By Kent Empedrad & Arcadia Ilagan |
The role of Filipino women in society has significantly changed over the years. The country's early history viewed women as only helpful in childcare and household management. Women were never encouraged to get an education or given enough room to spread their wings due to the patriarchal perspective that women would not have a career or contribute to society. Despite this, Filipinas have made a significant mark on Philippine culture and contributed to sculpting the nation in various ways. They have proven to the country that, through changing times, they can find and own their own identity in society all on their own.
Feminine Mystique
Clemencia Lopez y Castelo (1872 - 1963)
Clemencia Lopez y Castelo was an independista and activist during the American colonization of the Philippines who co-founded the Philippine Feminist Association in 1905, a group that dedicated their work to the promotion of social welfare as well as the encouragement of the participation and involvement of Filipinas in the country’s public affairs. She was also the first Filipina to visit the White House, where she delivered a speech expressing the urgency and pleading for Filipinas to be given a chance to participate in voting and liberation from American rule.
Concepcion Felix de Calderon (1884 - 1967)
Concepcion Felix de Calderon was a Filipina feminist and human rights activist. Urging for political, social, and economic equality, she founded the country’s first women’s club called the Asociación Feminista Filipina (AFF), dedicated to supporting and granting Filipinas the opportunity to be involved in political activities.
Natividad Almeda-Lopez (1892 - 1977)
Natividad Almeda-Lopez, the “beacon in the feminist movement,” was the first Filipina that was able to practice law publicly. Her speech on the need for equal rights in the country during the Philippine Assembly in 1918 is just one of the many notable contributions she made toward gender equality in the Philippines.
Dr. Encarnacion Alzona (1895 - 2001)
Dr. Encarnacion Alzona was the first Filipina historian and Filipina to earn a doctorate. She was also an important contributor to the field of Philippine history, as she covered the effects and impacts of Spanish colonization on the education and rights of women in the Philippines. While studying at the University of the Philippines, Alzona published numerous articles in the Philippine Review, consisting of arguments on women’s rights and suffrage in the Philippines. Alzona's goal was to open more doors to more opportunities for her fellow Filipinas as she took part in the American government's pensionado program, which provided equal opportunities for Filipinas belonging to the middle and upper classes to study in the US. After graduating and receiving her doctorate from Columbia University in 1923, Alzona returned to her alma mater and was appointed chairperson of the Department of History at the University of the Philippines Diliman. With her platform, she worked and fought to advance educational and political opportunities for all Filipinas of the nation.
Teresita “Ging” Quintos Deles (born 1948)
Teresita “Ging” Quintos Deles is a highly influential Filipina feminist, peace advocate, and government official. She is known to be the driving force behind women's organizations, such as FILIPINA, Women's Action Network for Development (WAND), and Legislative Advocates for Women (LAW), who have worked tirelessly to pass laws protecting women. Deles is a co-founder of the Coalition for Peace, the first non-government organization that aims to stop the ongoing conflicts in the Philippines. Moreover, Deles was the first female Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP) and the lead Convener of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAP-C). She also moved to grassroots communities to assist them in their own peace initiatives.
Karina Constantino-David (1946 - 2019)
Karina Constantino-David, the other half of Inang Laya, a Filipino folk music duo known for their songs centralizing on activism, was a former community development professor before she pursued her music career. Inang Laya held concerts across the country and shared their songs, particularly their compositions focused on their strong opposition to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime. In the early 90s, she took part in conducting seminars on violence against women and offered training to paralegals in communities so they, too, may take part in putting a halt to domestic violence and various other forms of gender-based violence in the community. She also worked with Harnessing Self-Reliant Initiatives and Knowledge (HASIK), an organization that focuses on the urban poor, women, and children, and held positions in the Caucus of Development NGO Networks and Women’s Action Network for Development (WAND).
Sen. Risa Hontiveros (born 1966)
Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel, also known as Sen. Risa Hontiveros, is an activist, health and women’s rights advocate, and the country’s first-ever socialist woman Senator. She is widely recognized and celebrated for her unwearied work in promoting public health, women’s rights and other marginalized groups, and the welfare of Filipino families. The politician, community leader, and journalist has proudly served the Philippines and championed numerous initiatives throughout her career. Her most notable initiatives, such as the Safe Spaces Act or Bawal Bastos Law, Extended Maternity Leave Law, and the Girls Not Brides Law (RA 11596), are prime examples of the senator’s efforts in providing Filipinas with a better and brighter future. Hontiveros is also currently pushing for the SOGIE Equality Bill and the Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy Bill. Hontiveros is a woman of substance—a bright light in the face of darkness and an inspiration to many.
A Filipina will always maintain her nurturing character, but her heart is now much more powerful and fuels her drive to fight her own battles and rise from her challenges. With so many Filipinas who have already etched their names in the country's history and a catalog of females contributing their spunk and grit to the country's greatness, Filipinas truly embody a force that is not to be reckoned with. The ubiquitous influence of powerful women can be seen throughout the nation as more Filipinas are leading communities, contributing to society, speaking their minds, fighting for their own and the rights of others, breaking records, holding the nation's top positions, and more.
Women's Month is a reminder and a call to action to continue celebrating the milestones and contributions made by all women to society throughout history and never stop pushing forward toward gender egalitarianism. Just like the strong-willed Filipinas on our list of empowered women of the nation, find your voice amid the hypercritical and overpowering noise of the world. You are a woman to all the stylish Filipinas; let us hear you roar.
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