Take it from the Monsods

THE MONSODS. Union of absolute equals.

When we heard that Winnie Collas Monsod would be talking about her 52-year marriage to Christian Monsod on her TV show, “Bawal Ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie” last Monday, Feb. 11, on GMA News TV, we cleared our viewing schedule, despite the fact that some new shows were making their debut that night.

Through the years, we have been impressed with the unique “conjugal partnership” of Christian and Winnie Monsod, so we watched the special telecast to find out the “secrets” to their eminently successful marriage.

To make the show even more contextually instructive, the interview was conducted by newlywed couple, Raffy and Mariz Tima, who naturally wanted to get “pointers” for a great marriage from the Monsods—who, after all, have “been there, done that.”

—Well, they and the special telecast’s viewers got an earful, as Christian and Winnie candidly talked about how they were first good friends before becoming sweethearts, how their private personas as spouses and parents are very different from how the public perceives them—and even how, after half a century of wedded, ah, familiarity, they still manage to—keep the heart and hearth burning!

Signature zingers

As expected, Christian was more laid-back than Winnie, who came up with her signature zingers, but he did manage to elicit whoops of surprised or delighted laughter from her with some of his own candid revelations and ripostes.

That was the biggest surprise of the entire telecast, that Christian could give as much as he took—so, despite Winnie’s extra dashes of brash and brio, the “secret” to their marriage’s success turns out to be the hitherto not sufficiently appreciated fact that it’s a union between absolute equals. One may be more voluble and quotable than the other, but both of them are in it to win it—for the long haul!

—What about love? Well, the “golden” couple may not be all over each other, passionately pledging their renewed troth for the next 50 years—but, the point is that they don’t have to, because the fact that they’ve gone the distance, and can rightfully bask in the warm glow of their now rare achievement, is testament enough of their deep, “earned” and still hot-to-trot love for each other!

And what about sex? Let the answer come from Winnie, in the most succinct and spiciest quote of the entire evening: “I never said Christian was handsome—but, boy, is he sexy!” —All the while looking as satisfied as the cat who ate—the catnip. Hmmm…

If you missed last Monday’s special telecast, say pretty please and ask GMA News TV to replay it soonest. Like interviewers Raffy and Mariz, you’ll learn a  lot from the “golden and still not olden” Monsod couple—about how two  minds and hearts can keep each other so mutually fascinated and otherwise turned on that time literally flies, but the ardor and the humor remain.

But, what if, after you and your partner in life and crime both do your absolute best, problems still persist and your marriage is rocked to its very foundation? The Monsods have an “emergency” solution for that dire eventuality, too—and all couples should take it to heart: “When all else fails, call God!”