Dean Antonio La Vina autographs his book “Ransomed by Love” during its launch in his hometown Cagayan de Oro City on Sunday, 01 December 2024. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO
CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 02 December) – “This is my home.”
Dean Antonio La Viña said that as his brother, Pompee, relatives, friends and former students flocked to the launching of his book “Ransomed by Love” here last Sunday, December 1.
Held in their ancestral home turned restaurant, La Viña narrated his childhood experience in his home town, starting as a young student at the Jesuit-run Xavier University.
“For sure you are all in my book. Even if you are in Cagayan de Oro or Bukidnon, you are all part of my story,” La Viña told the audience who gathered around him.
La Viña was courageous enough to share to his friends and relatives his fight against Stage Four prostate cancer.
He said his book, published by Southern Voice Printing Press, is a testament of “resilience, mental health and unwavering hope.”
His townmates giggled as la Viña confessed his “first love story,” who like many young boys at the time, courted girls from Lourdes College, a private Catholic school for girls in Cagayan de Oro.
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Jose Cabantan and former Bayan Muna Rep. Isagani Zarate gave talks during the book launch.
“Please tell more stories for us,” Cabantan said. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)
