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Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
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Great Women
in Philippine History
28
March 2014
Excerpts from article of the same title by Kuya Roly
International
Women’s Day as it is celebrated worldwide today was made official in 1975. 8
March was the chosen day of celebration.
Women’s Month in the Philippines
The
passage of a Women’s Month in the Philippines began in the unlikeliest of
times: the Martial Law years.
In
connection with the UN’s actions, President Ferdinand Marcos signed
Presidential Decree No. 633 on 7 January 1975 which created the National
Commission on the Role of the Filipino Women (now Philippine Commission on
Women or PCW). The decree was also the first in the Philippines that
recognised the Filipina’s contribution to the nation and the need to promote
equality between men and women. Its basic roles were:
- to promote economic, social and political empowerment of women and
- to review and implement laws regarding women.
Greater
women empowerment was later supported by President Corazon Aquino with the
signing of the Presidential Proclamation No. 227 on 17 March 1988
that made March officially ‘Women’s Role in History Month.’
One
of the outcome of PP No. 227 was it gave PCW the role of spearheading Women’s
Month in the country through contests, exhibits, awards and other activities.
Today,
Women’s Month is reserved to remember and celebrate Filipinas, regardless of
background, who have strengthened the nation. During March, we are given the
opportunity to recognise the value of Filipinas as social movers and as the
foundation of our economy.
Prominent Filipinas in history
History
has proven the importance of women in our society by giving us stories of their
courage, intelligence and achievements. I am very happy to say there are plenty
of Filipinas who have changed the face of Philippine history…even too many to
mention! But let me just name a few:
Gabriela
Cariño Silang
National
Hero (1731– 1763)
Considered a national hero; the ‘Joan of Arc of Ilocandia;’ la
Generala of Ilocano uprisings against the Spanish Empire
Melchora
Aquino (Tandang Sora)
National
Hero (1812– 1919)
Considered a hero of the revolution; ‘Grand Woman of the
Revolution;’ ‘Mother of Balintawak;’ ‘Mother of the Katipunan;’ ‘Mother of the
Philippine Revolution’
Josefa
Llanes Escoda
Civic
participation (1898– 1945)
Founder of Girl Scouts of the Philippines; advocate of
women’s suffrage
Fe
del Mundo
Medicine
(1911–
2011)
National Scientist of the Philippines; pioneered pediatric
care in the country; first woman admitted as student in Harvard Medical School;
founder of Children’s Medical Centre; Order of Lakandula; Ramon Magsaysay
Awardee
Estefania
Aldaba-Lim
Medicine
and Politics (1917– 2006)
First Filipina psychologist; first woman to become Cabinet
secretary as head of the Department of Social Services and Development (now
known as DSWD); founding member of Philippine Mental Health; founding member of
Museo Pambata Association; assistant secretary general for the UN
Imelda
Marcos
Politics
(1929)
Incumbent Ilocos 2nd District Congresswoman;
former Leyte 1st District Congresswoman; former First Lady of the
Philippines; former Governor of Metro Manila
Corazon
Aquino
Politics
(1933–
2009)
11th President of the Philippines; First female
president of the Philippines; ‘Icon of Philippine Democracy;’ Time Magazine’s
1986 ‘Woman of the Year’
Miriam
Defensor-Santiago
Politics
(1945)
Incumbent Senator; Incumbent Judge of the International
Criminal Court; former Secretary of Agrarian Reform; former Commissioner of the
Bureau of Immigration and Deportation; founder and leader of People’s Reform
Party; Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo
Politics
(1947)
Incumbent Pampanga 2nd District Congresswoman; 14th
President of the Philippines; 12th Vice President of the
Philippines; former Secretary of National Defence; former Secretary of DSWD;
former Senator
Gloria
Diaz
Beauty
and Arts – Film (1951)
Miss Universe 1969; first Filipino to win Miss Universe;
FAMAS Best Supporting Actress awardee
Nora
Aunor
Arts
– Film and Music (1953)
‘Superstar;’ first Philippine ‘Box Office Queen;’
FAMAS Hall of Famer; 5-time FAMAS Best Actress awardee; 7-time Gawad Urian
awardee; 8-time PMPC Star Awardee; 8-time MMFF awardee; Centennial Honour for
the Arts awardee; TOWNS awardee for the Arts; Ani ng Dangal Awardee;
winner of various Asian and European awards (Russia, Italy, Belgium,
Malaysia, Egypt, France); first Filipino to win an international acting award;
first Filipino to receive an acting nomination for a top-tier international
film festival; most number of singles in Philippine recording history
Cecile
Licad
Arts
– Music (1961)
Virtuoso classical pianist; The New Yorker’s
‘Pianist’s Pianist;’ Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra soloist; Leventritt
Competition Gold Medalist; Grand Prix du Disque Frédéric Chopin awardee
Lisa
Macuja-Elizalde
Arts
– Ballet (1964)
Philippine’s first Prima Ballerina; first foreign soloist to
join Russia’s Mariinsky Ballet; Vice Chairman of UNESCO-Philippines National Commission;
Artistic Director of Ballet Manila; former Commissioner of PCW
Lydia
de Vega-Mercado
Sports
– Sprinting (1964)
‘Asia’s Fastest Woman;’ ‘Asia’s Sprint Queen;’ 3-time
Southeast Asian Games Gold Medalist; 4-time Asian Athletics Championships Gold
Medalist; Philippine and Southeast Asia record-holder for personal best; 2-time
Olympian; 1982 New Delhi Asiad Gold Medalist; 1986 Seoul Asiad Gold and Silver
Medalist;
Lea
Salonga
Arts
– Music, Film and Theatre (1971)
Laurence Olivier Awardee; Tony Awardee; first Asian actress
to play Eponine and Fantine in Broadway’s ‘Les Miserables;’
multi-awarded actress for ‘Miss Saigon;’ first Filipino to be signed in
an international recording label; first Philippine-based singer to have a major
album distribution in America; 3-time Aliw Awards Best Child Performer;
Presidential Award of Merit recipient; Order of Lakandula Awardee
Mikee
Cojuangco-Jaworski
Sports
– Equestrian (1974)
2002 Asian Games Gold Medalist; member of the 125th
International Olympic
Listed below from another source are Great Philippine Women or those who made
outstanding contributions to the nation and those who stood out even in the
most delicate and dangerous situations. They are categorized based on the field
or ability that they are known for (the classifications below are adapted from
the book "Filipino Women in Nation Building":
(to access the knowledge database on
the Great Philippine Women, click Great
Philippine Women link)
Patriotism and Heroism
- Marcela M. Agoncillo
- Hilaria Aguinaldo
- Teodora Alonzo
- Melchora Aquino
- Espiridiona Bonifacio
- Patrocinio Gamboa
- Gregoria de Jesus
- Nazaria Lagos
- Teresa F. Magbanua
- Gabriela Silang
- Trinidad Tecson
- Gliceria Marella Villavicencio
Civic
and Social Works
Community
Services
Education
and Knowledge
Literature
and Performing Arts
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