Pinay HERstory

 There is a reason why the strongest typhoons are named after women.

The National Women’s Month Celebration is celebrated annually during March. According to Proclamation No. 224 s.1988, it states that the first week of March each year is Women’s Week and March 8 as Women’s Rights and International Peace Day. This month generally aims or has the objectives of: to inform and engage women as stakeholders of government programs and services – to promote citizen-centric governance and make “change” a conscious effort to know, understand, and provide what ALL citizens need; to create and facilitate platforms to discuss good practices, gaps, challenges, and commitments in pursuing gender and development (GAD) – to strengthen implementation of the Magna Carta of Women: and to inspire and empower women and girls to be agents of change – to contribute in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women. This year’s National Women’s Month Celebration is a way for women to celebrate their roles in the society and it is a platform for them to voice out and discuss about the social issues that women continue to face and encounter so that it is a way for us to find solutions to these certain problems. This celebration also aims for equality among all genders.  

For us to give recognition to the notable and courageous pinays that truly made herstory, let’s look back and reminiscent what they had done for the country. In this article, I featured 6 pinays that contributed in all sorts or fields and industries from the medical field, during the revolution, to literature.

Gregoria De Jesus

Gregoria de Jesus y Alvarez also known as Ka Oriang, was the founder and vice-president of the women's chapter of the Katipunan of the Philippines. As wife of the Katipunan leader, she played one of the most important roles during the Revolution, she served as the custodian of the organization's significant documents. This task was both dangerous for Oryang and vital for Katipunas as when a guardia civil would inspect their homes unannounced, Oryang would escape, bringing with her the Katipunan's secret papers, arms, list of members, and seal. More than a year after Andres was killed, Oryang married another patriot and revolutionary, Julio Nakpil.

Melchora Aquino

Melchora Aquino, also known as “Tandang Sora”, made use of her store to provide medical care to the soldiers who were fighting in the war. She not only provided them medical care, but she also provided them encouragement through prayer. In 1896, the Philippine revolution

 began as Spaniards invaded the Philippines and attempted to take it for themselves. At the time Melchora was 84 years of age. Her store was also used for secret meetings. Due to her behind the scenes heroics during the revolution she became known as Mother of the Katipunan, which was the Philippine word for revolution. She also became known to many of the Philippine revolutionary soldiers as Tandang Sora. When the Spaniards learned that she was providing this medical care and encouragement to their enemies, they arrested Melchora and questioned her on where they might find the Katipunan leader, Andres Bonifacio. Melchora refused to tell the Spaniards anything and for that she was deported to the Mariana Islands. When the United States took control of the Philippines in 1898, Aquino was permitted to return to her home and store.

 

Gabriela Silang

Maria Josefa Gabriela, also known as Gabriela Silang, joined the revolt against the Spaniards alongside Diego. His revolt was successful at first but was derailed by fellow locals, Pedro Becbec and Miguel Vicos, who sided with the Spaniards. Miguel Vicos, along with the hated and dreaded Spanish officials, orchestrated Diego’s assassination on May 28, 1763.

After Diego was assassinated, Gabriela vowed to avenge his death, and to continue the struggle. She was in great affliction, but had no time to lose. The rebels lost hope after the death of their leader. None of the men stepped up to be the new face of the rebellion. So Gabriela did something very heroic, and took her husband’s place as the leader of the rebellion. She greatly armed herself and informed the people that the struggle was far from over. She soon gained more followers. Gabriela began to assist people living in other cities. The people began to call her “Henerala” which meant woman general and were gratified that Diego’s fighting spirit was continued with Gabriela.

Nieves Fernandez

Nieves Fernandez, a schoolteacher in Tacloban at the time of the Japanese invasion. Following the outbreak of war, she joined the resistance and led a guerrilla group of around 110 native men from south of Tacloban. With just three rifles, she taught them how to improvise grenades and guns made from gas pipes, or stole Japanese weapons. Wounded only once, yet managing to kill 200 Japanese soldiers, Fernandez and her guerrillas were so effective that US intelligence reported that the Japanese put out a bounty of 10,000 Philippine Pesos for her.

 

Lualhati Bautista

   Ms. Lualhati Bautista is a superb novelist because of her prestigious and outstanding works that talks about women in the society. Her works has a great contribution in the Contemporary Philippine Literature. No one could imagine that a woman who is well known and has an exceptional talent studied at public school from both elementary and high school years. She was born on December 2, 1945 Tondo, Manila. She just only 16 when she started to write with the influence of her parents Esteban Bautista and Gloria Torres who were also a composer and poem writer. For many years, Bautista herself was recognized because of her dedication and hard work to finish her novels. These includes Dekada 70 (1983), Bata, bata. Pano ka Ginawa? (1984), and Gapô (1980). With this, she won the grand prize in  Don  Carlos  Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. In addition, she has written multiple poems and short stories, some of which were compiled in an anthology.

Lualhati Bautista is the only filipino included in a book on foremost International Women Writers published in Japan, 1991.One of her work,Dekada 70 was been adapted by a film producer Chito Roño that deals on how Lea dealth with her feelings towards men she loved and how she explained their situations to her kids. Her works are priceless she gave all her life in it. She got many acknowledgement and awards from different places and different contests. She is an invulnerable. And now she continues her life being a writer and telling the people the true nature of Martial Law Era.

Fe Del Mundo

Dr. Fe del Mundo pioneered numerous innovations throughout her more than 70-year medical career. A committed humanitarian, del Mundo dedicated her life to the health of the world’s children.

The first Asian woman admitted into Harvard, she pursued graduate degrees in America after receiving her medical degree from the University of the Philippines. She returned to the Philippines during World War II, and established a children’s branch of a Japanese internment camp and directed the Manila Children’s Hospital.

She headed the Department of Pediatrics at Far Eastern University for more than two decades and founded The Children’s Medical Center Foundation in 1957, bringing medical care to rural Filipino families with no health care, saving children dying of dehydration and establishing family planning clinics. Del Mundo also established the Institute of Maternal and Child Health, which trains doctors and nurses.

Del Mundo revolutionized Philippine medicine, making major breakthroughs in immunization and in the treatment of jaundice, and providing healthcare to thousands of poor families. She is credited with studies that led to the invention of the incubator and a jaundice relieving device. Her methods, like the BRAT diet for curing diarrhea, have spread throughout the world and saved millions.

There are a lot more women that are needed to be given the recognition that they deserve but I chose to feature these 6 amazing women that our country produced since they all represent the Filipina that we should all aspire to be. The women that are featured in this article should be role models for us to follow, let’s be inspired and motivated by their stories since without them, we wouldn’t even have the freedom that we are experiencing today. If we still look on gender and correspond that to one’s ability and talent, we will not grow as a nation but if we try to give all the citizens the same opportunities and chances, our country will truly prosper and improve.

It is still a long journey for us to achieve equality for all, considering we are living in a patriarchal society wherein men are still dominating the workforce and women are still discriminated, abused, and underestimated, just like the ones that I featured, they also experience the plight of being a woman back in the old days but that didn’t stop them in achieving what they achieved and garnered today. Babae ka hindi Babae lang. It doesn’t mean that if you are a woman, you should be deprived of rights, and knowledge. You should learn how to embrace your femininity and use that in order to revolutionize the world.

SOURCES:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGregoria_de_Jes%25C3%25BAs&psig=AOvVaw0-2EAVO-Z10r14ABa6RA6r&ust=1619109805114000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPDX3Zjkj_ACFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

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