A Call to Share

“Batong Bahay” Book Sharing Project

By Clarence M. Batan

I wrote the book, Batong Bahay, to capture the sociology of my own family. After its
formal release by the UST Publishing House last February, 2010, the first batch of
readers including friends, relatives, teachers and students and some unknown individuals
generally (delete) found the book to have captured the inner-workings of the ordinary
Filipino family’s everyday struggles, conflicts, tensions and “little” victories amidst the
ailing backdrop of poverty in the Philippines. I received numerous comments that Batong
Bahay served as an inspiration and reflected human values that constitute the dynamics of
Filipino life in the contemporary global world.

This sentiment was shared by President Benigno S.

Aquino III in his letter to me:

“Natitiyak kong ang Batong Bahay ay

magsisilbing inspirasyon para sa ating mga
kababayan upang mas bigyan nila ng halaga at
pagmamahal ang kanilang mga pamilyang lagi
nating kaagapay sa pagharap sa hamon ng
buhay at sa pagkamit ng ating mga pangarap.”
(I am certain that “Batong Bahay” will serve
as an inspiration to our fellow Filipinos in
upholding the value and love to our(delete)
their respective families who are their beloved
partners in facing life challenges and in
fulfilling their dreams.)

In this regard, I am launching the Batong Bahay

Book Sharing Project to provide donated copies
of my book to various school libraries,
government, non-governmental and private
learning resource centers and organizations, and selected individuals. The primary
goal of this project is to inspire fellow Filipinos to develop a reading culture and
encourage the writing of folk and local life histories.

To date, I have personally shared almost 300 free book copies to various organizations
and individuals. Each book costs Php 220.00 (roughly US$5.00).

If you are interested in buying/donating a Batong Bahay book under your name, or the
name of your organization, please contact me at cbatan@hotmail.com or call/text 0906-
528-0027 or 0933-934-8964. For North America, please contact Maria Rocy Tendencia
at mrpt20@yahoo.com or call 1-902-404-7965.