Profiles by Portraits by

Agay Llanera Abi Dionisio, Lui Gonzales,

and Nina Garibay
 Philippine Copyright ©2024
by
CANVAS - The Center for Art, New Ventures
and Sustainable Development

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First printed in softcover, 2024

Originally published in English
Published by CANVAS - The Center for Art, New Ventures,
and Sustainable Development
Printed in the Republic of the Philippines

Profiles by Agay Llanera

Portraits by Abi Dionisio, Lui Gonzales, and Nina Garibay
Book and layout design by Angela Taguiang
Editing by Ergoe Tinio
Profiles by
Made possible by the generous support of the National Book
Development Board’s publication grant, this book was created as part Agay Llanera
of the One Million Books for One Million Filipino Children Campaign.
For this program, CANVAS works with local writers and artists to
develop books for children. The books are directly donated to children
in public schools and indigent communities across the Philippines. Portraits by
Abi Dionisio, Lui Gonzales, and Nina Garibay
 Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 6
COURAGE AND REVOLUTION
Gabriela Silang
9 Melchora Aquino
In many cultures, including the Philippines’, 18 is the age of transitioning 12 Maria Orosa
to adulthood. Eighteen is also the number of women we have featured in 15 Nieves Fernandez
this book—perhaps, to symbolize a coming of age when we as a society
18 Carmen Rosales
appreciate the role of Filipinas in history, a time to begin celebrating
20 Maria Lorena Barros
their unique grit and smarts in leading and shaping our country.

In truth, Pinay power is no stranger to our ancestors. In pre-colonial ART AND CULTURE
times, Filipino women were considered partners and equals. For 26 Remigia Talusan
instance, the babaylans—the community healers and ritual-keepers, 28 Leona Florentino
roles which were reserved for women—enjoyed the same status as the 30 Pelagia Mendoza
datus. 33 Maria Carpena
35 Damiana Eugenio
We invite you to read our 18 colorful vignettes on some of the most
38 Mona Sulaiman
impactful Filipino women, accompanied by 18 inspiring paintings by
three Filipina artists. Once again, we remember (and never forget) that
Filipinas are essential partners in national and historical development. LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE
They have influenced various fields, including medicine, culture, and 44 Tuan Baluca
public service among many others. Their relentless passion and love for 46 Sultana Nur ul-Azam
the country continue to benefit our citizens to this day. 48 Rosa Sevilla de Alvero
51 Maria Rosa Henson
54 Haydee Yorac
57 Fe del Mundo
4 5
 1731-1763

Gabriela Silang
First Female Leader of the Philippine Revolution

We often read or hear about Gabriela Silang husband’s confidant and advisor. Having
in relation to her husband, but her merits as a escaped her husband’s assassination, she
revolutionary leader truly stand on their own. made the biggest decision of her life: to take
over the rebellion. She blazed in her new
Maria Josefa Gabriela Cariño was born in task of leading a revolution at a time when
Vigan, Ilocos Sur after almost two centuries women were considered the weaker sex.
of Spanish colonial rule. Her mother was
part of the Itneg, a cultural community that To gather troops, she returned to her
inhabited the mountains of Abra. During the mother’s mountain village with Diego’s most
early part of her childhood, Gabriela lived in trusted men. There, she raised an army. They
her mother’s village, but was later taken by first arrived at Gabriela’s hometown, Santa
her father, said to be a trader who shipped in Vigan, where they drove out the enemies.
goods from Vigan to Abra. In Cabugao where her husband first tasted
victory, Gabriela built a fortress for her band.
Gabriela was placed in the church convent Here, the 6,000-strong Spanish force used
under the care of the town’s parish priest, firearms to defeat the mountain fighters who
Father Tomas Millan. At 20 years old, she weren’t used to battling in the plains. Once
married not by choice, but to fulfill her again, Gabriela and her men retreated to
father’s wish for her to be financially stable. the mountains.
Gabriela’s first husband was an old widower,
who died a few years after their marriage. Gabriela did not give up. She raised a fresh
army and this time, advanced toward the
Because of her inherited wealth, Gabriela main city—Vigan. The Spanish got wind of
had many suitors. After three years, she her plans and Father Millan, by then the
ended her widowhood by marrying Diego city’s governor, readied 300 archers for the
Silang. As Gabriela’s husband, Diego rebels’ arrival. Before entering the walled
successfully banished the oppressive city, Gabriela set fire to the homes of the
Spanish rule from Vigan and established elites and leaders.
a government run by Filipinos. But after
only four months, he was killed by two Gabriela has been immortalized with an
traitor friends. Where Diego’s story ended, image of her riding on horseback into Vigan
Art by Gabriela’s greatness began. in her baro’t saya. Her brows are furrowed,

Abi Dionisio Before Diego’s death, Gabriela stayed out

bolo raised, mouth open in a fierce battle
cry. But it was also at this pivotal moment
of the spotlight, playing the role of her when arrows, cannon balls, and gunfire

6 7
 rained down on her army. The few who 1812-1919

Melchora Aquino
survived from her troop fled back to the
mountains.

The Spaniards pursued Gabriela. After a long

mountain chase, they captured Gabriela
and her followers. They brought her to Mother of the Philippine Revolution
Vigan’s central plaza. After Gabriela was
forced to watch the torture and execution
of her soldiers, she was hanged from the
scaffold for everyone to see.

Her leadership lasted four months, but to this

day, her name remains synonymous with Born Melchora Aquino, the hero was given When the Philippine revolution erupted in
great strength and courage. Her story has her famous moniker "Tandang Sora" by 1896, Melchora was more than halfway
become a wellspring of inspiration which Andres Bonifacio, the Katipunan Supremo into her eighty-fourth year. But unlike most
generations of Filipinas continue to draw himself. While it is true that "tanda" means octogenarians who would rather retire,
from. old—understandable since Melchora, Melchora displayed vigor that would put
nicknamed Sora, joined the revolution at the people half her age to shame. Instead
ripe age of eighty-four—the title was meant of chastising her son, Juan Ramos, who
as an honorific. was involved in the Katipunan, Melchora

*****
embraced the movement. She literally
The one actual photo of Melchora floating opened her doors to the revolutionaries,
around the internet shows her as a her home becoming the venue for the
grandmother, silver hair pulled back in a Katipuneros’ secret meetings. Bonifacio was
bun, unsmiling as she looked straight at drawn to her spunk and motherliness, and as
the camera. But what Filipinos often do not a result, often confided in her.
know was that in Melchora’s youth, she was
known for her beauty and singing talent. She Melchora not only housed and fed soldiers,
regularly sang in church and in local events. but she also attended to those wounded and
During the annual Santacruzan, she was sick. Her in-kind contribution to the revolution
often chosen to take on the most prestigious amounted to around 100 cavans of rice and
role of all—the Reyna Elena. at least ten carabaos.

She married Fulgencio Ramos, the cabeza On August 23, 1896, the revolutionaries met
de barangay, a prestigious title for Filipinos in Juan’s home in Pugad Lawin (now known
during the Spanish rule. Together, they raised as Bahay Toro in Quezon City) where they
six children. But when their youngest was engaged in the historical moment of ripping
only seven, her husband died. their cedulas. Three days later, about a
thousand rebels convened in Melchora’s vast
Thankfully, Melchora inherited farmland yard.
from her parents. She managed her farm,
which enabled her to pay for her children’s The Spanish authorities got wind of the old
education. She was also a respected woman’s activity. On August 29, Spanish
Resources:
hermana mayor, organizing fiestas and town authorities arrested Melchora in her home.
• “Silang, Gabriela 1731-1763” (Encyclopedia.com) events. Perhaps the conquistadores thought that it
• “Gabriela Silang Facts and Worksheets” (kidsconnect.com) would be easy to intimidate a frail-looking

8 9
 woman into revealing the Katipunan’s
secrets. They brought her to the Bilibid Prison,
where she was extensively threatened and
interrogated. But Melchora’s spirit would not
be crushed; she held her ground and refused
to betray her comrades.

Giving up on their scare tactics, the

Spaniards exiled her to Guam, where she
served as a household helper. It took 7 years
for her to be allowed to leave the don’s
home, this time back to her motherland. The
year was 1903, and the Spanish had finally
left the Philippines. Melchora was 91.

Former Katipuneros, her family, and friends

gave her a heroine’s welcome. The United
States government offered Melchora money
to make up for all that she went through.
But the elderly refused, saying that it was
enough for her to have helped regain the
country’s freedom. Six years later, at the age
of 107, she passed away in her daughter’s
house—quietly and unobtrusively, in the
same way she helped fuel a successful
revolution.

*****

Art by
Resources:
• “Melchora Aquino: The Old Lady the Spaniards Couldn’t Break” (Mario Alvaro Limos, Esquire Magazine •
August 26, 2019)
Nina Garibay
• “The Tandang Sora Bicentennial” (Official Gazette)

10 11
 1893-1945

Maria Orosa
War Heroine and Nutritionist

The name Maria Orosa is familiar as a for science. Because of this, the government
street in Malate, Manila. But most of us are flew her to Seattle to learn pharmaceutical
clueless about the woman it is named after. chemistry. Maria completed two more
In contrast, mention “banana ketchup” to degrees—food chemistry in 1918, and her
any Filipino, and instantly, the condiment’s master’s in pharmacy three years later.
distinct sweet flavor comes alive in our
memories. So, as the inventor of banana While studying, she made ends meet by
ketchup, shouldn’t Maria Orosa be a working as a household helper, in a salmon
household name as well? cannery in Alaska, and as an assistant to the
dean of Washington University’s pharmacy
In fact, this culinary invention was only one department. The knowledge she earned in
of the 700 recipes Maria concocted over school and in her jobs allowed her to land an
her lifetime. All her ingredients were locally assistant chemist position after graduation.
sourced—proof of her strong nationalism.
The banana ketchup made with mashed In 1922, she returned to the Philippines and
saba bananas, vinegar, brown sugar, and led the organic chemistry section of the
seasoning was her rebellion against the Bureau of Science, and later worked at the
American-invented tomato ketchup. For Bureau of Plant and Industry. Still, she was
her, developing these recipes was a fight for sent to different countries like Germany and
national independence. Italy to study the latest food technologies.
Her knowledge resulted in culinary
Born in Taal in Batangas, Maria is no stranger innovations such as calamansi juice powder,
to the resistance movement. Her father frozen and canned mangoes, cassava flour,
fought under Emilio Aguinaldo’s group and pineapple vinegar. She also made
against the Spanish, then the Americans. insecticide from tobacco and invented the
Because Mr. Orosa was a ship captain, he palayok oven, an earthen pot fitted with a
was able to smuggle Filipino troops and metallic sheet and heated above a wood-
supplies into strategic areas. For a time, he fired stove. This allowed baking without
was even detained as a political prisoner. electricity. Maria also taught culinary
He went on to become a member of the techniques and recipes in the barrios to
Philippine delegation in France and America address malnutrition and food security
Art by that pushed for national independence. issues.

Nina Garibay While studying at the University of the But it was decades later during the
Philippines, Maria showed exemplary talent Japanese occupation when Maria was able

12 13
 to use her recipes as weapons. Instead of 1906-1996 or -1997

Nieves Fernandez
fleeing with her family to the province, Maria
stayed in the capital and joined the Marking
guerillas. With the rank of captain, she
formulated nutrient-rich foods such as the
Soyalac drink made from soybeans, and Tiki-
Tiki cookies from rice bran flour. These she
School Teacher by Day, Silent Killer by Night
fed to the Philippine troops and smuggled
through hollow bamboo into prison camps
in the University of Santo Tomas, keeping
the Filipino and American captives alive
throughout the war.
Nieves Fernandez, a school teacher in and internal jugular connected to the brain.
When the US bombed Manila in 1945, Maria Tacloban in Leyte, was used to living a This way, the victim would die instantly
was hit by shrapnel while working at her quiet, nondescript life. Between teaching before making a sound. This swift and
laboratory at the Bureau of Plant and her pupils and being a wife, she managed a effective technique earned Nieves the name
Industry. One of the chemists rushed her to small business to make ends meet. But when “The Silent Killer.”
the nearby Malate Remedios Hospital. Sadly, the Japanese stormed Leyte in 1942, months
while Maria was being treated, another after taking over Manila, her world turned “Good teachers teach. Great teachers
shelling struck the building, killing more than upside down. inspire,” goes a famous quote. Through
70 people in the hospital. Maria was one of her nocturnal acts, Nieves inspired the
them. In a Lewiston Daily Sun article published in people in her hometown to rise against the
the US, Nieves described the imperialists, abusive settlers. Eventually, she was able to
Still, her inventions live on in the kitchen and “They took everything they wanted. They gather a 110-strong guerilla force under her
on our plate. The fact that we are likely to had ways of persuading, like giving you command. Nieves’s men called her “captain”
know banana ketchup brands more than scalding hot baths and freezing cold baths and followed her technique in felling the
Maria Orosa’s deeds is a hard pill to swallow. alternately, with never a rest, never any food, foreign troops. In time, Captain Nieves
But now that you know her story, you know never any water except the soapy water became so notorious that the Japanese put
whom to thank each time you dip fried food in the baths.” The Japanese soldiers also a ₱10,000-bounty on her head, hoping that
in our national ketchup. forcefully took women as sex slaves and one of her men would betray her—but to no
called them “comfort women.” avail.

The Japanese took over Nieves’s business, Many present-day Filipinos think that the
but when they began to threaten her Americans’ 1944 Leyte landing headed by

*****
students, the teacher fought back. She did General Douglas MacArthur signaled the
this in secret, in a black dress while staking beginning of the end for the Japanese. But
out the forest at night, her bare feet barely the truth was that the Americans’ victory
making a sound on the bare earth. In the was largely due to the work of active
dark, she would patiently wait, armed with guerilla groups like Nieves’s who had already
a bolo and a homemade gun crafted from weakened Japanese forces. By that time,
a gas pipe. Whenever a Japanese soldier Nieves’s small army had already freed
crossed her line of vision, the teacher would villages and many Filipinos including comfort
fall upon him, literally going for the jugular. women. Through raids and sabotages,
Resources: She killed by twisting the bolo through the the Filipino rebel armies made life very
• “Freedom Fighter Maria Y. Orosa and Her Life-Saving “Darak” Cookies” (Norma Chikiamco, Philippine Daily soft spot below the earlobe and driving it inconvenient for the Japanese.
Inquirer • September 13, 2018)
upward to slash through the blood vessels
• “9 Kickass Women in Philippine History You’ve Never Heard of” (FilipiKnow.net)

14 15
 “That was when they called me Captain
Nieves Fernandez,” said a 38-year-old Nieves
during the interview with a US daily. “Now
I’m just Miss Fernandez.” After her brief stint
in the spotlight, Nieves faded into obscurity.
Nothing more was written about her; even
the exact year of her death is unknown. But
one thing remains certain: she was a hero on
all fronts—in the classroom, in the jungle at
night, and in front of a hundred men, rising to
turn the tides against the oppressors.

*****

Art by
Resources:
• “The Untold Story of ‘Ms. Fernandez,’ the School Teacher Who Killed 200 Japanese in WWII” (Mario Alvaro
Limos, Esquire Magazine • September 15, 2020)
Abi Dionisio
• “School-Ma’am Led Guerrillas on Leyte” (The Lewiston Daily Sun • November 3, 1944)

16 17
 1917-1991

Carmen Rosales
Silver Screen Star and Guerilla Soldier

Januaria Constantino Keller, a young wife, skills when she struck down a makapili, a
mother, and dressmaker, took her first Japanese collaborator.
step toward stardom as a radio singer. In
the public eye, she was known as Carmen Later, the Japanese caught up with Carmen.
Rosales, her last name derived from the At the time, the Japanese screened
Pangasinan town she hailed from. In propaganda films that were largely ignored
1938, she made her silver screen debut by Filipinos. Hoping to capture the Filipinos’
in Mahiwagang Binibini (Ang Kiri) as a hearts, the Japanese persuaded Carmen
supporting actress. Just a year later, she to star in a movie they would produce—
snagged her first starring role in Arimunding- which meant they asked Carmen to choose
munding. between doing the project and death. In
1944, she top-billed in the romance movie
Soon, Carmen enjoyed a steady stream Tatlong Maria, written by a Japanese
of Sampaguita Pictures projects opposite screenwriter and based on a novel by Jose
matinee idol Rogelio dela Rosa. In 1941, Esperanza Cruz.
while Japanese troops advanced to Manila,
Carmen’s movie, Lolita, were on theater With the combined effort of the armies from
signboards. the Philippine Commonwealth, Allied Forces,
U.S., and the Filipino guerillas, the Japanese
The Japanese occupation caused hundreds formally surrendered in 1945. Carmen
and thousands of deaths among Filipinos. resumed her show business career, starring in
One of these tragic deaths was of Carmen’s a slew of films including Gerilya (1946), which
husband, a radio personality who opposed featured her life as a guerilla fighter. At one
the Japanese. Instead of mourning quietly, point, the box-office queen became the
Carmen enlisted in the infamous rebel group, country’s highest-paid movie star and was
HUKBALAHAP (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa hailed as the “Queen of Philippine Cinema.”
Hapon), as a guerilla fighter. A FAMAS Best Actress winner, Carmen
gracefully retired from the movies in 1965,
Trading her glamorous look for a fake but she will be forever remembered for her
mustache and .45 caliber gun, Carmen went real-life role in helping secure the country’s
all over CALABARZON to take part in enemy freedom.
encounters. In Santa Rosa in Laguna, she

*****
was said to have proven her sharpshooting
Art by
Abi Dionisio Resources:
• “A Warrior is Born: How Carmen Rosales, The Queen of Philippine Cinema, Became a Guerilla Fighter
and Sharpshooter” (Anri Ichimura, Esquire Magazine • March 3, 2020)

18 19
 1948-1976

Maria Lorena Barros

Feminist Leader and Activist

Her playful nicknames like Laurie, Lorie, As part of the fight against the government’s
and Wowie are proof of her endearment to oppressive ways, Lorena also focused on
many. But when Lorena Barros went to the promoting gender equality. In 1970, she
mountains to join and lead rebel soldiers, co-founded MAKIBAKA (Malayang Kilusan
her pseudonyms became more dramatic— ng Bagong Kababaihan) to promote
Luningning, Solita, and Ligaya among women’s rights. As its first chair, Lorena
others. And for those whose lives Lorena had was instrumental in boosting MAKIBAKA’s
touched, her names were as many as her reach throughout the country. Mothers and
roles as an inspiring leader, a sensitive writer, young women who worked in factories and
and a relentless warrior. studied in all-girls’ schools took to the streets,
chanting against the patriarchy and social
Born in Baguio City, Maria Lorena Barros was inequality. As a result, MAKIBAKA became
said to have gotten her activism from her the country’s first exclusive women’s group
mother, a messenger for the HUKBALAHAP to campaign for national democracy.
(Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon) during
the Japanese occupation. Lorena’s eyes Lorena was said to be a charismatic speaker,
were opened early to poverty, often asking easily bonding with people of different
her mother during regular visits to Quiapo backgrounds. After graduating magna cum
Church why there were a lot of beggars. laude, she taught at UP while leading rallies.
The young girl wanted to find out what Her skill in verbal communication carried
and how the poor were eating. She would over to her writing. From writing poems as a
ask her mother these questions: What’s the child and being an editor for her high school
government doing for them? Can’t we do paper, she moved on to being a contributor
anything for them? to the Philippine Collegian and president of
the UP Writers Club.
When Lorena was a scholar at the University
of the Philippines in the mid-1960s, many Her poetry reflected her journey toward
were rebelling against the government due adulthood, digging deep into the Filipina’s
to worsening poverty, inflation, unfair labor revolutionary role, the importance of armed
practices, and the state’s abuse of power. struggle to attain national freedom, and the
Lorena joined a youth activist group that plight of the masses.
Art by
held demonstrations in front of Malacañang.
She immersed herself in the lives of laborers “The new Filipina is first and foremost, a Lui Gonzales
and the poor. militant,” Lorena wrote in a 1971 article

20 20 21
 entitled “Liberated Women II.” In the same Marcoses’ abusive ways. In one letter to
year, Marcos suspended the writ of habeas a colleague, she recounted how she led
corpus, charging Lorena, along with other the opening of a guerrilla zone in Southern
student activists, with subversion. MAKIBAKA Tagalog.
went underground.
But the government military was closing
Marcos declared Martial Law in 1972. in, driving the rebels to often change
To avoid arrest, Lorena escaped to the headquarters. Many NPA members were
countryside where the NPA (New People’s captured, tortured, and killed. On March 23,
Army) resided. There, she married a guerrilla 1976, less than a week after Lorena’s twenty-
fighter and former professor and gave birth eighth birthday, the military discovered
to a son. A year later, Lorena was sent to her hiding place in Quezon. Just before
Bicol to be a political instructor. But it took morning broke, the regime’s soldiers closed
government forces only a few months to in on Lorena, fatally wounding her. She was
track her down. From a local precinct, promised medical care in exchange for rebel
she was transferred to a military camp in information, but Lorena refused. She was
Laguna, and finally to the Ipil Rehabilitation shot in the nape, and instantly died.
Center in Fort Bonifacio.
Her wake was held at the UP Campus, with
Even during captivity, Lorena refused to be friends and family singing revolutionary
silent. She joined other prisoners in staging songs and reading their tributes. Her
hunger strikes to call for their release. She written words echo in our consciousness
then learned that her husband had defected today: “The new Filipina… is a woman
to the government side. Despite her who has discovered the exalting realm of
husband’s betrayal, Lorena was determined responsibility, a woman fully engaged in
to continue fighting for the cause. Boosting the making of history... No longer is she a
the morale of her fellow detainees, she woman-for-marriage, but more and more a
urged them to continue their hunger strike. woman-for-action.”
In 1974, she successfully made a bold escape
along with other prisoners.

The palace offered ₱35,000 as a reward

*****
for her arrest and Lorena rejoined the
underground movement, continuing to
write poetry and essays that detailed the

Resources:
• “Ang Panulaan ni Maria Lorena Barros” (Pauline Mari F. Hernando, Philippine Humanities Review, Vol 15, No 2 •
2013
• “14 Amazing Filipina Heroines You Don’t Know but Should” (FilipiKnow.net, 2022)

22 23
24 25
 1805-1860

Remigia Talusan
Founder of First Daily Newspaper and First Filipina Publisher

Progress and book publishing go together. a printing press in Manila. Other women
followed in her footsteps, but only Doña
When the Manila port opened to Remigia’s publishing business flourished,
international trade in the 1830s, the local perhaps because she was also a writer.
industries of rice, sugar, and tobacco
boomed. This led to the prosperity of mostly Like her predecessor Doña Luisa, Doña
Chinese mestizos, who then had more Remigio translated Spanish prayers, which
opportunities for creative pursuits. This was she published as her first book, Novena
also true for the women from the noble class, de Santo Tomas de Villanueva en Idioma
who were able to afford house help. Panayano. In only her first year, she
published seven books by other authors.
As the local economy improved, the appeals She also began publishing La Esperanza,
for book printing from the Archdiocese of the country’s first daily newspaper. She
Manila rose significantly. Back then, printing outsourced the newspaper’s printing from
a book first required a permit from the Don Miguel Sanchez, who was the most
Church. A book went through the prelate, a reputable printer during that era. The
censorship body, and the archbishop before newspaper ran from 1846 to 1850. Doña
it was published. Remigia retired after that and passed away
At the time, a book publisher financed and a decade later.
printed the books. The most famous book Not much was written about Doña Remigia.
publisher then was Don Candido Lopez, the Historians say she came from the Tagalog
director of the University of Santo Tomas region. In 1849, when the governor-general
(UST) Press. Don Lopez held the honor of ordered for surnames to be organized,
publishing the first Filipina author, Doña Doña Remigia decided to drop her Spanish-
Luisa Gonzaga de Leon. Her book, Ejercicio sounding family name in favor of the local
Cotidiano, contained daily Spanish prayers name “Talusan.” Hence, succeeding records
translated into Kapampangan. stated her name as Doña Remigia Talusan.
A year after Don Candido passed away This decision and her unwavering support for
in 1845, his widow, Doña Remigia Salazar Filipino authors showed her strong patriotism.
began her own publishing business. This

*****
courageous move earned her the prestige of
being the first woman to own and operate
Art by
Lui Gonzales Resources:
• “The Flowering Pen: Filipino Women Writers and Publishers during the Spanish Period, 1590-1898, A Preliminary
Survey” (Luciano P. R. Santiago, Philippine Studies, Vol. 51, No. 4, The Book • 2003)

26 27
 1849-1884

Leona Florentino
First Internationally Acclaimed Filipina Poet

Nowadays, young people look for the “feels” Leona did not live long enough to witness her
and “hugot” in appreciating art and media. son’s success.
But back in the mid-nineteenth century,
expressing raw and powerful emotions Leona died in exile at only 35 years old. But
about love and “pagkasawi” was taboo. it was after her death when she was finally
given due recognition—this time, in foreign
Such were the themes penned by poet soil. In 1887, her poems were exhibited at the
Leona Florentino, who hailed from Vigan, Exposicion General de Filipinas in Madrid.
Ilocos Sur. She started writing poems at Two years later, the Internacional Exposicion
ten. Her own writing journey was fraught in Paris showcased her work. These events
with obstacles, mainly because she lived brought honor not only to Leonor but also
in a patriarchal society. Because of her the country. In the same year, 22 of her
gender, she was denied a university poems were included in the Encyclopedia
education despite her promising talent. Her Internationale des Oeuvres des Femmes
Spanish and Ilocano love poems, which (International Encyclopedia of Women’s
exuded eroticism, feminism—and possibly, Works)—the first time such an honor was
lesbianism— were frowned upon. In fact, bestowed on a Filipina.
her work became so controversial that it
affected her marriage. Her monument proudly stands in Vigan,
a tribute to a woman whose lyrical and
It was said that her husband, who was once fearless words were truly ahead of her time.
the alcalde mayor of Ilocos, sent her away
because of her poetry. She married the
politician at fourteen and bore five children,
including labor activist Isabelo de los Reyes,
dubbed as “The Father of Philippine Folklore.”
*****

Art by
Resources:
• "A Threshold of Flowers: Public and Private Eroticism in the Poems of Leona Florentino" (Sarah Blanton, MA
thesis, University of North Carolina • 2016)
Lui Gonzales
• “Leona Florentino: Mother of Filipina poetry” (Ruth Elynia Mabanglo, Philippines Graphic • November 2, 2020)

28 29
 1867-1939

Pelagia Mendoza
First Recognized Filipina Sculptor

Art is a universal language, which is why The academy changed its mind when it saw
the Spaniards used it to spread Catholicism 22-year-old Pelagia Mendoza’s astounding
when they arrived in the Philippines. The potential as a sculptor. Right there and then,
language barrier dissipated when Filipinos the escuela changed its rules, and accepted
beheld the breathtaking images of saints, Pelagia as a student. At that moment, two
Mother Mary, and Jesus Christ. Through firsts happened—Pelagia being the first
wood carvings, paintings, and engravings, female student in the school and the school
the conquistadores were able to expound on becoming the first co-educational institution
the components of the Catholic faith. during Spanish rule.

Filipinos who have long been practicing Born in Pateros, Pelagia had already been
pottery began using these religious images artistic as a child, sketching, embroidering,
as inspirations for their sculptures. The friars and making small models. Her encouraging
encouraged this by commissioning the parents facilitated her entry into the Escuela
sculptors to make art for the churches. This de Dibujo. There, she formalized her artistic
explained why Philippine art during those training, and ended up with two courses—
years were mostly religious in nature. painting and sculpture. In sculpture, she
graduated with the highest honors.
This practice went on for hundreds of years.
With the flourishing of international trade in Her most famous work is a sculpture of
the nineteenth century, indios who enjoyed Christopher Columbus entitled “Colon”
a financial upgrade were able to send their in 1892. It was entered in a Spanish
children to Europe to study. These young government-sponsored contest celebrating
people grew up and were called ilustrados the Italian explorer’s 400th anniversary
whose eyes were opened to foreign art. With of “discovering America.” Among all the
their wealth, they dictated the Philippine art entries—some from foreign sculptors—
scene by commissioning new works which Pelagia’s bust was crowned as the winner.
were no longer religious. The following year, the same sculpture was
entered at the World’s Columbian Exposition
Filipino artists realized the need for formal where it won second prize.
training to create world-class art. The go-to
school back then was the Escuela de Dibujo This victory was not only Pelagia’s but also of
Art by
y Pintura, which included sculpture in its female artists'. Previously, Filipinas’ artworks
Abi Dionisio curriculum Pintura in 1879. Up until 1889, the were considered accessories for their homes.
school accepted only male students. They were considered having no value and

30 31
 were given away as gifts. Pelagia’s win 1886-1915

Maria Carpena
signaled a new era for Filipina artists.

However, Pelagia’s sculpting career ground

to a halt when she married fellow artist
Crispulo Zamora, her classmate at the
escuela. Instead of sculpting, Pelagia First Filipino Recording Artist
focused on Crispulo’s engraving business,
which he inherited from his father. Crispulo
Zamora & Sons’ excellent workmanship Filipinos are known all over the world for Severino Reyes, who was part of the
became known, the company often their singing talent. The international fame audience. Severino asked Maria to star in his
commissioned to craft military awards and we enjoy today in the musical field can be latest work, Minda Mora. After that, Maria
tokens for foreign officials. traced back to the country’s first recording appeared in other famous plays such as
artist, Maria Carpena. Walang Sugat and Lukso ng Dugo.
When Crispulo died, Pelagia headed the
business with the help of their seven children. Dubbed as “Nightingale of Zarzuela,” Maria Two years later when she was only 18, Maria
She upscaled her work through patterns was born in Santa Rosa, Laguna in the late became a widow with two children. Unfazed,
and technologies she picked up from her nineteenth century. One of eight children of Maria continued life as a single mother,
travels in Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. a rice farmer and homemaker, Maria showed singing in churches and on the stage. In 1908,
Her research led to new engraving and an intuitive ear for music early on. She often Governor-General Howard Taft requested
metalwork techniques. As a result, Crispulo sang in the choir as soprano in her town her to visit the United States. There, Maria
Zamora & Sons garnered both local and church. recorded the Filipino folk song Ang Maya
international awards. and other tunes for the Victor Recording
Eventually, she was sent to the Colegio de Company. This feat earned her the honor as
But Pelagia will always be famous for her Sta. Rosa convent in Intramuros, Manila. the country’s first recording artist.
sculptures which, sadly, had not survived the Between household duties and embroidering
World War II bombings. for the nuns, Maria sang as a soloist in the American anthropologist Henry Otley Beyer
school choir. was captivated by her voice and described
her as a “real nightingale.” According to him,
At 15 years old, Maria made her public when Maria sang in Luneta for about 20,000
singing debut in a benefit concert at the people, her voice would carry over all the

*****
famous Zorilla Theater, along what we know way to the Manila Hotel.
now as Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila. She
impressed the audience so much that she In 1915, Maria underwent an appendectomy.
was commissioned to perform in a zarzuela. Due to health issues, she died the same year.
This angered her father, who tried to keep She was buried at the La Loma Cemetery in
her from appearing in theater. But Maria Manila. A street in Quiapo was named after
went against his wishes, for which her father her, while her memorabilia are preserved
disowned her. A year later, she dropped at the Santa Rosa government museum.
school and got married. These are testaments to Maria’s talent and
determination, which blazed the trail for
While performing as a soloist at the Biñan future generations of Pinoy musical artists.
Church, she caught the attention of

*****
renowned zarzuela writer and director,

Resources:
Resources: • “Sta. Rosa, Laguna honors 1st Filipino soprano recording artist” (Saul Pa-a, Philippine News Agency • October 24,
• “Women Artists and Gender Issues in 19th Century Philippines” (Raissa Claire U. Rivera, Review of Women's 2019)
Studies, Vol 8, No 2 • 1998) • “Featured Artist: Maria Carpena” (filipinaslibrary.org.ph, Filipinas Heritage Library)

32 33
 1921-2014

Damiana Eugenio
Mother of Philippine Folklore

Folktales are an important part of our It has been said that men are born hunters
national heritage. The legends, epics, and while women are foragers. And forage,
songs passed on by our ancestors make up Damiana did. She collected bits of native
our identity and rich history. literature—both oral and written—on
a much wider scale than her American
American folklorist Dean Fansler and predecessors. Even the beliefs and literature
anthropologist Henry Otley Beyer of pre-colonial Filipinos were well-presented
are recognized for first collecting the in her work, which totaled eight volumes.
country’s folk tales. But it was a Filipina These include Philippine Folk Literature: An
who significantly added to the collection, Anthology, The Myths, The Legends, The Folk
elevating it to a scholarly level. Tales, The Riddles, The Proverbs, The Folk
Born in Bulacan, Damiana Eugenio was Songs, and The Epics.
always passionate about learning. After Damiana’s books are the first local folk
graduating from Nueva Ecija High School, literature compilation of such magnitude
she relocated to Manila to pursue an and depth in mass publication. They became
economics degree at the University of precious resources for teachers, students,
the Philippines in Diliman. But even after and academics both here and abroad.
graduating as cum laude, her heart was set
on something beyond numbers. She flew Damiana herself admitted that her task
to Massachusetts to work on her master’s was extremely challenging because our
degree in English literature and later, finished country’s folk literature was as scattered
her Ph.D. at the University of California. as our islands. She pored over magazines,
newspapers, and both published and
She returned to the Philippines and taught at unpublished collections from different
the Department of English and Comparative regions. Then she grouped them into genres,
Literature at her alma mater. It was during while striving to represent the different
this time when she started collecting ethno-linguistic groups that comprised our
Philippine folk tales. In 1966, her Philippine abundant culture.
Proverb Lore was published as part of a UP
review. Later, she established the UP Folklore Because of her comprehensive and
Art by Studies Program. After receiving a grant from professionally presented books, Damiana
Lui Gonzales the National Research Council, she began an was rightfully named the “Mother of
extensive publication of Philippine folklore. Philippine Folklore” in 1986. Her work was

34 35
 cited by the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, the Manila Critics Circle, and
many others. Until now, her anthologies
remain bestsellers.

Despite being often attributed as an

author, Damiana never considered herself
one. In her first anthology volume, she
wrote, “Compiling work including editing is
scholarly effort, not authorship.” A simple
quote that speaks volumes about her
lifetime spent on academic passion and
love for country.

*****

Resources:
• “Mother of PHL Folklore Damiana L. Eugenio Dies” (Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, GMA News Online • October 13, Art by

•
2014)
“Damiana Eugenio, master compiler of Philippine folkloric myths, legends, riddles, and proverbs” (Gerardo P.
Lui Gonzales
Sicat, Philippine Star • October 22, 2014)

36 37
 1942-2017

Mona Sulaiman
Philippines’ First Sprint Star

Asia’s fastest woman in the 1960s was a 100-meter and 200-meter events. The
Filipina—Cotabato-bred Mona Sulaiman double win would have been enough, but
who was barely out of her teens when she Mona’s third gold came in a team event,
won two gold medals at the 1962 Asian the 400x100-meter relay. She also won a
Games in Jakarta. bronze medal for the women’s shotput. Her
achievements made her the first Asian to win
The eldest in a brood of five, Mona was two sprint gold medals, and the first Filipina
first discovered not through a track meet to snag three golds in a single event.
but a baseball event. While she dashed
across the bases, she caught the eye of a In 1964, Mona returned to the Olympics,
representative from the Bureau of Public this time in Tokyo. She did not win a medal,
Schools, who relayed the story of the but Mona continued to hold national
barefoot fifteen-year-old’s lightning sprints records, and even gained recognition in the
to Cotabato officials. This marked the start pentathlon.
of Mona’s professional athletic career.
Mona’s tough demeanor and rugged
Soon, word spread about the stocky young features, coupled with her obvious strength,
woman who easily outran her competitors. made competitors question her gender.
During a school competition in Pangasinan, Though the 1966 Asian Games was supposed
she caught the eye of a Far Eastern to be an exciting time for Asia’s sprint star,
University coach. Mona enrolled in the Mona was battered by controversy. On
said university, training while pursuing a grounds of her Islamic faith, Mona refused
management degree. Later, the Philippine to undergo a gender test. She left the Asian
track team recruited Mona. In a 1960 Games village and never looked back. Later,
national meet, she broke the Philippine Mona would admit her hurt over the gender
record in the 100-meter dash at the Rizal allegations.
Memorial Stadium. In that same year, Mona
represented the country at the Summer To secure her income, Mona was said to
Olympics in Italy and made the quarterfinals. have taken all sorts of jobs—a checker
at an appliance center, an assistant in a
A year later, she shone in the Singapore film production outfit, and a bar manager.
Art by
Open, breaking another national record. Urged by her friend—actor and producer
Nina Garibay But 1962 was her year. At the Jakarta Asian Jun Aristorenas—Mona appeared in a string
Games, Mona won the gold for both the of 1970s action films such as Santa Fe and

38 39
 Interpol Malaysia 5. In the 1980s, an accident
reportedly injured Mona, preventing her from
athletic pursuits.

In the 1990s, she made a comeback as a

Philippine Sports Commission consultant
for the national track and field team. When
she was installed in the Philippine Sports
Hall of Fame in 2016, Mona was already in a
wheelchair and was said to be suffering from
diabetes. She quietly lived her twilight years
in obscurity, with former colleagues clueless
about where she resided. When Mona
resurfaced again in the news, it was about
her death—as a 75-year-old breathing
her last in a hospital just four days before
Christmas.

*****

Resources:
• “Remember Mona Sulaiman?” (Marc Anthony Reyes, Philippine Daily Inquirer • October 23, 2016)
• “Mona Sulaiman, Asia’s fastest woman of early ’60s, dies at 75” (Rappler.com • December 22, 2017)

40 41
42 43
 Tuan Baluca
The Power Behind the Power

“Behind every successful man, there is a about Tuan Baluca: “She responded very
strong woman,” goes an old saying. A classic courteously to the courtesies of the governor;
example of this was Basilan-bred Tuan for the Moro woman was very intelligent,
Baluca, who married the Sultan of Sulu at a and of great capacity.” Baluca was a natural
most opportune time—at least for the sultan. diplomat, and the treaty was a success.
The sultan’s men were allowed to leave the
The wedding took place in 1638, the same fort, unharmed. For more than a century, the
year Spanish Governor-General Sebastian Spanish did not attack the province of Sulu.
Hurtado de Corcuera led a force of more
than a thousand in 80 vessels to capture Sulu. But this was not the first time Tuan Baluca
Historians say that Tuan Baluca’s influence showed her diplomatic skills. In 1630, Datu
over her sultan-husband was so strong Ache’s warriors caught up with the boat of
that she basically took charge of the Jolo Spanish cartographer Father Pedro Gutierrez.
government—Sulu’s seat of power. The Spanish crew would have suffered if they
had not possessed Tuan Baluca’s flag and
The battle ensued with Corcuera and his message that guaranteed their safe-conduct
army managing to tightly blockade the pass. Because of that voyage, Father
defenders. Not one of the Sultan’s men could Gutierrez was able to make the first map
exit the fort—a situation worsened with an of Mindanao.
outbreak of dysentery. To save her soldiers,
Tuan Baluca bravely faced the conquistador Father Gutierrez’s work was used by Father
to negotiate a peace treaty. Pedro Murillo Velarde in creating the
Philippines’ first highly detailed map in 1734.
According to a written account of the Jesuit Considered as the “Mother of Philippine
priest Juan de Barrios, the Sultan’s wife Maps,” the Murillo Velarde map is used
arrived in style, sitting on the shoulders of the today as our country asserts its territorial
men who carried her, followed by a female rights in the West Philippine Sea. For this, we
entourage. Tuan Baluca alighted in front thank Tuan Baluca’s strong spirit and astute
of the door that led to Corcuera’s hallway. thinking which still benefit us centuries later.
The Governor-General went out to greet her
and led her to a purple cushion, where she
gracefully sat down. De Barrios wrote this
*****
Resources:
Art by • “Philippine Cartography and the Jesuits” (Angel Hidalgo, Philippine Studies, Vol. 29, No. 3/4 • Third and Fourth
Nina Garibay •
Quarter 1981)
“Wither the Roses of Yesteryears: An Exploratory Look Into the Lives of Moro Women During the Colonial
Period” (Carmen A. Abubakar, Review of Women's Studies, Vol 8, No 2 • 1998)

44 45
 Sultana Nur ul-AzamHerstory That Never Got Told

Long before the Spanish landed in Cebu 1680. She inherited the sultanate from her
in 1521, Islam was already practiced in the mother’s father, Sultan Muawil Wasit. When
Philippines, having arrived in Mindanao Nur ul-Azam’s mother died, her father
through Muslim traders in the fourteenth Balatamay and her grandfather literally
century. battled for the future sultana’s custody. In
the end, Balatamay’s cousin won against
In the early sixteenth century, Muhammed his father-in-law’s chosen warrior. Still,
Kabungsuwan, who sailed from the Malay Balatamay decided to leave his daughter
Peninsula, helped spread not only Islam but with Sultan Wasit—a game-changing move
also the concept of sultans—rulers guided that shaped Nur ul-Azam’s future.
by Allah—and became Maguindanao’s
first sultan. All the subsequent sultans and When Sultan Wasit died, Nur ul-Azam
present-day datus trace their roots to became the country’s first sultana. But it
Kabungsuwan, who traced his to the Prophet was a prestige wiped out from the tarsilas.
Muhammad. Tradition keepers could not accept the fact
that a woman ruled their region.
Across generations, religious leaders kept
tarsilas which showed the branching Sultana Nur ul-Azam ruled Sulu for five
lines of Kabungsuwan’s descendants. years, yet we do not know the details of her
The genealogies of Muslim leaders were leadership. We do not know her feats, the
meticulously documented. When the challenges of her administration, and the
tarsilas became worn, they were recopied battles she fought and lost. All these stories
to preserve history. But despite this great about our country’s first sultana were wiped
care, a name vanished from the tarsilas not out, a glaring gap in the tarsilas and our
because of neglect but discrimination. This country’s history.
name was Sultana Nur ul-Azam, the first and
only female sultan of Sulu.

*****
The sultana, who was also known as Sitti
Kabira or Pangyan Ampay, ruled Sulu around

Resources: Art by
• "Unang babaeng Sultan" (GMA News Online • June 3, 2007)
• "Insurgents: Constructing the Moro Gender Order in Mindanao Conflict and Migration" (Teresa Lorena Abi Dionisio
Jopson, Ph.D. dissertation, Australian National University • 2021)

46 47
 1879-1954

Rosa Sevilla de Alvero

Suffragist and Patriotic Educator

The 1935 Malolos Constitution, which establish Woman’s Outlook, a monthly

signaled the beginning of an independent magazine with articles written in English and
Philippine government, allowed only Filipino Spanish. It discussed social issues such as
men twenty-one years or older to vote. But poverty, academic freedom, and women’s
Article 5 of the constitution also stated that suffrage.
women may be granted suffrage if at least
300,000 women voted yes in a plebiscite to What sparked Rosa’s activism? A relative
be held in two years. of playwright and revolutionary Aurelio
Tolentino, Rosa was born in Tondo in 1879.
In those two years, Rosa Sevilla de Early on, her eyes were opened to the
Alvero and other feminists aggressively injustice of colonization. Her father, who
campaigned for their suffrage through worked as an army sergeant, received
lectures, articles, posters, and home visits. considerably less pay than his Spanish
When the plebiscite was held in 1937, a colleagues. Rosa’s revolutionary tendencies
whopping 447,725 women voted in favor of were strengthened in her Tia Asiang’s home,
suffrage. This gave birth to Commonwealth a meeting place for patriots led by Marcelo
Act No. 34, which officially upheld the del Pilar.
Filipina’s right to vote.
When Rosa was nine and studying in a
This achievement was highlighted eighty- private school in Manila, she was repelled
four years later on March 4, 2021 when by its teaching through memorization and
search engine Google featured a cartoon discriminatory beliefs against the poor.
version of Rosa dropping her election She was transferred to a more progressive
ballot into a box. It celebrated Rosa’s 142nd school which fostered open discussions and
birthday, and her feats as an educator and scientific approaches. Rosa’s knowledge was
activist. further honed in the Assumption Superior
Normal School, where she studied to be a
As early as 1916, Rosa advocated the teacher, and graduated as maestra superior.
Filipina’s rights to not only vote but also run
for office. She founded the Liga Nacional de In 1898, when Emilio Aguinaldo returned from
Damas Filipinas (League of Women Voters), Hong Kong to continue the fight against the
Art by
and co-founded the Federacion Catolica Spanish, Rosa helped her brothers and aunts
Nina Garibay de Mujeres, which was eventually called the feed the soldiers and tend to the wounded.
Catholic Women’s League. She also helped She was also one of only two Filipino

48 49
 women who wrote for La Independencia, As a patriot, Rosa included Tagalog in her 1927-1997

Maria Rosa Henson

the Philippine revolution’s paper headed by school’s curriculum. She wrote and produced
Antonio Luna. plays and organized poetry readings in
Spanish, English, and Tagalog. She was part
When the Spanish surrendered to the of the first balagtasan, a Tagalog debate
Americans, the Filipinos rose against their
new colonizers. Rosa’s brother died in the
carried out in verse. The balagtasan, named
after poet Francisco Balagtas, triggered a
Giving Comfort to Women
conflict, urging Rosa to cut off her hair and movement for Tagalog to be recognized as
don the soldier’s uniform to fight. A Filipino the national language.
general convinced her to flee with her family
to the mountains instead. When her parents To further her knowledge, Rosa studied
succumbed to cholera, twenty-year-old in the University of Santo Tomas, where
Rosa became the head of the family, her she graduated with a Bachelor of Science In 2017, using the hashtag #MeToo, women Fearing for her daughter’s safety, Rosa’s
youngest sibling just seven years old. degree in 1931. After four years, she finished from all over the world shared their stories mother brought her to their Pampanga
her master’s and doctoral degrees. Shortly of sexual assault and harassment. The hometown. Still reeling from the trauma,
Perhaps it was this grave responsibility after, she became the first Dean of Women movement penetrated powerful circles, Rosa joined the HUKBALAHAP (Hukbong
that pushed Rosa to put up the Instituto de at the same university. causing officials to resign and apologize for Bayan Laban sa Hapon). Her job was
Mujeres (Women’s Institute) only a year later. their misconduct. to transport food, medicine, and other
Rosa made history with the first Filipino- The Instituto she founded produced female essentials. She was pushing a cart full
founded school for lay Catholic Filipinas. graduates that excelled in different fields But years before this social issue stormed the of hidden guns when a Japanese patrol
Rosa taught religion, Spanish, and local such as medicine, law, and education. In internet, a Filipina decided to come forward stopped her and discovered her goods.
languages coupled with practical home skills 1948, then Philippine President Elpidio Quirino with the painful truth about her past. In 1992,
and Philippine history—in contrast to the awarded her with a decoration, while Pope at sixty-five years old, Rosa went public to Fifteen-year-old Rosa was taken to a
curriculum of American-established schools Pius XII sent his representative to bestow tell her horrifying stories of sexual abuse hospital-turned-garrison in Angeles City,
in the country. knighthood upon her in the Order of St. from Japanese soldiers during World War II. where she began her life as a sex slave. The
Elizabeth. Japanese used the term “comfort women”
At the heart of Rosa’s teaching was an Born in Pasay City in 1927, Maria Rosa Luna for their abducted females, not only in the
advocacy for social change. Students were Rosa died in 1954, but not before leaving Henson herself was a product of rape. Born Philippines, but also in their other occupied
welcome to work in the school in exchange behind a legacy of women’s suffrage and to a household helper taken advantage countries such as Taiwan, Korea, and
for a portion of their education fees. At night, empowerment, proving the Filipina’s vital role of by a wealthy employer, Rosa grew Indonesia.
Rosa gathered volunteers to conduct free beyond the home. up unacknowledged by her father. Her
reading, writing, and math classes to adult impoverished childhood spurred her to study Later, Rosa would recount how she was
Filipinos. When she got married and became hard. To fund her education, she tutored forced to have sex with about a dozen
a mother, she visited the Bilibid Prison with classmates and did dressmaking on the soldiers at a time. She was only allowed to
her sons to teach religion to inmates. Unwed weekends. She was in the seventh grade rest until all the men were finished. Then

*****
mothers found their home in Good Shepherd when war disrupted her education. the process would begin again. After three
House, which Rosa also initiated with the months, Rosa was transferred to a rice mill,
It was said that the Japanese soldiers often and was fetched at night so she could sleep
help of others.
preyed on young Filipinas doing chores in the garrison. In both places, she was
outside their homes. Rosa was only fourteen forced to have intercourse with soldiers.
when she was caught while gathering Sometimes, she and the other comfort
firewood and raped by three imperial women were brought to other quarters and
soldiers. Two weeks later, the incident was houses where officials and soldiers awaited.
repeated. In both instances, Rosa was with Their refusal meant instant death.
her uncles, who were helpless against the
Resources:
• “Rosa Sevilla de Alvero and the Instituto de Mujeres of Manila” (David E. Gardinier and Josefina Z. Sevilla- soldiers. Rosa described feeling isolated, as the
Gardinier, Philippine Studies, Vol. 37, No. 1 • First Quarter 1989) comfort women were not allowed to talk

50 51
 to each other. They were beaten up if they partnerships with NGOs. Her outspoken
did something the soldiers did not like, nature shone when she testified in congress
often went hungry, and were left untreated and filed a case in a Japanese court. In
when they fell ill or injured. The attending the end, the Japanese government had no
Japanese doctor only checked them for choice but to listen to this feisty senior citizen
sexually transmitted diseases. and others like her. In 1994, it established the
Asian Women’s Fund. Lola Rosa was one of
For nine months, Rosa’s life was a living hell the three Filipinas who accepted financial
until the HUKBALAHAP saved her. When the compensation.
Japanese were defeated, she married a
Philippine army soldier who eventually left to But Lola Rosa continued to tell her story.
join the communist army. Left to raise their With her penchant for remembering dates
three children on her own, Rosa worked in a and events, she painted a clear picture of
cigarette factory and as a laundry woman to a hidden part of our history. In 1996, her
provide for her family. memoir, Rosa Henson: Comfort Woman,
Slave of Destiny, was published. The detailed
Decades later, she was listening to the radio narrative of the nine months she spent
when the Task Force on Filipino Comfort with the Japanese was complemented by
Women called for stories about the claimed Lola Rosa’s own illustrations. The book was
sexual abuse of Filipinas by the Japanese nominated at the National Book Awards for
imperial forces. Up to that point, only Rosa’s Best Biography.
mother and uncles knew about her past
ordeal, but Rosa did not hesitate to go public. A year later, Lola Rosa succumbed to a heart
attack. It was a quiet end to a meaningful
Through her testimonies, the terrible war life that taught women that it is never too
crime was put to light. She debunked the late to speak up and demand justice.
earlier claim that Japanese sex camps were
not set up in the Philippines. Lola Rosa, as she
was eventually called, talked to journalists
and spoke in both local and international

*****
conferences. Her courage inspired fifty other
women to come forward to share their own
experiences.

Lola Rosa’s fight to uncover the truth led

her to participate in protests and form

Resources:
• “Lola Rosa, Maria Rosa Luna Henson, A Story of Pain and Courage” (pvao.gov.ph, Philippine Veterans Affairs
Office) Art by
• “‘Comfort Women’: Korean, Chinese, and Filipina Survivors and their Portrayals in the Media” (Taylor Runquist,
Western Illinois Historical Review, Volume XI • Spring 2020)
Lui Gonzales
• 14 Amazing Filipina Heroines You Don't Know but Should (FilipiKnow.net)

52 53
 1941-2005

Haydee Yorac
Fearless Defender of Human Rights

In our country, the term “public servant” is vigor. Unfazed, she continued championing
often tarnished with deeds of corruption and human rights by joining a group that gave
incompetence. However, there is one public free legal aid. She often found herself at the
servant whose name still shines with integrity Supreme Court, defending notable artists
and justice. This is human rights lawyer like film director Lino Brocka and theater
Haydee Yorac, known for her penetrating pioneer Behn Cervantes. Haydee ended
glare and her head full of untamed curls. up winning several cases—providing hope
amidst those dark times. In 1981, she finished
Haydee was born in the small town of her master’s degree at Yale University in the
Saravia in Negros Occidental. Her father was US.
the municipality mayor, while her mother
was a teacher. As a young girl, Haydee The Marcos era was marked by fraudulent
immersed herself in books and ended up elections. When the dictatorship was
rereading the ones about lawyers and their toppled by the 1986 People Power Revolution,
quest for justice. As a result, she took up her Haydee was appointed to the Commission
Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of on Elections (Comelec) to help regain its
the Philippines Diliman and finished eighth at credibility. Eventually, she was promoted to
the Philippine Bar Exams. Comelec Chair from 1980 to 1991. Her firm
and forthright manner and knowledge of
Perhaps influenced by her mother, Haydee the law helped restore the Filipinos’ belief
taught at her alma mater after graduation. in democracy. As head of the Comelec,
But her passion for justice often took her out Haydee refused bribes, and organized
of the classroom and into the streets where elections in the country’s remote areas prone
she joined marches against the Vietnam to electoral violence. She was known for her
War, and later, the Marcos rule. Because she high work standards, constantly keeping
often spoke against human rights violations employees on their toes.
and lent legal assistance to victims, Haydee
was among the first to be captured when A year later, Haydee took on another
Marcos declared martial law in 1972. challenging role. As chair of the National
Unification Commission, she forged and
Art by After being imprisoned for over three months facilitated talks between the government
Abi Dionisio in Camp Crame, Haydee was set free. She
returned to her academic life with renewed
and rebel soldiers. She traveled all over the
country to hold peace talks and dig deep

54 55
 into the causes of conflict. In a year, her But under her leadership, it retrieved almost 1911-2011

Fe del Mundo
gathered reports helped the commission USD 700 million. She also helped recover
recommend paths to achieve national coco levy funds including over 50 billion
peace. They also became essential guides in pesos' worth of San Miguel Corporation
the government’s future peace process. shares.

While taking a break from public service, In 2003, Haydee suffered from a mild Mother of Philippine Pediatrics
Haydee graduated with a Doctor of stroke. She was hospitalized for two weeks
Humanities at Xavier University, and a Doctor but emerged with her speech and mental
of Laws at Far Eastern University. She dove faculties unharmed. Haydee was used to
into private practice, and resurfaced in the fighting difficult battles, but just two months
public eye when she ran for senator in 1998. after her stroke, she learned she had to face
Unfortunately, she lost. her biggest foe: cancer. She continued to
work while going in and out of the hospital.
But little did Haydee know that another Not all battles involve guns and soldiers. University of Santo Tomas. Dr. Fe leapt into
challenging role was around the corner. In In 2005, Haydee died in the States while Sometimes, the most important fights action by joining the International Red Cross
2001, the government requested Haydee to undergoing treatment. After her death, the happen inside the body, against diseases and establishing an improvised hospice
lead the Presidential Commission on Good PCGG tied black ribbons in its offices and that target helpless infants and children. In within the camp.
Government (PCGG). Here, Haydee’s career lowered its Philippine flag at half-mast for this battlefield, Dr. Fe Del Mundo was not
seemed to have come full circle as she took nine days. a mere soldier, but a general—a brilliant Two years later, the Japanese closed the
charge of retrieving money and properties tactician who strategized ways to save hospice. Upon the mayor’s request, Dr. Fe
embezzled by the Marcos family. Founded With the senate’s unanimous approval, took charge of the City Children’s Hospital,
children’s lives.
15 years prior, PCGG had been making Haydee was buried at the Libingan ng mga which was housed in a school building, with
slow progress in retrieving the stolen funds Bayani, usually for military and government Born in Tayabas in Quezon, Fe encountered only 100 beds. But under Dr. Fe’s seven-year
estimated at USD10 billion. When Haydee figures. Because of Haydee’s notable death early in her life. Her three siblings leadership, the hospital became a fully
entered PCGG, she found heightened contributions to the government, she was died as infants, while her eleven-year-old functioning medical center.
bureaucracy, a demoralized staff, and given a burial worthy of a national hero. older sister died from appendicitis. These
experiences may have shaped young Fe’s In 1945, the hospital was turned over to the
disorganized records.
decision to specialize in pediatric medicine. Department of Health, making Dr. Fe the
Quickly, Haydee called for her former first Filipina to head a government general
students to help clean up the agency. After graduating from the University of the hospital. Three years later, she resigned to

*****
With her young team, Haydee computerized Philippines when she was twenty-three, Fe head the pediatric department of the Far
litigation data and widened the pursued a master’s degree in bacteriology Eastern University.
commission’s network. This way, PCGG was at Boston University under a government
scholarship granted by President Manuel During this time, she was also receiving
able to trace the dictator’s ill-gotten wealth.
Quezon. While studying, she worked as a patients in her home clinic. Because of her
Before Haydee took over PCGG, the staff
resident at the University of Chicago’s Billing growing clientele, Dr. Fe began making plans
only recovered about 20 billion pesos.
Hospital and joined a two-year research of putting up a modern hospital for children.
fellowship on pediatric diseases at the Dr. Fe poured all her money into the project,
Harvard Medical School’s Children’s Hospital. to the point of selling her home and taking
out a loan of ₱800,000.
When Dr. Fe returned to the Philippines
in 1941, she discovered a country actively Inaugurated on Dr. Fe’s birthday in 1957, the
involved in World War II. A year later, Children’s Medical Center was recognized
Resources: as the country’s first pediatric hospital. Later,
• “Women With Balls: Top 10 Fierce Pinays” (Amber del Fuego, spot.ph • June 25, 2010) the Japanese occupied Manila. Foreign
the center would include the Institute of
• “Nation mourns as Haydee Yorac passes away in US” (Sandy Araneta, Philippine Star • September 14, 2005) nationals living in the capital were captured
• Ramon Magsaysay Recipient Haydee Yorac interview (Lorraine Hahn, Talk Asia • September 18, 2004) and imprisoned in a military camp at the Maternal and Child Health, the first of its

56 57
 kind in Asia. Until now, the institute remains by the government. Outside the country,
an important partner of the government’s she continued to make waves as the first
Commission on Population and contributes Filipina certified by the American Board
to its family planning initiatives. of Pediatrics, and the first Asian elected
as president of the Medical Women’s
In her desire to fill the gaps in Philippine International Association. She served in the
pediatric care, Dr. Fe came up with the World Health Organization, contributing to
BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) the studies of dengue and maternal and
diet, which, for a long time, became a child health.
global medical practice in curing diarrhea.
She also initiated family planning centers But it was her brainchild, the Children’s
and brought medical care to rural areas. Medical Center, which Dr. Fe probably
Because remote communities did not have considered as her big achievement. She
electricity, Dr. Fe invented an incubator lived on the second floor of the hospital,
made of bamboo baskets, hot water bottles, religiously making her morning daily rounds,
and a hood attached to oxygen. This simple even when old age prevented her from
invention saved many infants from jaundice. walking. Dr. Fe continued to check on her
young patients in a wheelchair until her
But aside from treating diseases, Dr. Fe death at 99 years old.
focused on preventing them. In 1962,
she began conducting clinical studies
of vaccines. Her findings led to a better
comprehension of child diseases such as

*****
dengue, measles, chicken pox, and polio.

With her passion for making a difference,

she founded the Philippine Medical’s
Women Association, and became the
first woman president of the Philippine
Pediatric Association. She was also the first
Filipina recognized as a National Scientist

Art by
Resources:
• “Fe del Mundo” (Elizabeth Blackwell Award, Hobart and William Smith Colleges) Nina Garibay
• “Dr. Fe del Mundo: Pediatrician, Distinguished Scholar, and Humanitarian” (Leo Christian Lauzon, National
Nutrition Council • December 2, 2020)

58 59
 About the Artists

About the Author

Agay Llanera is a freelance writer for television

and the web. She enjoys writing romance, and stories
for children and young adults. She's a nanay to Kal
and Bugs, a wife to Spanky, and a #romanceclass
community member. She also hopes to watch one of
her stories on the big screen someday.

Nina Garibay graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the
Philippines, Diliman with a degree in Visual Communication from the College
of Fine Arts. She has participated in several group shows within Manila. In 2020,
she marked her first solo exhibit in the midst of the lockdown. She is currently
the program manager at the Punlaan, a program of the Linangan Artist
Residency, located within the Alitaptap Artist Community in Amadeo, Cavite.

Artwork medium: Oil on paper

Securing innumerable accolades under her belt, Abi Dionisio
was one of 5 National winners at the Philippine Art Awards in 2016. Artist and musician
Since graduating from Bulacan State University with a degree
in fine arts, she has mounted six solo exhibitions. Her work has
Lui Gonzales
considers her works as a
also been featured in international exhibitions in cities such as
visual representation
Singapore, London, and Taiwan.
of memory. She
graduated as
an Art Scholar majoring
Artwork medium: Oil on canvas and hand embroidery thread floss on
linen (enclosed with an acrylic glass frame) in Visual Arts from the
Philippine High School
for the Arts and obtained
her Bachelor of Fine Arts
at the University of the
Philippines, Diliman.
In 2010, she was chosen as
one of the representatives
of the Philippines for the
ASEAN Youth Camp for
Visual Arts held in Hanoi,
Vietnam and in 2020, she
was a finalist for Ateneo
Art Gallery's Marciano
Galang Acquisition
prize. Her contemplative
drawings and layered
works have been
exhibited at art spaces
and art galleries both
locally and internationally.

Artwork medium: Lace, pen

and ink on layered and torn
tracing paper
 Family
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 The Center for Art, New Ventures
& Sustainable Development, CANVAS,
a non-profit organization, works with the
creative community to promote
children’s literacy, explore national identity,
and broaden public awareness of
Philippine art, culture, and the environment.
CANVAS’ 1 Million Books for One Million Filipino Children Campaign
aims to inspire in children a love for reading
by donating its award-winning books to public schools, hospitals,
and disadvantaged communities throughout the country.

Imagine and believe.

A child with art and stories can change the world.

You can help us!

For more information, email [email protected],
visit our websites at www.canvas.ph or bit.ly/donatetocanvas,
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For more information about CANVAS,
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www.canvas.ph www.lookingforjuan.com CANVAS, a non-profit organization,
works with the creative community to promote children’s literacy,
explore national identity, and broaden public awareness
of Philippine art, culture, and the environment.
CANVAS.PH canvasph.art Looking For Juan lookingforjuan
 “The new Filipina... is a woman who has discovered the
exalting realm of responsibility, a woman fully engaged
in the making of history.”
—Lorena Barros

Throughout Philippine history, countless women have played

significant roles in advancing our communities, developing
our culture, and defending our nation. Their triumphs show
not only their strength amid adversity, but also a deep
commitment to community and justice.

From the stage to the laboratory, from the classroom to the

battlefield, from diplomacy to resistance—here are eighteen
Filipino women whose lives give us much to celebrate and
aspire to.

CANVAS, a non-profit organization, works with the creative

community to promote children’s literacy, explore national
identity, and broaden public awareness of Philippine art,
culture, and the environment.

For more information, please visit www.canvas.ph

or follow us at www.facebook.com/canvas.ph.