The book  we have all been waiting for has been launched.    Pinoy Pilgrim, the great book by Manoling De Leon, is be a must-read for all Filipinos.  In a time when the identity of the Pinoy seems to have little meaning to some, this book has come out in a very timely manner.  We will provide a link to the first few chapters of the book in a short while.  Can't Wait?  Ok, here is an excerpt from the first few pages:

Ninong ko Pari
Touched by an Angel I was 19 years old when I started working as a shipping clerk at Tabacalera who covered agents in Manila for Maersk lines, one of the largest shipping and freight brokerage firms in the world. Whenever a ship left Amsterdam bound for Manila, we had to tell the importers their shipments were
coming in. My job was to look at the ship’s loading manifest, identify the importers, and then type the letters one by one.  It was a nice job, paid well, and was not too demanding, allowing me to indulge in gudtaym galore. In those days, this meant drinking with friends, dancing with beautiful women, and
partying until the wee hours of the morning. Life was good!  One of my assignments was to check the ships docked at the North Harbor to make sure all the shipments are unloaded.

Sometimes, I couldn’t leave the ship and had to stay overnight.  I enjoyed hanging around with the sailors, merchant marine men we called them, as they swapped stories of high seas adventures and the exotic booze and the meat they tasted from different parts of the world. As we drank, (beer, gin, scotch, brandy, all imported) I listened to their stories, their love songs and funny jokes, having a good time until everyone collapsed on the deck, dead drunk or exhausted.  Since I knew how to nurse my drink, I would always be the last man standing.  One night, or in the wee hours of early morning the following day, as everyone in the ship had already fallen into a drunken sleep in one of the cabins, I was still awake trying to finish the PINOY PILGRIM 1 last few drops of free Johnnie Walker Black...

Stay tuned!