Since I started blogging in 2009, many people encouraged me to write a book of my own—perhaps a collection of the 600-word blog posts I had written over the years.
I wasn’t sure any book would ever exist. I am a slow writer and an even slower editor. A 600-word blog post could sometimes take me nearly an entire day to write.
As it turned out, that is not the book I ended up writing.
Over time, years of work in counseling, psychology, and public issues gradually changed the direction of the project. What began as the idea of a collection of blog posts eventually became Better People, Better Country—a book about people, institutions, culture, and the contexts that shape the lives we live together.
Today, thanks in part to technology, I am preparing copies of my first paperback—almost 300 pages long—for delivery to seven Metro Manila branches of Fully Booked.
Every copy in this first batch, consisting of only a few dozen copies, carries a handwritten inscription:
“May this book inspire you to live freely and love purposefully.”
To everyone who encouraged me, challenged me, read early drafts, or simply believed this project was worth pursuing—thank you.
This book is as much about people as it is about a country.
One small step in a journey that began long before these pages were printed.