My Daily Race by Sen. Pia Cayetano Out Now
Sen. Pia Cayetano recently launched her memoir, My Daily Race, a collection of her essays and blog posts on her life as a senator, mother and triathlete. In her book, the multi-tasking and multi-sporting senator recounts how she found the courage to run for public office following the death of her son Gabriel in 2001 and her father, Senator Rene Companero Cayetano in 2003. (Click HERE to visit My Daily Race blog.)
– Sen. Pia Cayetano with her new memoir during the launch –
I gotta get my hands on a copy soon. Sen. Pia is a friend (and an ex-boss) of mine and I truly admire her for strength, intelligence, independence and her ability to juggle her many roles in life. She’s been talking about her plans for coming out with a book like this since 2008 if I’m not mistaken and I’m glad she finally made her dream a reality.
– Sen. Pia signing books –
Here are excerpts from the book:
On women and running
“You see, there are really two kinds of women who run: Women who put on running shoes and run recreationally or competitively, and women who run for public office. I am a woman who runs, on both accounts.”
“When I run in a race, I proudly run on behalf of women. I run to empower women. I run to raise awareness that there is still a lot of discrimination and injustice against women in our country. I run because I know this will be a better place when women’s voices are heard as loudly as men’s. Mostly, I run because I know a little girl is always watching from the sidelines; and I hope to empower her, to inspire her to be a woman of substance and perhaps a woman who runs one day.”
On losing my father
“I held my father’s hand, and lay my head on his chest for the last few hours of his life. If I could have breathed for him, I would have. If I could have stopped him from dying, I would have. Because all my life, he took care of me, protected me from harm, provided for me, taught me right from wrong, and even when it was hard for him, he let me go when it was time for me to grow up and experience life on my own.”
“I knew he had prepared me for life without him. But it was not going to be easy living without my Dad. “
On being a triathlete
“How does a sleepy tri-girl who has been a night owl most of her adult life become a triathlete or a morning athlete?…It was a process. It started with the death of my son. Running consoled me.”
“But like all my long races and trials in life, I always tell myself, the day will end whether I accomplish my task or not. Do I want to look back knowing I did it, or regretting I did not? In this case, the question I asked myself was more specific—at the end of the day, do I want to be able to say, ‘I AM AN IRONMAN’? Needless to say, I kept running. “
From the Press Release:
Despite being a newcomer to the politics during the 2004 campaign, Pia offered herself to Filipino voters as an advocate of health, children and women’s concerns. She won, landing sixth in the senatorial polls and even made history as the youngest woman elected to the Philippine Senate. Over the years, she would prove herself worthy of the mandate as one of the most hardworking and efficient members of the Upper Chamber.
Cayetano, who is serving her second term, also shares in her book how she manages to balance her responsibilities at home with her official duties at the Senate and as an international parliamentarian, while at the same time finding time to pursue her passion for running, Ironman races, and lately, extreme, off-road triathlon competitions.
The lady senator started ‘My Daily Race’as an online diary in 2007. She began entertaining the idea of coming up with a book after attending a memoir-writing seminar in New York with youngest brother and TV director Lino Cayetano.
– Sen. Pia Cayetano with her three younger brothers (L-R): Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, TV director Lino Cayetano and collectibles entrepreneur and enthusiast Ren Cayetano –
In ‘My Daily Race,’ readers will be introduced to members of the lady senator’s family, including its newest member Lucas. The lady senator likewise shares some candid moments with fellow senators (her ‘seatmates,’ as she fondly calls them) on the sidelines of fiery debates and controversial investigations at the Senate.
“My objective is to share my life experiences and answer the questions I am often asked: What is it like to be a senator? A triathlete? A senator and triathlete at the same time? A working mom and a triathlete at the same time?” Cayetano wrote in her introduction.
A veteran of several local and international marathons and triathlons, Cayetano also shares how she rechanneled her grief from losing her loved ones by turning to running, biking and triathlons, and organizing sports activities for a cause to help underprivileged children with special needs, promote women empowerment and campaign for a healthy lifestyle.
My Daily Race is P499.
Available at Fully Booked (Makati, Alabang, Taguig. Ortigas and QC by Nov. 30)
Orders are accepted via email: cayetanofoundation(at)gmail.com or SMS 0926-642-0786
