Mainly Mita

I tried to get copyright clearance from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, so I could reprint Solita Monsod’s “Get Real” article of February 25, 2006 entitled “Keeping the Flame of EDSA Alive.”   Unfortunately, I was only given clearance to link the article, which I could legally do without asking permission anyways.  Well, I tried.

Ms. Monsod and her husband are both distinguished and well-regarded in Philippine circles.  He, Christian Monsod, was the best Commission on Elections Commission the Philippines ever had, among other things. She’s in the academe, non-government organizations, print media, and even television.  She also served in  government as a cabinet minister during Corazon Aquino’s presidency.

Even when I didn’t agree with Ms. Monsod’s views, I always admired her for her determination, her wit and her laugh.  How could you not instantly like a woman who could laugh like she does?  Both she and her husband seem very grounded despite all the accolades they have both received in their many endeavors.

This article, seems pretty much like what I always thought she was:  well-grounded, no nonsense, practical and straight to the point. 

In 11 short paragraphs, she paints an accurate picture of where the Philippines has gotten, 20 years after the People’s Revolution.  In that picture, she has all the named and unnamed players clearly identified with their roles in this zarzuela we’re again reliving.

She also writes of hope and moving forward and away from the selfish demands of a few.  She writes of those individuals  who are charting a new and better course for the country.  She ends her article thus:

“There are thousands more like them around the country. This year I am celebrating Edsa People Power with them, because of them, for keeping the flame of Edsa People Power alive for all of us.”