Former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson launched his much-anticipated book, Chavit: Legend of the Philippines, at a gala dinner held at The Peninsula Manila, with plans to translate the biography into 15 languages and promote it in 20 countries.
The book offers a glimpse into Singson’s life and lessons spanning more than seven decades. Written by Polish author Maciej Mikurda, the project captures Singson’s role in reshaping Philippine political history. Mikurda shared that one of the biggest challenges was compressing such a rich and colorful life into a single volume.
Publisher Riza Hansen opened the evening with a speech highlighting Singson’s influence and revealed that an Arabic edition is already underway, aiming to make the book accessible to more than five billion people worldwide. The global rollout will include launches in 20 world capitals across six continents.
The event gathered over 150 distinguished guests from around the world, including nearly 20 ambassadors from countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Qatar, South Korea, Brazil, Greece, Pakistan, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. Philippine officials—cabinet secretaries, governors, and the mayor of Manila—were also present, along with business leaders, celebrities, family members, and close friends.
Chemist and philanthropist Pinky Tobiano, a long-time friend of Singson, introduced him during the program, while Representative Richelle Singson of party list Ako Ilokano, also his daughter, led a celebratory toast to the crowd.
of his book
In his speech, Singson emphasized values such as generosity, mutual respect, and compassion. He said that life experience remains the greatest teacher and shared his hope that the book would pass on wisdom to the younger generation, particularly lessons from his years in Philippine politics.
The evening concluded with Singson personally signing copies of the book and warmly engaging with guests for over two hours.
