Published books

Growing Up in the Shadow of the Palace
To the rest of the world, Manila under Martial Law was a landscape of curfew raids, political turmoil, and whispered fears. But to a child growing up on Jose Laurel Street, right along the outer security perimeter of Malacañang Palace, it was simply home.
In this gripping and deeply evocative memoir, Freedom Park: A Nostalgic Stroll, Rene Estrada takes readers on a sensory journey back to the 1970s and 80s Philippines. Through the innocent eyes of a "Martial Law baby," the terrifying realities of an authoritarian regime are seamlessly woven into the comforting rhythms of childhood: the sweet aroma of early morning pan de sal, the taste of subsidized Nutribuns, and playing tag with the elite Marines tasked with guarding the state.…

We live in an era defined by a strange, collective amnesia. As the world accelerates into a landscape dominated by screens, curated digital personas, and the relentless, addictive noise of social media, we are quietly trading away the very things that once anchored our humanity. We watch as the grandeur of time-honored culture, reverence, and tradition is carelessly dismantled by a youth obsessed with the immediate, dismissing the sacred as silly, pointless, or mere old wives' tales.…