Groundbreaking book on faith receives acclaim from Davao icons

(Davao City/July 14, 2026) — A forthcoming coffee table book on faith-life experiences has recently received critical praise from three of Davao’s more prominent community leaders.

“Witnessing: Three decades of faith” is a book commemorating thirty years of existence of the Davao chapter of the Bukás Loób sa Diyos (BLD). The latter is a Catholic charismatic renewal movement active globally.

In commenting on the book, businesswoman Mary Ann “Baby” Montemayor noted BLD-Davao’s “amazing dedication to our faith. May our good Lord continue to pour out overflowing wisdom and immeasurable grace upon its members so that they may help establish the Kingdom of God!”

Currently the country’s honorary consul for Hungary, Montemayor previously helmed the influential Davao Tourism Association. She is a hotelier and restaurateur.

She expressed her gratitude to the book’s editorial team “for fulfilling God’s great commission through your work.”

Quoting Scripture (Matthew 28: 19-20), she wrote: “Go therefore and make disciples of all men, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always till the very end of age!”

After reviewing the manuscript, she added, “I am in awe of your passion and dedication to establish His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven! May your cup continue to overflow!”

John Tria, a former president of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, observed that the coffee table book “is not a mere souvenir program of a celebratory milestone.”

He said, “It is a set of stories about how a Catholic faith community in Davao grew from proverbial humble beginnings 30 years ago to become a boat, floating in a sea of modern ‘soul erosion’ as Ian Fleming put it, gathering the baptized, hopeful and lost, cultivating the faith they need to continue towards the sunset where the beatific vision—the face of God could be magnificently seen.”

Over the last ten years, Tria has maintained a regular opinion column at The Manila Bulletin. He is also a longtime member of the lay ecclesial movement, Couples for Christ.

He added: “A 30-year journey on this boat is an odyssey not without its frustrations, obstacles, and limitations. For such is to move in our complicated world. Yet reading between the lines of the book’s various stories, it is clear that the paraclete has patiently guided this group throughout the three decades, pouring the grace sufficient for their journeying, just enough to help carry the load, gearing it for more journeys, and years.”

Ernesto Abella, an entrepreneur, shared that “it took a morning and evening to read through most of the e-copy of the book. And it came at the right time, when I was reflecting on how the body of Christ is deep as it is wide.”

Abella served under the Duterte Administration, first as Presidential Spokesperson and later as foreign affairs undersecretary.

He is also a pastor. As such, he said of the book that “no matter, as (the apostle) Paul says, one does not eat some food, and another eats everything and anything—the thing that matters is we are one in Christ. We are all works in progress. The (book’s) testimonies were both inspiring and comforting; the trials and the fears familiar, and still challenging; so with the ebb and flow of enthusiasm, and the dogged determination to remain faithful so timely.”

He added that “at a time when things are collapsing (literally as the June 8 earthquake proved) these are all part of the times we are in. Everyday, something is being shaken so only that which will not fall will remain. And this is where communities like BLD really matter. That in times of darkness, there are cities on a hill to beckon the lost and the latecomers: ‘Come, we have a place for you. Bukas ang loob ni Kristo para sa iyo.’

“Blessed 30th, beloved brethren,” he concluded. (Contributed Article)