"Mommy" and her family and friends

It was more of a reunion than a book launch, although the book is a handsome and weighty tome indeed. Family and friends gathered at the lovely Orchidarium to launch "Mommy: The Life and Times of Josefa Jara Martinez", she being the pioneer and pillar of social work in the Philippines. She too was the mother of former First Lady Amelita Ramos and her sister Linda McCabe (a brother, Ruri, has passed away) and, more importantly it turns out, the mother-in-law of former President Fidel Ramos, who was the moving force–and quite a formidable one–behind the publication of the 308-page book authored by Melandrew Velasco. It was pointed out a few times during the course of the launch that rarely is seen as special a bond between mother-in-law and son-in-law as that between Mommy Martinez and President FVR; he explained that that was because he began "courting" Mommy even before he began courting Ming.

The President was ebullient, trading barbs with guest of horror–I mean honor–Senator Juan Flavier, who worked for many years with Mommy Martinez in the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM). I will not venture to declare a winner in that verbal "battle" of jokes and one-liners, except to say that a roaring good time was had by all.

Because I like and respect Senator Johnny and wish him to continue serving the country for many many more years, I will not repeat here his joke about under, over and including the table; suffice to say that fortunately the audience was an FVR crowd with a healthy sense of humor–but hopefully not an equally healthy sense of rumor, since he did ask the audience not to make sumbong (make sumbong to whom I also will not say). What Senator Johnny didn’t say was that around the Ramos household he was referred to as "ang boyfriend ni Lola"–Lola being, of course, Mommy Martinez, whom he often picked up and dropped off for their sorties with the PRRM.

The work that Mommy Martinez did during her long (she passed away in 1987 at the age of 93) and most fruitful lifetime impacts our society to this day, through the organizations she founded, the legions of workers she trained and inspired (Senator Johnny being probably the best example). Her influence reached too beyond our shores, as she was tapped by the United Nations to replicate her work and set up social work institutions and social service education in Mexico and Guatemala–all this well after she was past retirement age. But of course retirement was not something Mommy Martinez practised, Even after she had a stroke at age 89, she still managed to finish her third book.

We may not acknowledge it, but we–particularly women in the Philippines today–owe a big debt to Mommy Martinez, for the work she did and the trails she blazed for women in the country. After that launch, I owe her one more: for bringing us together that Thursday afternoon for an enriching time with family andd friends, remembering and honoring a truly remarkable woman.