Manual for Scene of the Crime Responders and Security Personnel Out

News and videos about the failure of security guards and police to properly handle scenes of the crime have created a wave of criticism for government and private agencies tasked with protecting the public from criminal and violent acts in public.

Experts say that this failure is due to the lack of proper training of law enforcement and security personnel who are FIRST RESPONDERS in crime scenes. In response to this, Anvil Paublishing recently released a manual for law enforcers, security guards and criminology students entitled BASIC PROCEDURES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. It provides practical and comprehensive procedures and information on securing a crime scene and protecting First Responders. The information in the manual is an integration of police experience and law enforcement expertise of the authors who seasoned criminologists.

The manual is written by Nathaniel Laxa, a magna cum laude graduate of Criminal Justice from Sutherland University and former Security Chief of the United States Navy and currently the dean of the College of Criminology of Arellano Univeristy – Plaridel. His co-author is Porferio Banzuelo, jr , also a registered criminologist and long-time criminal investigator and currently the dean of Criminology of Arellano University- Malabon. The authors are also lecturers on Security, Explosve Ordinance Disposal and Anti-Illegal Drug Awareness.

ENDANGERED ANIMALS STAR IN NEW CHILDRENS BOOK SERIES

Anvil Publishing celebrates National Children’s Book Day with a unique series of picture books by noted writer/illustrator JOMIKE TEJIDO entitled SI GILAS ANG HARING AGILA, SI BING ANG MUNTING BUTANDING and SI MAYA ANG GAYA-GAYANG BUWAYA. These new titles combine captivating storytelling and science instruction in a colourful and attractive childrens book.

The books chronicle the lives of three animals who are all in danger of extinction. Tejido expertly weaves three tales of adventure as he shows the harm that befall these creatures in the wild. Each child who reads the books will come away with important lessons on the environment and the balance of nature.

The books will be featured in the National Children’s Book Day celebration this July,spearheaded by the Philippine board on Books for the Young (PBBY), the National Library and the Cultural Center of the Philippines

A Portrait of the Artist NICK JOAQUIN

Seven years after his death, Nick Joaquin’s legacy continues to live on. Through his prolific writings—both fiction and non-fiction—this National Artist for Literature awardee has left his mark not only in the Philippine literary and journalistic community, but more importantly, in the hearts and minds of those who hold him dearest—his family and close friends.

In celebration of the life of one of the country’s most renowned writers, Anvil Publishing will launch an important book on Nick Joaquin entitled Nick: A Portrait of the Artist Nick Joaquin on July 6 at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. Written by Nick’s nephew Tony Joaquin and writer Gloria C. Kismadi, the book is a recollection of the life of Nicomedes Joaquin, more commonly known as Nick Joaquin in the literary scene, and Quijano de Manila in the journalist community.

The book is more than a simple retelling of Nick’s achievements as a writer and journalist. Through simple prose, the authors share with the readers who Nick was—a loving son, a supportive brother and brother-in-law, a kind friend, and a generous benefactor to a lot of people. Chapter after chapter tells of this humble man who did not seek out attention or recognition for himself, but managed to win the hearts of those around him by being his simple, kindhearted self.

Recollections in the book include how Nick told his mother, Doña Salome, that he wanted to stop going to school because he believed that he would learn more by reading books in The National Library; how he would forget to buy things for himself or eat lunch because he was so engrossed with what he was reading; how he saved Sarah Joaquin, his sister-in-law, from perpetual boredom by accompanying her when her husband Ping was away for work. The authors also recount the time when Nick entered a seminary in Hong Kong, brokenhearted that he was because of the damage his beloved Intramuros undertook during World War II, and of the way he refused to accept his National Artist for Literature award unless the government released a fellow writer and good friend, Pete Lacaba, from prison. Such anecdotes give emphasis to the fact that Nick Joaquin is more than just a writer or journalist, but is an extraordinary person loved by the people around him.

The authors summarize Nick Joaquin’s legacy in the tenth chapter of the book: “No one who has been touched by Nick Joaquin—through his stories and his reportage, the exceptional elegance of his language, the truths which he unfailingly lived, the depth of his personal faith and spirituality, the kindness and compassion which he so readily extended to all—will ever forget him.”

Tony Joaquin, the oldest grandson of Leocadio and Salome Marquez Joaquin, has written his own autobiography, Simple Glories, and copyedited the biography of his mother, Sarah Joaquin, Of Laughter and Tears. He is a multi-tasker based on his interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and practices. Gloria C. Kismadi teaches at a university and is an English Language Teaching consultant and teacher trainer at a language school in Indonesia. She has published a story and poems, and has copyedited Sarah Joaquin’s biography.

The Spirit of EDSA revisited

Anvil Publishing releases NOYNOY  The Triumph of a People’s Campaign by Wilfrido Villacorta, currently the Philippine Ambassador to the ASEAN.  The book chronicles the spontaneous movement that swept Benigno Noynoy Aquino III  to the forefront of the latest wave of People Power.  It  is a collective memoir of those   involved in the movement for reform—members of  the academe, fellow Cory Veterans, community organizers and former street parliamentarians.  The book will be launched formally on Feb 21, in time for the EDSA Anniversary celebration in Powerbooks in Greenbelt 4 Makati City.

Villacorta wrote the book in a record time of seven months.  His goal,  “ to reinforce the Filipinos’ trust in our own ability to help rebuild a nation and recommit ourselves to achieving excellence and development.”  He add that “ The people’s movement that fueled the Noynoy phenomenon proved that we can fight for what is right. This moral triumph should strengthen our resolve to transform our supposedly changeless land.”  The movement’s engaging saga is told through the recollection of 54 key  organizers who came  from different segments of the People’s Campaign.

The author is member of the Liberal Party and a former Chair of its think tank, the National Institute for Policy Studies. During the campaign, he  was assigned to convene the Foreign Policy cluster of the

Policy Unit and was a member of the Cory Veterans for Noynoy.

PACMAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS OUT!

Survivor, Sportsman , Balladeer, Champion of the masses and Honorable Congressman and are the many feathers that Many Pacquiao has managed to add to his hat.  Not content to rest on his laurels, Pacquiao has attempted to try his hand at  writing his life story.

PACMAN: A STORY OF HOPE, RESILIENCE AND NEVER-SAY-NEVER DETERMINATION is the title the first ever AUTOBIOGRAPAHY of new World Welterweight boxing champion and Pinoy icon MANNY PACQUIAO to  be released soon in the Philippines by Dunham Books USA and Anvil Publishing Inc.  The book will be available upon Pacquiao’s return to the country in all branches of National Bookstore, Powerbooks and NBS Express.

Although written in English, the narrative manages to capture the innermost thoughts and recollections of Pacquiao from his childhood to his recent life as a champion.  The book contains new anecdotes and shows Pacquiao’s deep sense of family and loyalty to friends.  It also portrays a humility that is heartwarming as he recounts past ‘mistakes’ and the lessons he derived from them.  

Martial law remembered in two new books

A group of young writers, many of them in their late twenties and early thirties share their recollections and impressions of Martial Law, almost forty years after former President Ferdinand Marcos signed the dreaded Presidential Decree 1071.  This decree signaled the beginning of a tumultuous   period in Philippine history.  These essays, poems, and stories are collected in two books (English and Pilipino editions) entitled MONDO MARCOS and will be launched on November 30, 6pm in Powerbooks Greenbelt in Makati

The series was conceived by its editors, Dean of the UP Institute of Mass Communications Roland Tolentino and Baguio-based journalist Frank Cimatu in 2000 and it took them almost ten years to put together this rich and varied collection of voices from Generation X who grew up in the final years of the Martial Law period.

 Young as they were at the time, some impressions leave out the more terrifying aspects of that dark period.  In his notes, Cimatu remembers this:  “One of the irritating (or exciting, depending on your political orientation) aspect of martial law was the regular interruptions of the TV show you were watching: President Marcos delivering a speech, the First Lady arriving in the airport from Russia or cutting the ribbon for a new housing project. Seeing Stars with JQ was the only show that did not receive a presidential interruption. Maybe because the time was too late but we believe that the First Family also watched the show. This circus was the only real show on the islands.”
There are darker and more gripping pieces that reflect the sinister nature of the period.

The contributors of the English edition are Paula Angeles, Alma S. Anonas-Carpio, Cesar Ruiz Aquino, Genevieve Mae Aquino, Oscar Atadero, Robert J.A Basilio Jr., Shubert L. Ciencia, Frank Cimatu, Johanns Fernandez, Vince Gotera, David Peter Jose J. Hontiveros, Luisa A. Igloria, Cyan Abad-Jugo, R. Zamora Linmark, Martin Masadao,  Apol Lejano-Massebieau, Gabe Mercado, Wilfredo O. Pascual Jr., BJ Patiño, Padmapani L. Perez,   Pete Rajon,  Ige Ramos,  Sandra Nicole Roldan,  Grace Celeste T. Subido, Eileen Tabios.

In the Pilipino edition are pieces by Michael Francis C. Andrada, Mark Angeles, Janet Tauro-Batauigas, Ernesto V. Carandang III,   Frank Cimatu,  Kristian S. Cordero, U.Z Eliserio, German Villanueva Gervacio, Raven Guerrero,  Florentino Iniego, Joi Barrios-Leblanc, Vim Nadera,  Giovani Ortega,  Wilfredo O. Pascual Jr.,  Zosimo Quibilian Jr., Rommel Rodriguez, Ina Alleco R. Silverio,  Rolando B. Tolentino, John Enrico C. Torralba,   Maria Jovita Zarate, Andy Zapanta. 

There is hope for single men and No Girlfriends Since Birth. And RJ Ledesma has the answer.


After “Lies My YayaShould Have Told Me: An Imaginary Guide to Whine and Women: and “I Do Or I Die: An Imaginary Guide to Getting Married and Other Man-Made Disasters”, this magazine editor, newspaper columnist, events host, struggling  actor and manservant to his wife and baby daughter inflicts tertiary damage to the local literary scene with the launch of his third book, “Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Me? RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Flirting, Body Language and Pick-Up Artists” by Anvil Publishing.


In his latest compilation of humorous essays, RJ shares the five universal steps of flirting that women use to ensnare clueless men; he raises male literacy levels by educating men in the finer points of female body language, and reveals the secrets of professional pick-up artists that make women do things that they will regret in the morning." And he does all this with the help of Dirty Old Men, No Girlfriends  Since Birth, his poor yaya and Palanca Award Hall-of-Famer Krip Yuson who wrote  the book’s foreword (with much duress).


Krip Yuson captures the possessed spirit of the book when he says, ‘From savvy insights on the "inner D.O.M." that apparently stems from intimate knowledge of his own inimitable persona, to sage  advisories offered "DITs" or "D.O.M.s in training," we have to hand it to this aristocrat of emotional effusions…In a pheromone-dictated parallel universe, we would do well to arm ourselves with all the knowledge on Biblical knowing found in these pages. Thus should our evenings, midnights and wee hours turn into models of satiety, if not frustration. Either way, we can thank the author, and "touch him in the moaning."’


Join RJ Ledesma for the book launch and signing on November 25 (Thursday) 6:00pm at Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4. Every book purchased will go a long way in helping single men find dates. “Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Me? RJ Ledesma’s Imaginary Guide to Flirting, Body Language and Pick-Up Artists” is available in National Bookstore and Powerbooks nationwide. For more information, please visit www.rjledesma.net.

How to travel, from a kids perspective

How to travel, kids style


Anvil Publishing will launch an exciting new series of travel books in time for the travel season that peaks during the Christmas holidays. NBS Bestselllers Ortigas plays host to this well-attended crowd of parents and students who are eager to read about these unique books. TOP TEN TRAVELS in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and New Zealand is written by first time author, Scott Lee Chua. Eleven year old Chua lists his favorite things about the cities he visited and describes them with the excitement and enthusiasm that can only come from   a young boy! The books are based on travels of Scott with his mother, columnist and teacher Queena Lee Chua and father Smith. Adults might not agree with all his choices, but they will surely intrigue and surprise his readers..

In the Kuala Lumpur book,  Scott tries his hand at pewter carving and archery and ditches toy-shopping for a turn in the zip line. He discovers  that a dragon fruit is not at all fearsome and that chocolate can actually make you healthier. In  New Zealand (Auckland and Rotorua), he  rides a horse through flower fields and balances on a tightrope. Taking the excitement further, Scott  slides down a hill on a luge and a giant ball and zooms up a slope on a Segway. In his third destination,  Tokyo, Scott decides he likes sukiyaki and  goes gaga over electronics and  anime. He also gets to meet a real human ninja (not a turtle) and tries his hand at  samurai swordfighting.

Joining Scott at the launch is mother Queena Lee with her latest book entitled LEARNING
What Parents, Students and Teachers Should Know. In this book, Queena discusses how parents
 can they help their kids with homework and not making it a battle of wills to ensure that the children develop a love for learning.  She also gives tips she  gathered from  her students on how to  discipline  children and  treat them with love and respect.

Queena will also be giving talks to parents and teachers on HOW CHILDREN DO WELL IN SCHOOL for the first time in Davao City  on October 30 and November 3. For inquiries please check out the Anvil Publishing website (www.anvilpublishing.com)  and on Facebook. The tals are being organized by the Davao Association of Colleges and Schools and the Davao Christian High School Parents Association.

FR. REUTER PAYS HOMAGE ANEW TO MAMA MARY

Fr. James Reuter, SJ, teacher, award-winning dramatist, columnist, best-selling author and devout Marian releases the second of the best-selling series MAMA MARY on the Feast Day of the Holy Rosary. The book is a compilation of forty-one stories; real-life miracles that show how the Blessed Mother Mary has touched the lives of Filipinos.  The stories show that Mama Mary has blessed people of different gender, age and circumstance.  The common denominator in all the accounts is an unwavering faith and a devotion to Her. 

The book also  hows how an American Priest like Father Reuter  has formed a deep bond with his  Filipino friends and colleagues  because of a common devotion to the Blessed Mother.  He explains thus, “(When) I became a Jesuit, and a missionary, (and) I came to the Philippines, I thought I was coming to give. But I was not. The Filipinos gave to me. From them I learned how natural it was for them to love God, by loving each other. What I discovered when I came to the Philippines was that the Filipinos do not need missionaries. I did. And so I am deeply grateful to God for sending me here.  I did not choose Him.  He chose me.” 

Although Father Reuter is 94 years old and is practically bed-ridden, many friends and supporters have come to his aid in completing this book.  He is assisted by his two editors Rowena Matti and Cherry Castro Aquino, and Sister Sarah Manapol of the Daughters of Charity who wrote the Introduction.  The book will soon be available in all National Book Store and Powerbooks branches and will be launched at the St. Paul University chapel in Quezon City on October 24, 3p.m.

Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin’ in Flip-flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball
By Rafe Bartholomew

Welcome to the Philippines, where the men are five foot five, the everyman’s Air Jordans are a pair of flip-flops, and the rhythm of life is punctuated by the bouncing of basketball.

Rafe Bartholomew arrived in Manila with little more than a Fullbright scholarship and an urban legend that Filipinos loved basketball more than anyone else on the planet. He’d heard that the locals constructed jerry-rigged hoops out of any material they could get their hands on – car hoods, driftwood, twisted rebar – and build courts everywhere, from cluttered street corners to the slopes of volcanoes and in the thick of jungles.

Allured by the idea of an island nation full of people who love the game as irrationally as he does, American journalist Rafe Bartholomew arrived in Manila to unlock the riddle of basketball's grip on the Philippines. On his unforgettable journey, Bartholomew spends a season inside the locker room of a Philippine professional team, dines with politicians who exploit hoops for electoral success, travels with a troupe of midgets and transsexuals who play exhibition games at rural fiestas, and even acts in a local soap opera. Sweating his way through hard-fought games of 3-on-3, played with homemade hoops for 50-cent wagers, Bartholomew uses a mix of journalistic know-how and the hard- court ethics he learned from his dad to get in the paint and behind the scenes of Filipinos' against-all-odds devotion to the sport.

Basketball fans of all ages are invited to come to Powerbooks Greenbelt on August 24 / 6PM as we play host to Rafe’s homecoming and book launch of Pacific Rims. The program will be hosted by HARD BALL and ANC News Anchor Mr. Bill Velasco.

Pacific Rims is now available at all Powerbooks branches in hardbound edition for P895.00. Grab your copies now and get a chance to have your books signed by Rafe. See you there!

BANAAG AT SIKAT: ISANG ROCK MUSICAL
National Artists Project: Bienvenido Lumbera and Salvador Bernal

BOOK LAUNCH AND COCKTAILS 6 PM – 8 PM BEFORE THE 8 PM SHOWING

AUGUST 20, LITTLE THEATRE LOBBY

In an unprecedented move, National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera and Salvador Bernal collaborate on an exciting new musical based on Lope K. Santos’ groundbreaking novel about the breakup of the Filipino family and the rise of socialism in the country.

It is Maytime, 1906, in the pilgrimage town of Antipolo. In this rustic setting, a clash is about to unfold on a problem of urbanization. Don Ramon Miranda and Don Felimon, capitalist owners of El Progreso, a cigar factory in Manila, argue with Delfin, a progressive journalist who is also a suitor of Meni, Don Ramon’s daughter, about the labor problem in the factory. This clash of ideas becomes all too personal when Delfin, later supported by Felipe, Don Ramon’s ahijado (godson), defends the workers on the struggle for their rights.

This incident sparks a chain of complicated events—a daughter’s banishment and disinheritance, illicit affairs, a mysterious murder, ideological clashes—that reflect only too well the shifting forces in Philippine society.

Libretto: Bienvenido Lumbera; Music: Lucien Letaba; Production Design: Salvador Bernal, Jr.;  Direction: Jose Estrella.

August 20-22, 27-29, CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

Children’s Reading Lab

by Dr. Aurora H. Roldan, Ed.D

“Children start out by deriving directly from sensory experience their knowledge of things…as they mature, they start to analyze their sensory experiences—

-- From abstraction, learners proceed to extension and concept development. This marks the beginning of the invention of structure. Learners discover further relations between relationships. They form, within a novel context, a system of structures. This system then represents a synergy between the original structures of things and the learner’s experiences, attitudes, knowledge, and values. We term this critical-creative process concept development.”

The Children’s Reading Lab series is an updated edition of the Reading Beyond series by the esteemed Dr. Aurora H. Roldan, Ed.D. Dr. Roldan is a pioneer in the fields of reading and gifted education in the Philippines. She is renowned, among many other things, for developing learning materials in reading for all levels of Philippine education. Dr. Roldan is the founder-president of the Talented and Gifted Philippines Foundation and the chairperson of the Reading Education Foundation. She also founded and presided over the Reading Association of the Philippines.

The Children’s Reading Lab series contains review notes for previous lessons, worksheets and problem-solving activities in varying degrees of difficulty, all within the context of Filipino values. The books are now available at all leading bookstores nationwide.

Learning Math through English Series

by Anna Santos-Villar and Andrew Philip E. Villar

The child-friendly workbook series upholds the child-friendly initiative, developed by UNICEF and the Department of Education in the Philippines. This book aims to promote a learning environment that recognizes, encourages, and supports children’s growing capacities as learners. The curriculum content is focused on learning and the learner.

Learning Math through English provides an enjoyable learning experience for your child, as all reading materials and math exercises in this book involve meaning text. The child is introduced to basic Math concepts through reading, writing, and oral language, integrated with Science, Social Studies, English, and Art by constructing meaning from texts and lessons that are built on themes. The subject areas are not considered as separate components of a curriculum. Ideas and activities in this book promote children’s self-esteem and self-identity, encourage self-awareness, and enhance learning about family community.

The Learning Math through English books are available at bookstores nationwide.