Today, July 27, the young in the Philippines have reason to celebrate.  A most valuable book specifically addressed to them will be launched at 7:00 p.m at the Fully Booked store in Bonifacio High Street.  Entitled "No Holds Barred", the book is all about building a strong character among young people so that they can avoid the tragic end of very professionally successful people who destroyed a bright future in their respective careers because of a sexual  misbehavior.  Everyone knows the case of the best golfer in the world who lost his reputation and even for a time his playing skills because of marital infidelity.  An equally well-known happening had to do with the Chief Executive of a international financial organization who lost some of the brightest opportunities in the political life of his nation because of his penchant for casual sex in the hotels in which he stayed. There are other celebrated cases of top politicians or company executives who  fell from the peak of popularity and fame because of their  inability to live the virtue of temperance, one of the four cardinal or moral virtues.  With the exception of a few outstanding examples like St. Augustine, it is very difficult to be chaste in adulthood if one had not learned to keep his animal instincts under control in his youth.

          Thanks to author Oliver Tuazon, a young science instructor in the University of the Philippines, young people both here and abroad will have the most candid answers to the questions that they usually ask about living chastity in the middle of a sexually charged environment.  Contents of the book immediately suggest the challenges faced by young people who want to rebel against the widespread campaign to promote the so-called sexual liberation that can be traced to the "spring revolt" in Paris in the late 1960s.  Titles of the chapters are self-explanatory:  "provocative ads, about sex, falling in love, internet and gaming, bored to study, you are what you read, face-to-facebook, what makes you attractive, and condom conundrum."   As Alex Perrottet of Pacific Media Watch commented:  "Whether it's the taste of love, habits with internet and gaming, problems with study or reading, or issues with contraception and sex, 'No Holds Barred' deals with them all in good taste, but in honest intimacy as well....It's the sort of book that every adult should read if they are in a position of influence over young people.  And it's a book every young person should read if they want some clever and uplifting answers to the ideas and proposals bouncing about in their heads."

          Very favorable reviews have come from all over the world.  Carolyn Moynihan of MercatorNet.Com based in Australia has high praises for the appealing style of the author:  "Oliver Tuazon brings his experience of mentoring young men to a wider audience by means of a very natural and effective technique;  allowing his readers to eavesdrop on a series of frank discussions with one of his young friends.  His interlocutor is anonymous, of course, but the to-and-fro dialogue on such vital topics as Provocative Ads, Falling in Love, and Face-to-Facebook has the ring of genuine conversation and engages the reader right from the first page.  Whether you are a young person wanting your questions about life to be taken seriously, or an adult wanting to know how to answer those questions, NO HOLDS BARRED is your book."

          The Foreword of the book is written by youth celebrity Chris Tiu.  The star basketball player and TV personality singles out a chapter on the true nature of romantic love:  "There is a beautiful chapter that talks about how love is misunderstood to be always rosy and romantic.  Oliver, the author and incidentally a good friend, wrote that love has consequences--and that you embrace the happiness as well as the struggles that come with it.  In other chapters, Oliver also speaks about sacrifices. Our capacity to sacrifice ourselves builds within us a fortitude of spirit, enabling us to courageously face challenges and adversity head on. When left without a moral compass, you have no idea where you are or what you are supposed to do--whether you are supposed to stop or keep on moving....This book can serve as a moral compass in our everyday journey, nourishing the soul, emboldening the spirit to make decisions that compromise nothing and enliven everything."

          The book reminds me of a strongly worded comment of Tony Meloto, famous Founder of the Gawad Kalinga movement and foremost practitioner of social entrepreneurship in Asia, to an audience of undergraduates at the University of Asia and the Pacific:  "I do not believe in the integrity of a person who cheats on his wife."   It will encourage many young people to join such international movements as the World Youth Alliance and True Love Waits. Together with these international groups, Filipino young leaders can mobilize support in the whole of Asia to demonstrate that they will completely repudiate the ideology of sexual permissiveness that the young Europeans started to spread after the so-called "spring revolution" in the last century.  We can have our own "moon festival" revolution of chastity, fidelity, and the indissolubility of marriage.  Copies of the book may be purchased starting today at Fully Booked branches and other bookstores in the country.  It is also available at Amazon. The link provides free Kindle App for various gadgets.  For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.

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��/�      Winning Euro Cup 2012 showed that Spain is number one in soccer in the world. There is, however, another cause for celebration that I observed after the game was over.  I was happy for Spain when the children of the football players of the winning team came cavorting around the field pursued by their doting fathers.  Especially heartening was the sight of Fernando Torres, one of the scorers, carrying a daughter on one hand and a son on the other.  The sight of these macho players affectionately fondling their toddlers must have sent a strong message to many Spaniards couples that children can be the greatest source of happiness on earth.  I am saying this because it is pitiful to see a country I have come to love condemning itself to extinction by having one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. The Spanish football players did another great service to their country by bringing their little children all the way to Ukraine to be with them to celebrate their victory.  More than any marketing campaign to raise fertility rates, the scene of the players and their children on the football field delivered a most cogent message.  For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.