Solita Garduño Collás-Monsod (born July 29, 1940), popularly known as Mareng Winnie, is a Filipino

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

, broadcaster,

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

radio host A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

, and

public intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

. She had been the 5th Director-General of the

National Economic and Development Authority The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for national and regional economic policy, development, monitoring, and planning. DEPDev also oversees the pl ...

and concurrently socio-economic planning secretary of the Philippines from 1986 to 1989. Educated at the

Wharton School The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, she holds the rank of

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

Education

Monsod graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' at the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

in 1959 and is a member of the Sigma Delta Phi Sorority. She obtained a Master of Arts in economics from the

in 1962.

Academic career

Monsod has been teaching in the UP School of Economics of the

since 1963. In 2005, she was nominated to be the President of the University of the Philippines System, an office tasked with the management of all UP campuses nationwide. In October 2010, a video of Monsod's last lecture in Economics 100.1 (Introduction to

Macroeconomics Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. This includes regional, national, and global economies. Macroeconomists study topics such as output (econ ...

) became a viral hit online. In her impromptu remarks, she said: "''You're going to be as good and as honorable as you should be. You are going to stay in the Philippines. And if you leave the Philippines, you are at least going to try to pay back. And if you don't do any of the above, this is my last threat to you. Mrs. Monsod is going to haunt you! From the grave! I intend to go up there and from up there I'm going to look down on you and I am going to confront you at the worst possible moments in your life''." Winnie Monsod was a member of

the UN The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Committee for Development Planning (UNCDP) from 1987 to 2000 and the

Board of Trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the

International Food Policy Research Institute The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an international research center focused on agriculture and food systems that provides research-based policy solutions to reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition throughout low- ...

(IFPRI) in January 1996. She was also a member of the Board of Advisors of

Human Development Report The Human Development Report (HDR) is an annual Human Development Index report published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The first HDR was launched in 1990 by the Pakistani economist Ma ...

on 1993 and the Board of Advisors of South Centre, which was established to follow up the recommendations of the South Commission, organized in 1987 at the initiative of Prime Minister

Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir bin Mohamad (; ; born 10 July 1925) is a Malaysian politician, author and doctor who was respectively the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020. He was the ...

of Malaysia and chaired by Mwalimu

Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian politician, anti-colonial activist, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika (1961–1964), Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as presid ...

of Tanzania, from 1991 to 1995. The Commission issued a report in 1990 entitled The Challenge of the South, which has since been translated in five languages.

Political career

Professor Monsod is best remembered for her role as the Minister of Economic Planning, and later Secretary of Socio-economic Planning and concurrent Director of the

(NEDA) from 1986 to 1989, during the term of President

Corazon Aquino María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipino politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines and the first woman president in the country, from Presidency of Corazon ...

. Monsod ran for the

Senate of the Philippines The Senate of the Philippines () is the upper house of Congress of the Philippines, Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the House of Representatives of the Philippines, House of Representatives as the lower house. The ...

under the administration party of President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

People Power Coalition People Power Coalition (PPC), formerly called "''EDSA Forces''", was a Philippine administration-based political multi-party electoral alliance in the May 14, 2001 midterm legislative elections. The coalition was created after the EDSA Revolut ...

in the 2001 national elections but lost.

Media career

Monsod debuted in ''Mareng Winnie'', a segment of ''

Saksi () formerly known as '': GMA Headline '' and ' is a Philippine television news broadcasting show broadcast by GMA Network. Originally anchored by Mike Enriquez and Karen Davila, it premiered on October 2, 1995, on the network's evening lin ...

'' and she was also co-host in '' Debate with Mare at Pare'' with former

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan (, ; ; ), is a coastal Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capital is Lingayen, Pangasinan, Lingayen while San Carlos, Pangasi ...

Governor and 1998 vice presidential candidate Oscar Orbos. Monsod co-hosted the now defunct show '' Palaban'' with investigative journalist Malou Mangahas and former beauty queen Miriam Quiambao. She also hosted the weekly segment ''Analysis'' in the news program '' News on Q'', aired on Q. She wrote her weekly column "Get Real" in the ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broad ...

'' (PDI) for two decades and was discontinued by the PDI management on July 1, 2022. She is currently hosting a show entitled '' Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie'' on

GMA News TV GMA News TV (GNTV; visually rendered in uppercase in its logo) is a 24-hour Philippine-based international pay television channel owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. It was ...

, is a part of

Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripples") is a Mass media in the Philippines, Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and convicted cyberlibelist ...

's Board of Directors for 2018 and a segment host of Unang Hirit's Hirit ni Mareng Winnie.

Awards

Monsod is a recipient of numerous awards for her achievements in teaching,

broadcasting Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

and

government service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busines ...

. * Lifetime Achievement Award for Television, 2014. Pete Roa Integrated Media Endeavors (PRIME) TV Awards. * Outstanding Public Affairs Host, 2011. Golden Screen TV Awards. * Inspiring Women of the Year Award, 2010. Go Negosyo and the Philippine Commission on Women. * Outstanding Alumna Award, 2005. University of the Philippines Alumni Association. * Broadcaster of the Year, 2000. Award presented by KBP. * Best TV Program Host, Public Affairs Program. Award presented by Star Awards. * Best Public Affairs Program, 2000. Award presented by Catholic Mass Media Awards. * Best TV Program Host, Public Affairs Program, 1999. Award presented by Star Awards. * Woman of Distinction, 1995. Award presented by Soroptimist International Makati. * Woman of the Year, 1988. Award presented by Perspectives, publication of the Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines. *

Cabinet Secretary A cabinet secretary is usually a senior official (typically a civil servant) who provides services and advice to a cabinet of ministers as part of the Cabinet Office. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powe ...

of the Year, 1988 and 1999. Award presented by the Philippine Free Press. * Professional Award in Economics, 1987. Award presented by the University of the Philippines

Alumni Association An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students ( alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, school A school is the educati ...

. * Mariang Maya Award. Presented by the Sigma Delta Phi Alumnae Association, University of the Philippines.

Personal life

Monsod is married to

Christian Monsod Christian Santos Monsod (born July 16, 1936) is a Filipino lawyer who served as chair of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). He was one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. He is the founder and honorary chair of the Leg ...

, a corporate executive and one-time Chairman of the Philippine

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

. They had Ferdinand Marcos as their godfather in their marriage. She was a former

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, but converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

before marrying to her husband. They have five children holding different careers.

References

External links

2001 Senatorial PageGMA Broadcasting NetworkUniversity of the Philippines DilimanNational Economic Development AuthorityAudio interview with Winnie Monsod (March 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monsod, Winnie 1940 births Living people Aksyon Demokratiko politicians Corazon Aquino administration cabinet members Directors-general of the National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippines 20th-century Filipino economists Filipino women television journalists GMA Network (company) people GMA Integrated News and Public Affairs people Mass media people from Manila Philippine Daily Inquirer people University of the Philippines alumni Academic staff of the University of the Philippines Wharton School alumni Filipino women columnists Women members of the Cabinet of the Philippines 21st-century Filipino economists