Author: admin

Better People, Better Country Now in Seven Fully Booked Branches!

All done!

Twenty-nine copies of Better People, Better Country have been delivered to seven Fully Booked branches.

I have no illusions that this book will have mass appeal.

But it represents years of work, much of it done in quiet isolation, through late nights in front of a computer screen, and with the hope that an aging body would hold up long enough to see the project through.

Along the way were moments of encouragement, but also skepticism, rejection, and many reasons to set the project aside.

Whether the book reaches ten people or ten thousand, I am grateful for the opportunity to place these ideas on public-facing shelves.

My hope is simply that it contributes, in its own small way, to conversations that matter and give voice to those who believed they had little.

The conversation continues.

A Book About Ideas Finds Its Way to a Place of Learning

On the afternoon of June 15, 2026, I made my second delivery of Better People, Better Country to the Fully Booked UPTC branch.

This book was intended to be, above all, a contribution to conversation and learning. Seeing it on the shelves of a bookstore surrounded by schools, universities, and places of learning feels especially meaningful.

I have always enjoyed a lively exchange of ideas and passionate debate about the questions that shape our lives and our society. Many of the themes explored in this book grew out of years of reflecting on the very human struggles we all encounter—how we live, how we love, how we work together, and how we build a country that gives more people the opportunity to flourish.

My hope is that the ideas in this book will find their way into conversations that matter, especially conversations about how we can build a society where more Filipinos can live with dignity and opportunity.

My thanks to the friendly staff for indulging my requests for selfies, and a special shout-out to Dandrille, who welcomed me with a smile throughout the entire process.

The journey continues.

First Delivery at Fully Booked BGC!

On the morning of June 15, 2026, I delivered copies of Better People, Better Country to the Fully Booked BGC branch, the first Fully Booked branch that will carry the book on its shelves.
The book represents 17 years of accumulated ideas that flowed naturally once I finally decided to write it—a culmination of the lessons, questions, experiences, and insights that shaped my journey as a counselor, student of psychology, and citizen.
Seeing those ideas arrive at a major bookstore is both humbling and deeply gratifying.
My sincere thanks to Ms. Ava for her encouraging words, kindness, and support throughout the entire process. I am grateful for the care and professionalism you showed from beginning to end.
The journey continues.
P.S. One of the photos shows Better People, Better Country displayed beside a book by Lourd de Veyra. Sa pwesto ko Ngayon, katabi ko pa si Lourd. Sana, Lourd…

From Blog Posts to Bookshelves: Better People, Better Country Arrives at Fully Booked

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.

A New Addition to Better People, Better Country Coming Soon!

One small detail I’m particularly happy about: each copy of Better People, Better Country will now include a little surprise for readers.
I wanted to share something that would not fit within the pages of the book itself—a personal essay about the journey that led me to write it.
More details soon.

The Importance of Context

We often assume behavior comes from who people are.
But some of psychology’s most influential thinkers argued that behavior can only be understood within the dynamic contexts in which it occurs.
“No simple mechanistic law relating particular stimuli to particular responses is possible, given that behaviors are always embedded in dynamic contexts that alter and constrain their effects.”
— Kurt Lewin (1951), quoted in Ross & Nisbett, The Person and the Situation (1991)
Context does not explain everything.
But without context, we often explain very little.

Ano Ba Ang Love?

faKung ang love ay hindi pagiging bulag sa reality,
at hindi rin simpleng feeling na nawawala sa unang disappointment,
ano nga ba ito?
Love is a context where two people can build a meaningful life together.
Hindi ito dahilan para manatili sa takot, pananakit, o abuse.
Pero hindi rin ito isang bagay na basta na lang iniiwan dahil naiinis tayo, nadidismaya, o nahihirapan sa ating differences.
Every meaningful relationship will have moments when the distance between two people feels hard to cross.
Hindi kawalan ng mga moments na iyon ang love.
Love is creating a life where crossing that distance remains worthwhile.
Isang buhay na binubuo ng tiwala, respeto, at shared purpose.
Hindi perpektong buhay.
Hindi madaling buhay.
Pero isang buhay na maipagmamalaki nating ibahagi.
At isang buhay na may kakayahang magdagdag ng kaunting kabutihan sa mundong ating ginagalawan.

What Is Love?

If love is not blindness that ignores reality,

and not merely a feeling that disappears at the first sign of disappointment,

then what is love?

Love is a context in which two lives can be lived meaningfully together.

It is not a reason to remain where there is violence, fear, or abuse.

But neither is it something we abandon simply because we are irritated, disappointed, or confronted by our differences.

Every meaningful relationship will contain moments when the distance between two people feels difficult to cross.

Love is not the absence of those moments.

Love is the creation of a life where crossing them remains worthwhile.

A life built with enough trust, respect, and shared purpose that both people can stand within it with dignity.

Not a perfect life.

Not an effortless life.

But one rich enough to be shared with pride,

and generous enough to contribute something good to the world beyond itself.

Is Love a Feeling?

Some people stay in relationships long after they have stopped asking whether a meaningful life can be built there.
Others leave at the first sign of difficulty, assuming that the absence of excitement means love has ended.
Love requires effort.
But effort cannot make every relationship workable.
And the loss of butterflies does not mean a relationship is unworkable.
The challenge is learning the difference.