Gen. MARIANO LLANERA by Rafaelita Hilario Soriano

From the Introduction by Blas Ople:
History is replete with accounts of Filipino heroes and their high achievements some in greater detail than others. In the chronicles of epic battles fought by leaders of the Philippine revolution against Spain in 1896, the names of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Antonio Luna and Gregorio del Pilar, among others, stand out brilliantly as the pillars of courage, nationalism and patriotism.

They were accolades of which they were most deserving.

There were a few insurgent leaders no less daring and heroic but about whom there was a scant mention in history books of their names and exploits in that crucial episode of our struggle for freedom and independence. One such revolutionary was General Mariano Llanera, Nueva Ecija's "greatest contribution to the Philippine revolution."

The Manila-Acapulco Galleon: The Treasure Ships of the Pacific by Shirley Fish

During the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, the transpacific treasure sailed annually from Manila to Acapulco. In Manila, the vessel was loaded with the scented spices of the East, luxurious silks from China, exquisite hand crafted lacquerware from Japan and a multitude of Oriental goods that the Spaniards of New Spain longed to own.

     But [the galleons] … were vulnerable to a host of calamities and misfortunes. A fire on board the vessel or a terrifying storm could end the voyage and the lives of every one on the ship even before the galleon was able to reach land. Additionally, the commanders of the galleons were always threatened by lurking pirates and privateers who preyed on .the vessels and coveted the treasures they carried.
     The book describes in detail how the galleons were attacked at sea and how they fought against enemy vessels, as well as how many of the ships sank or were shipwrecked over the years. It also covers their management, construction, manning, weaponry, navigation, daily life on the ship, provisions, cargoes and voyages.
     The book contains an annotated list of the galleons sailing between the Philippines and Mexico from 1565 to 1815. This informative book is the first of its kind to cover such an expansive history of the Pacific galleons which up to this point had remained largely untold.

When Britain Ruled the Philippines 1762-1762 by Shirley Fish

The British invasion of the Philippines was the first challenge to Spain's control of the archipelago after 191 years of rule. The Royal Navy and British Army joined with the East India Company in Madras to capture Spain's Asian colony. In conjunction with the attack against Spain's key possession in the Americas, Havana, both settlements were successfully seized. However, in the Philippines whilst the expedition was launched as part of a plan to harass the Spaniards in their possessions, as well as for commercial gain and new territories, the military campaign led by General William Draper and Admiral Samuel Cornish, may have been launched under the guise of an invasion in order to gain prize money.
     The author describes the events as they unfolded at the Admiralty in London and at the East India Company in Madras, leading to the invasion and occupation of the capital Manila and the port city of Cavite. The capital was looted, a galleon was seized, and the British commanders imposed a ransom of four million dollars upon the Spaniards. The enormous sums. in prize money and valuables seized mainly benefited the commanders...

NOT ON OUR WATCH: Martial Law really happened. We were there.  EDITOR: Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon; WRITERS: Angie Castillo, Calixto V. Chikiamco, Jose Dalisay Jr., Manuel M. Dayrit, Jaime FlorCruz, Jay Valencia Glorioso, Diwa C. Guinigundo, Sol F. Juvida, Victor H. Manarang, Al S. Mendoza, Jack Teotico, Roberto Verzola, Vic A. Wenceslao; ILLUSTRATOR: Edd Aragon 

 

From the Prologue.  On October 10, 2010, members of the League of Editors for a Democratic Society (LEADS)—College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), circa 1969 to 1972, held their first reunion in forty years.

       The reunion brought back memories of their involvement in the life-and-death struggle many Filipinos waged against the Marcos dictatorship during that period. They recalled how, amidst the worldwide student protest movements of the 1970s, Filipino students staged their own revolt. Linking arms with other sectors of Philippine society, they launched a series of protest actions that reached the proverbial tipping point from late December of 1969 to the early months of 1970. That historical watershed came to be known as the First Quarter Storm, or FQS.

This book is partly an answer to a member's lament that her children do not know her. She told the gathering how surprised her children were upon knowing that she had been editor in chief of her college newspaper, and at a time, too, when campus papers were in the thick of the national ferment.

…We decided to publish this book so that our children would know of us. Our children know us, certainly, but not many of them know how, during our tender years (some of us not past seventeen), we put our lives on the line and fought a deadly struggle with the Marcos dictatorship. How, as editors and writers of our college papers, we vigorously confronted martial rule and its excesses. How, as callow as were in years, many of us paid for our convictions by being jailed, with a number of us suffering unspeakable torture under interrogation. And how, just having stepped into our twenties, some of us were already made to pay the ultimate price--life itself.

"Socdem: Filipino Social Democracy in a Time of Turmoil and Transition, 1965-1995", Edited by Benjamin T. Tolosa, Jr.

From the back of the book:

Because a full-fledged study of Filipino social democracy has not been undertaken before, this effort at collective storytelling is valuable in itself as a way to recover political memories and draw out oral histories of this political tradition. The study also aims to document the history of Filipino social democracy both as an ideology (a social vision appropriate to Philippine conditions) and as a political movement (the organizations who have espoused it and their political praxis, including efforts at coalition building). From these stories, we can draw out distinctive themes and learning experiences that have relevance not just from the perspective of the past, but also for renewing political education and engagement present.

Regional Autonomy and Federalism: Concepts and Issues for the Bangsamoro Government

by Sukarno D. Tanggol

Blurbs:

"The publication of this book written by Professor Sukarno Tanggol is very timely in view of the renewed public interest in the possible resolution of the Mindanao conflict and the ongoing peace negotiations between the Philippines Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The postponement of the regional elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has given rise to a new level of public discourse on the kind of political arrangement that would address the clamor of the Bangsamoro people for self-determination without sacrificing the territorial integrity of the country." - Alex B. Brilliantes, Ph.D [Professor; National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines.]

"Dr. Sukarno Tanggol's book is very timely. The prospects of a peace settlement between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are much better compared to the past, and we have accumulated more than enough experiences and lessons since the Local Government Code was passed and implemented in 1991. His concerns as an academic and a Mindanawon are reflected in this well-laid argument favoring federalism as an option to the current state. Let the conversation over alternatives continue with all of us having this book on our side. - Patricio N. Abinales, Ph.D [Professor; Center for Philippine Studies, University of Hawaii-Manoa]

Crown, Cross and Crusaders: European Legacies in the Philippines/Krone, Kreuz und Krieger: Europäische Vermächtnisse in den Philippinen

by Dr. Reiner Werning

Dual language (English and German). Translated into German by Gisela, Richard, Sarah De Lorie & Wolfgang Bethge

"I shall establish a school and if you can bear the climate, then you shall be the director. I am sure all the young ones, the best in the country shall come to us; Blumentritt-Rizal will stay in the memory of the Filipino people like Goethe and Schiller, like Horatius and Virgil, like the Humboldts." - Extract from a letter of Jose Rizal to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt.

PRIMED AND PURPOSEFUL: Armed Groups and Human Security Efforts in the Philippines by Soliman M. Santos, Jr and Paz Verdadez M. Santos

Excerpt from the Introduction:
 
"At the center of this book are the 'primed and purposeful' protagonists of the Philippines' two major internal armed conflicts: the nationwide Communist insurgency and the Moro insurgency in the Muslim part of Mindanao. Steeped in firsthand knowledge of the conflicts and containing the most detailed, insider-informed group profiles available, this book offers a deeper understanding of the country's many armed groups --- from the ideologically driven and militarily strong to the opportunistic and criminal. This volume argues that while these non-state armed groups and their offshoots are undoubtedly part of the human security problem in the Philippines, they must also be part of the solution."


Blurb:

"Primed and Purposeful provides the political and historical detail necessary to understand the motivations and probably outcomes of conflicts in the country. The volume explores related human security issues, including the willingness of several Filipino armed groups to negotiate political settlements to the conflicts, and to contemplate the demobilization and reintegration of combatants into civilian life. Light is also shed on the use of small arms --- the weapon of choice for armed groups --- whose availability is maintained through leakage from government arsenals, porous borders, a thriving domestic craft industry, and lax regulatory regime." - David Petrasek, Author: "Ends and Means: Human Rights Approaches to Armed Groups

12 (1998-2012) YEARS OF THE PARTY LIST SYSTEM: Marginalizing People's Representation edited by Bobby M. Tuazon

Excerpt from the Foreword:

"The party-list experiment began as a reform measure to strengthen our demoncracy but, after more than ten years, has been abused to pervert it. This volume examines the whole range of difficulties faced by the party-list system, and the nature of these difficulties tells us a lot about the weaknesses of our democracy itself."

The Good Lawyer: 5 Keys to Lawyering With Integrity by Atty. Bobby Quitain

"Keeping Your Clients Without Losing Your Soul"

Blurbs on the back cover:

"[This] is an extraordinary book because of the extraordinary truth within its pages." - Atty. Theodore O. Te; UP Vice President for Legal Affairs

"I do hope the idealism expressed in Bobby's book will inspire not only the young but also the not-so-young lawyers to walk the straight and narrow path of the law profession and for them to realize that doing good and doing well while practicing law are not inconsistent with each other." - Atty. Simeon V. Marcelo; Former Ombudsman of the Philippines

"This is truly a wonderful book that every lawyer, law student, and law professor in our country should have as a lifetime companion." - Atty. Alexander Lacson; Author, 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country.