Book Institute of the Philippines Fellowship: Learned from Expert Practitioners; Inspired by Passionate Book Writers and Individual Publishers

I found myself in fellowship with passionate young book writers, individual book publishers, and expert mentors in a 5-day Book Institute of the Philippines Fellowship Training held at the National Book Development Board (NBDB) from Oct 26-30, 2026. According to the organizers, we were the fortunate 12 selected from 74 applicants. From what I deduced, I was considered, even if my application was rushed and incomplete, probably just because I was "from the region, not from Imperial Manila", and I was passionate about establishing a Book Publishing House or University Press at BSU.

From a world of managing and editing a research journal, which is now Scopus-indexed, I was transported to a world of more creative book writers and publishers, who shared the realities and joys of managing book publishing houses. I have never really authored a book yet, and the BSU University Press or Book Publishing (still thinking what is better) is still a 'drawing', and so I feel privileged to have been included in this pioneering cohort. 

Daddy @ 51

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Ps. 90:12 (ESV)

#familyAug2026

 Photo: Sis Minda

Thank God for 7 years of God's faithfulness to Kharece

Dear Kharece,

Today, you turned 7 years old, a special age to most. We opted not to celebrate it with friends or with any fun-filled birthday party. It was enough that on your 7th birthday, we held the first ever Youth Minisports Camp at BSU to minister to our youth from Pinget and BSU. It was a wonderful day with our youth at Pinget playing soccer, some youth and adults playing bastketball and volleyball, and the usually happy tug-of-war. You and Keno had a wonderful time yourselves running around at the BSU oval. You even had much fun catching tadpoles in a dirty still water somewhere in the BSU oval premises.

We thank God again for another year He took care of you. Your milestones this year: you started going to school at SPED since August and you seem to be enjoying and getting ahead some of your classmates. You enjoy going to school although you are lazy with school works as you prefer playing or eating your crackers. But your teacher says you have a good chance to be promoted to regular kinder.

We praise and thank God for your "kuyas" who are sometimes pissed off with you but are nevertheless melted when you start displaying your sweet antiques. You say thank you for small little things done for you, say please when you really want something, and say bye to everyone when you leave the room. Oh these are normal gestures in the normal world, but we sure are ecstatic that these are normal to you as well.

We love you Kharece and we will continue to train you with best efforts.

Happy birthday.

Mama, Daddy, Khane and Chairo

Tribute to Tatay William Launio

I thank God for the 17 years of knowing tatay., 15 years that he stood as my dad since Daddy Domingo died. I felt his love for Khane, Chairo, and Kharece. His many sharing of stories, skills, and experiences left great memories for Khane and Chairo through all those brief summer breaks in Malanac. They probably had no memories with Lolo Domingo who died when Khane was 2 days short of turning 2yo. But they had fantastic and life-changing memories with their “tatay”!enough first-hand memories for making the word “tatay” so endearing. More than anything, I thank God for his molding and raising the man I now call husband in the context of his given circumstances. By God’s providence and plan, he is now the head of our small family, navigating how to raise his children the way tatay has trained him but in the context of this generation and the Reformed Christian worldview he believes in. I thank God that he raised his son wonderfully, accepted me, and is the grandfather of my children. Even now for me, I close my eyes and think of memories of tatay and his characteristic smile or grin when he is cracking a joke is vivid and unforgettable. He, bringing inside something he cooked and setting it on the table in the dining table at Malanac, is a classic memory, not only because it is something I can vividly picture if I close my eyes, but more so because it replays the stories Marlon has many times shared about him prioritizing his children on matters of securing food and eating as a family. I picture him in his cowboy hat, happy for his children, his children’s children. Writing this, I am teary-eyed already, just thinking that in the next long vacation, when it is time for the boys to go home to Malanac and experience life, he will not be there. It is very unimaginable and so painful a thought. The classic voice of Kharece saying “where is tatay?” I cannot bear to hear. But such is life, there is death, because of the biblical truth of the fallen nature of man. And such is death, you can never be prepared for it. Yet in life and in death, there is hope eternal. Tatay struggled to succumb to this hope, yet in the end, he succumbed to it by God’s grace and mercy. That is enough comfort. That is enough comfort.-ccl//

(Tatay William Saroy Launio died on Nov. 17 and was buried Nov. 25, 2024)

#2024 NRS Bronze

Posting this here just so it is easier to track for DPCR purposes. Thank God for His grace in allowing our simple paper to win bronze award in the Policy and Socioeconomics Category of the 2024 National Research Congress held on Oct. 8-9, 2024. It has always been bronze but thanking God still for this small win that will contribute to what the BSU hymn says “more glories to thy name will bring…” Of course, we give the utmost glory to our sovereign God for His providence. 

Congratulations Chairo, our football enthusiast!

July 1, 2024

Our dearest Chairo Potpot:

We thank God and we congratulate you on passing the BSU entrance examination for Grade 7 and landing rank 5 from the many. We know that this is really what you want primarily because you want to be trained better in football. I know that you did your best and passed even if you (and I) initially doubted it given the hundreds of applicants. But understand that this is also God's will and providence for you and so He alone gets the glory. 

Boy, we are proud of you. (Your classmate Julian was right when he described you in Grade 6 as 'wasted potential". :-) Now you will be a BSU HS student like we, your Uncle Winslow, Uncle Winston, Auntie Beverly, and Auntie Beveryn had been. Of course, it was much different then. Uncle Winston was also in the Vocational Agriculture section, and we bonded well on his farm. I even learned how to use the bicycle at the Swamp area, while we were helping tend his farm. 

Son, I do not know what God has in store for you, but I pray that you will come to see the providence of Christ in your life as you grow in your knowledge of Him. You know that high school is not elementary, as your Manong Khane always tells you. You will face challenges and experiences so unlike elementary. We will always support and guide you every step of the way. You heard a lot from us already but we reiterate that we will always be around boi! :-) Plus, Manong Khane and Kharece are your best cheerers.

We love you and congratulations.

Mama and Daddy 

Kharece at 6: "A charming young lady of stated age"

Dearest Kharece,

Today, you turned 6 years old. Last October, we had you evaluated and their diagnoses were:

CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS

eye contact - fair

ability to follow instructions - fair

attention span and concentration - fair

frustration tolerance- fair to good

sitting span - good

hyperactivity - not hyperactive

stereotypical behavior - none

speech and communication skills - able to speak in phrases

social and interaction skills - very good

concept of body parts - present

attachment to certain objects - blocks

play behavior - interactive play

DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE

Gross motor skills: age-appropriate (don't quite agree with this though)

Fine motor skills: delayed

Expressive language: delayed

Receptive language: age-appropriate

Adaptive/self-hep skills: delayed

Behavioral skills: fair work behavior

CLINICAL IMPRESSION/WORKING DIAGNOSIS

A charming young lady of stated age

As you turn 6, we take time to worship God as a family to thank God for everything you are and has allowed you to achieve. How can we not? Everything you are is a manifestation of God's unending grace to our family. We continue to pray that God will indeed let you be as you have been diagnosed: a charming young lady of stated age but to add "who understands faith in Christ."

Our prinsisita Ayen

Thank God for the blessing of children.