No Filipino/Filipina netizen worth his/her salt can underestimate the contributions of Ms. Janette Toral to what we now know as the Philippine cyberspace and the blogosphere.

As one of the co-founders of TXTPower, I found Ms. Toral’s DigitalFilipino website very useful for research soon after we established the group in 2001.

Of late, Ms. Toral quietly and competently raises up the torch to either territories uncharted by today’s elite netizens or at blogs and online issues that cry for wider public attention. I am especially proud and elated over the success of the Filipina Writing Project, and I am certain so many others feel the same way too.

I think I’ve met or seen her once, but we haven’t really sat down and talked. But I have this feeling that the Bloggers Kapihan crew, the TXTPower convenors and Ms. Toral are kindred spirits.

Happy birthday, Ms. Toral!