayan, the CPP official organ. Part III covers his writings as a political exile in The Netherlands and as chairman of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
…This fact speaks a lot about Tony’s transformation. Willingly, he subsumed himself, a veteran Journalist, to the anonymity of the writing collective that included tyros.

A Lifetime of Freedom by Arlyn Dela Cruz

2010-06-28T14:58:00.000+08:00

A Lifetime of Freedom by Arlyn Dela Cruz. "No one but Arlyn dela Cruz can write with authority and intimacy about the Abu Sayyaf Group. She has been through a lot of personal and professional hardships because of her stories, but Arlyn is a survivor. Her courage, her dedication to journalism and her brand of investigative reportage is a unique contribution to Philippine Journalism. Arlyn's book shows the challenges and sacrifices a journalist must face to get a story. Readers must read Arlyn's book with a critical eye to understand the inner workings not only of the Abu Sayyaf but also of the Philippine Media. I envy her candid narration of events." - Jose Torres Jr., Former Chairman, National Union of Journalists in the Philippines and Author of the book Into the Mountains: Hostaged by the Abu Sayyaf.

Together My Brothers: A Journey into Freemasonry by MS Beltran

2010-03-12T17:11:00.000+08:00

Together My Brothers: A Journey into Freemasonry by Michael S. Beltran. A guide book for Freemasons in their journey “to that undiscovered place from whose Bourne no traveler returns.” A guide book for the inquisitive minded persons interested to join Freemasonry, who need a quick and easy way to understand the history and philosophy behind Freemasonry. A reference book for researchers and students wanting to understand and know about the "secrets" of Freemasonry

Fiesta! Fiesta! Festival Food of the Philippines

2009-12-11T17:31:00.000+08:00

Fiesta! Fiesta! Festival Food of the Philippines is a take-off from well-received Wow! Ang Sarap! The Best of Philippine Regional Cuisines. Colorfully illustrated, it shows and describes the fiestas and festivals all over the Philippines, many of them previously unpublished in book form. It also presents the culinary delights most associated with these events. By documenting the celebration and food tandem, the book hopes to better convey the infectious fiesta spirit to Filipinos, especially those overseas, and to everyone else in this shrinking global village. It is today's fiesta guidebook.

MEDICINAL FRUITS & VEGETABLES by JZ Tan and RM Tan

2009-10-26T15:28:00.000+08:00

MEDICINAL FRUITS & VEGETABLES by JZ Tan and RM Tan. The Philippines is home to more than 1,500 different kinds of medicinal herbs. However, the use of medicinal plants has been limited because of the difficulty in identifying these herbs. Thus, this book on medicinal fruits and vegetables was conceptualized to make it easier for the general public to benefit from the bounty of Mother Nature's medicine.

From Exile to Diaspora by Epifanio San Juan, Jr.

2009-10-26T15:23:00.001+08:00

From Exile to Diaspora by Epifanio San Juan, Jr.

excerpt from the Introduction. “...Filipinos now “belong” to the whole world... Formerly redundant liabilities, they become assets, “human capital,” when they transplant themselves. This crisis of deracination and unsettlement (permanent or temporary) afflicting a whole society becomes pronounced in the phenomenon of the “brain drain,” a factor that explains the continuing underdevelopment of the South or “Third World.” It is not a joke to say that the Philippines, an economic basket case during the last decade of Marcos’ despotic rule, produces every year thousands of doctors, nurses, scientists, and engineers for the world market. As exchangeable commodities, many of them immediately head for the United States–note that there are several million “warm body exports” now inhabiting the Middle East and Europe–whereas in the Philippines, where 80 percent of the people are poor and 30 percent of the children malnourished, most towns and villages lack decent medical and health care... For the new settlers, this sorry plight is now erased from memory, translated into a safe language, or set aside for retrieval on occasions when a need arises to justify why they left the no-longer-hospitable homeland.

Journeys of Filipino Volunteers Overseas. Barbara Fortunato, editor

2009-10-16T13:50:00.000+08:00

Journeys of Filipino Volunteers Overseas. Barbara Fortunato, editor

In 2000, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) started recruiting Filipinos for volunteer placements in other developing countries. Today, there are over 100 Filipino VSO volunteers working in 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. VSO named this program Bahaginan (sharing).

This book describes the experiences of ten Bahaginan volunteers who were posted overseas in 2001 and 2002. Some are still overseas, others have already returned to the Philippines. We can’t completely say “home,” because in our host communities abroad, we also found a home.

To VSO, volunteering means sharing skills and changing lives. It’s more than just a job; it’s also a process of discovering a country and its people, and just as importantly, discovering ourselves. We experienced this intimately, everyday, and feel enriched by our encounters. Above all, volunteering was immeasurable fun. We hope some of that spirit shows in this book. We hope that you, too, will share our thrill of learning and growing from cross-cultural exchanges.

The book traces the phases in the volunteering cycle: application, pre-departure flurry, first impressions on arrival, in-country and language training, getting on with the job, settling in and forming relationships, exploring wider roles for the volunteer, struggling with development dilemmas, joining in local festivals and the occasional road trip, and finally uprooting again to return to the Philippines.

We make no claims to writing the definitive volunteer experience, and certainly not the definitive experience of Filipinos overseas. The experiences here are solely our own and do not represent official VSO policy. Our glimpses of life overseas are personal impressions, not a judgment or an analysis of other people’s cultures. The book contains excerpts from our journals, letters, and reports, alongside new articles. Some names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals and organizations.

Veronica Avila	Integrated community development coordinator	Rwanda
Barbara Fortunato	Management and communications adviser	Vietnam
Leonora Garcia	Training development specialist and Research fellow	China
Maria Renniff Hibanada	Accounting lecturer	Ethiopia
Maria Regina Jocson-Maulit	Occupational therapy trainer	Russia, Macedonia
Maria Pamela Palma	Community-based natural resource management specialist (VSO) and Natural resources management advisor (UNV)	Namibia (VSO) and China (UNV)
Roberto Pinauin	Community development worker (Zebediela) and Research and communications coordinator (SHEP)	South Africa
Tito Revereal	Management adviser	India, Cambodia
Vladymir Rivera	Organizational development adviser	Mozambique
French Vibar	Capacity-building adviser	Kenya