“MONFORT Publishing House
Premiere Book Launching
Social Consciousness
Environmental Protection Initiatives
First Press Conference
10:00 a.m. – 1:30p.m. May 7, 2021 Grand Menseng Hotel
Via Zoom meeting and Facebook Live (MinDA) https://zoom.us/i?9350045331
The book titled “HEAL OUR SICK SOCIETY” authored by yours truly was launched officially recently. For your information below is my Message on this occasion:
“Good day to all of you. I’m Chito R. Gavino III, the oldest, longest and still active Federalism and Social Change advocate in the country. I’m the author of the book now being launched, by a “beautiful soul” our friend Nomi I. Monfort.
Our book titled “Heal Our Sick Society” which I wrote last March-May 2020 is a product of my house quarantine due to Pandemic COVID-19. This confirms the validity of the saying that, “Crisis is an opportunity for great things.”
It has also been said that “To be immortal, plant a tree and write a book”. I’ve planted hundreds of mango trees in Samal Island and wrote several books before not for the reason to be immortal but for the love of God and neighbors.
For your information, we are now half-way writing another book titled “Youth: The Fifth Estate”. Dr. Adrian M. Tamayo is my co-author of this book, Throughout human global history, only four Estates are recognized. These are: 1) Clergy, 2) Noble, 3) Common or bourgeois, and 4) Media. Now we are proposing a Fifth Estate. A revolutionary idea again from Davaonons?
We like to think that this humble book being launched is a sequel to Rizal’s novel “Noli Me Tangere.” In his novel, Rizal exposed the existing “social cancer” in his time. Our book theorizes that this “social cancer” which we Filipinos, particularly our leaders, did not address had developed into a “4” degree” social cancer that continues to worsen with each passing day. If we don’t confront no our brokenness that threatens our survival, who will?
Our terribly sick Philippine society is characterized by culture of corruption, degrading morality, widespread dehumanizing poverty and inequality here the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer, development aggression that destroy our environment and result in unsustainable progress, unresolved longest insurgency in the hole world patronage politics, exclusive or extractive economic systems and many other social sins.
The general anomaly and irony of all these specters, is that this sickness continues to exist in a predominantly Christian society. Clearly, we Christian Filipinos badly need re-evangelization.
This challenging book is a Manifesto for Social Change. It explains our prescription or grand strategy to properly address our dilemma by pursuing collaboratively in “Bayanihan” spirit Real Social Transformation. This involves system or structural reforms and People reforms. As we all know, systems effect people’s behavior and people behavior affects systems. Hence, we cannot have one of these reforms without the other.
Our Proposed Dream Philippines Shared Vision of: A Nation of God-Loving and Healthy People, United in Diversity, with Full Democracy, a Diamond-Shaped Humane, Just and Innovative Society, Sustainable Prosperity, and Lasting Peace” and Mission of : “Pursuing Social Transformation to Rebuild our Nation and Total Integral Human Development” must guide our Reform process. Our Vision and Mission will give the direction of where we want to go and how to get there.
When our pursuit for Real Social Transformation is with clearly stated Vision and Missions, our sorrowful past stops to dominate current events. This is now a golden opportunity for us to write our desired history. Our succeeding generation is watching us. Let’s not fail our children and grandchildren. Let’s not fail them. Let this book’s message be our common legacy to them.
Our prescription in this book for Real Social Transformation is to heal our sick society and achieve double authentic liberation of our people and our nation. Hopefully this will also be the unifying force of our various competing institutions. Take note however that only through peaceful activism, not merely vigilance, can we succeed in this challenging reformation.
Let this book be our Shared Roadmap to real Change. Let it be our Philippine Plan for Social Transformation in this century. If there are other proposals out there to heal our sick Philippine society, let’s hear these. Let’s start serious discussions of this very important issue.
