More Unsung Heroes: Philippine Heroines
Any Filipino
student can tell you that Jose Rizal is the Philippine national hero,
or that Andres Bonifacio was one of the founders of the Katipunan, or
that Apolinario Mabini was the “brains of the revolution.”
But
do they know who Teresa Magbanua is? Can they tell you what Gregoria de
Jesus has done for the Philippine Revolution? Do they even know Tandang
Sora’s real name?
The heroines who fought for our freedom and
rights deserve as much recognition as their male counterparts. Below is
a quick reference that will help you and your students get reacquainted
with the brave Filipinas:
Gregoria de Jesus1
Known
by many merely as the wife of Katipunan founder Andres Bonifacio,
Gregoria de Jesus was a revolutionary in her own right. Aside
from helping conceal Katipunan documents from Spanish authorities, this
Caloocan native actually served as the organization’s vice president.
She studied jungle survival skills, riding horses and how to use
firearms and became skilled enough in them that she actually fought
side by side with her husband in many battles with the Spaniards.
Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora) 2
The
“Grand Old Woman of the Revolution,” Melchora Aquino served the
movement by feeding Katipuneros, providing them with shelter, food,
carabaos, and taking care of the sick and wounded. She further proved
her heroism by refusing to reveal where Andres Bonifacio was even when
threatened with jail. At the age of 84, she was exiled to Guam for her
role in the revolutionary movement.
Patrocinia Gamboa3
Coming
from a wealthy Iloilo family, Patrocinia Gamboa gathered intelligence
and raised funds for the movement. One story about her tells of how
she, in great danger to her life, smuggled a Philippine flag to be used
for the inauguration of the Visayan revolutionary government.
Teresa Magbanua4
Teresa
Magbanua helped Filipino causes during the wars with the Spaniards,
Americans and the Japanese. During the Spanish Revolution and the
Philippine-American war, she was the only woman to have actually led
troops in the Visayas. She commandeered a group of freedom fighting men
who, in reverence to her courage and skills in the battlefield, called
her “General.”= In the war against the Japanese, on the other hand, she
sold all her properties to help fund the guerilla forces.
Agueda Kahabagan5
Known
for going to battles dressed in white, Agueda Kahabagan fought Spanish
forces in Laguna with a rifle in one hand and a bolo in another. She is
the only woman officially recognized as a “general” by the Republic’s
army officials.
Ma. Paz Mendoza Guanzon6
She
did not fight any battles, but Ma. Paz Mendoza Guanzon is a true
heroine for opening the doors for women in the field of medicine in the
country. She is the first woman to graduate from the University of the
Philippines College of Medicine (1912) and the first female doctor. She
is a true pioneer and role model for Filipinas.
Sources:
Yoder, Robert. Ph D. (n.d.) Philippine Heroines of the Revolution: Maria Clara they were not. Retrieved August 18, 2007 from http://www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/wstat/heroine.htm -1, 3, 4
n.a. (n.d.) Filipino Women Revolutionaries. Retrieved August 18, 2007 from http://opmanong.ssc.hawaii.edu/filipino/women.html - 1, 4, 5n.a. (n.d.) Vignette Profiles: Personalities: Heroines. Retrieved August 18, 2007 from http://www.geocities.com/abda/profiles/per/heroine.html - 2, 6
