And then there were 66.

There is nothing symbolic about the number, given that the only criterion to be included was that the 66 personal essays were deemed the best ones published in the Young Blood column in the Opinion section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer from 2012-13.

“Young Blood 5,” the latest book edition of that column, was launched recently at Powerbooks in Greenbelt 3 Makati; its authors were feted for their contributions. The final entries were chosen from a pile of over 300 essays published every week for two years—that’s roughly equivalent to 29,000 articles.

Young Blood is arguably one of Inquirer’s most popular columns—ranking close to the headline stories, horoscope, and Super—mainly because the readers and writers themselves feel in charge of the space.

The writers’ contributions are published thrice a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The writers feel validated when their pieces are published and shared many times over with friends and family on social media.

Opinion editor Chato Garcellano, along with Lifestyle reporter Ruey De Vera, Super editor Pam Pastor and director for mobile JV Rufino went through a pool of 300 essays before narrowing them down to the final roster of 66 that made it to the book.

Formally welcoming the authors at the launch, Garcellano emphasized that Young Blood is proud to be a venue for young voices.

“Young Blood is an accommodation of your dreams, hopes and fears, your declarations of love and yearnings, of right and wrong, of commitment, of faith or loss of it, even anger or angst,” she said.

Rite of passage

Garcellano pointed out that among the entries, from teens to young adults, some are mindful of the cutoff age of 29, and the column has become a rite of passage for writers before they celebrate their 30th birthday.

“One day you will read your works and wonder, ‘Was I ever that young? How could I have written that?’ Or perhaps marvel at the audacity of your sentiments, the purity of your feelings, the strength of your convictions, and wonder if you could ever do or feel that way again,” she added.

“Books do that. They allow us to see our early words and measure ourselves against them,” she noted.

She said that the topics usually sent in may be typical to every young person—from love to family, identity to sexuality, causes to movements, and angst to epiphanies. But the difference lies in how each story is always personal.

De Vera hosted the launch and hinted that some parts of the program were inspired by the essays themselves. Postcards drawn by Inquirer artists Steph Bravo, Mok Pusung and Albert Rodriguez were distributed to the crowd, making the authors wonder if these mementos were based on their life stories.

Even the food served at the launch was based on some of the entries in the book, notably from Joseph Oroño’s “Apartment 5B” and Carlo Bonn Felix Hornilla’s “Different Bowl of Goto.”

Some of them read excerpts from their works, eliciting giggles and smiles from the guests because the stories struck familiar chords.

Gelo Apostol spoke of love at first sight while holding an actual heart and scalpel in med school in “Kilig and Trembling.” Marjohara Tucay explained why he got the moniker “Hillary’s Heckler” in his piece on Hillary Clinton’s visit to the Philippines. Justin Javis tackled the daily problem of traffic and driving in Manila in “Chauffeur.”

The others shared experiences that readers might never have read about. Take Hiyas Maria Sergia Matilac Lacaba, for instance, and how she recalled being “Made in Camp Crame” during the martial law years. Then there’s a first-person account of what it’s like to be “Among the Dead” as recounted by embalmer and mortician May Cardenas.

A young doctor, Korina Ada Tanyu, discussed her “Filipino Horror Story” that resonated with many readers who shared it 18,000 times online. There’s also Tata dela Cruz, a pseudonym, who admitted that she had to “borrow some items” to survive Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in “Looter’s Letter.”

Most of the authors bonded with fellow writers after the program. Some talked about how different their lives have been since they wrote their pieces.

Others said the launch was a peculiar reunion of strangers whose common denominator is Young Blood. Some managed to put faces to the bylines, while several said they had read each other’s pieces. Still others openly shared what they wrote about, and a few were spotted exchanging contact numbers.

This gathering of young authors was more than the essays they have written. Who knows what new stories will come out after the memorable event?