Two books on women
Two books on women
Updated 05:38am (Mla time) Nov 14, 2004
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the November 14, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
JUST in time for the celebration of the Centennial of Feminism in the Philippines next year is the publication of "The Women of Malolos" (Ateneo de Manila University Press) by Nicanor G. Tiongson.
Even if they did not know it themselves, the 20 women from Malolos-described by Marcelo H. del Pilar to Jose Rizal as "from the elite class of the town, respected for their reputation and daughters of maginoos (gentry)"-could be said to be among our earliest feminists. They are best known for being the recipients of a letter-"to the young women of Malolos"-from Rizal, recognized as the document that best sums up the national hero's views on the role of women in society.
Rizal's letter was provoked by a report on the women's daring. In defiance of the powerful parish priest, they presented a petition before Governor-General Valeriano Weyler, asking to be allowed to attend a "night school" so they could learn Spanish. As Tiongson points out, the women were not simply "ladies of leisure who just wanted to be more Hispanized and sophisticated by learning the prestige language of the period." Rather, they were part of the broader reform movement in Bulacan, led by Del Pilar and among whose leaders were the women's husbands, brothers, fathers and other relatives. Their desire for education beyond the rudiments allowed at the time spoke of their desire to take more active part in the shaping of the nation.
Their letter to the governor-general also showed early recognition of a woman's double burden that requires her to be solely responsible for the home while striving to carve a place for herself outside it. Explaining the need to hold classes at night, the women said this was "because (our) domestic duties prevent (us) from studying during the day."
* * *
WHILE Tiongson situates the women's activism within the historical circumstances-the brewing restiveness among the native and mestizo elite for greater autonomy and participation in governance-"The Women of Malolos" is enriched by individual portraits of the 20 young women, all of whom were linked to each other by ties of blood, marriage and affinity, and from most of whom Tiongson is descended. As he relates in his introduction, Tiongson had long wanted to write a book on the women who populated his family's lore and picture albums, but was constrained by the fact that he was related to them, fearing this would "color" the historical accuracy of his accounts.
But, inspired by a movement that seeks to retell history "from below," that is, from the viewpoint of ordinary individuals and communities, Tiongson decided to forsake any attempt at objectivity and instead used his kinship to ferret out previously unknown and undisclosed details about his subjects.
Not surprisingly, one finds out that the women of Malolos were among the founding members of the Asociacion Femenista de Filipinas (Feminist Association of the Philippines), setting up its first local "chapter" in Malolos, and turning their convictions into service, by helping establish "Gota de Leche" (the first "NGO" in the country dedicated to the amelioration of impoverished women), as well as the local Red Cross chapter.
Finally, "The Women of Malolos" is a fascinating read, painting a portrait not just of 20 proto-feminists who defied convention and broke free of traditional constraints, but also of their town and their world, and the aspirations of a nation a-borning, midwifed by women like them.
* * *
HUMBLER in scope, but no less riveting are the "stories on living, loving, leaving and learning" that make up "Speak Up, Woman!" The book is a collection of essays by members of the Maryknoll College High School Class of 1980, edited by Marivi Soliven Blanco, and published on the occasion of their class' silver jubilee. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to projects for the empowerment of underprivileged women.
The women's stories cover a wide range of experiences and life stages, from accounts of both early and late marriage and motherhood, the careers they plunged into-from medicine to broadcasting to law enforcement-while surviving various diseases and other catastrophes, including divorce, domestic violence and mental and emotional breakdowns.
Who would have thought a group of women from similar privileged backgrounds, who went to the same "exclusive" Catholic school for girls in the late 1970s and 1980s, and shared much the same youthful passions and obsessions, would end up carving such divergent, unusual but always interesting paths?
* * *
THE IMPORTANT thing to note, though, is that no matter the varied roads and byways they followed, they all somehow made it through. They survived to tell their stories, showing off scars, confessing to past foibles, celebrating their own or their children's milestones, and realizing the value of the friendships and sisterhood that bind them.
As Blanco writes in her introduction: "Classmates helped deliver our children, comforted us in heartbreak, consoled us in widowhood, and cheered us through debuts, weddings, promotions; sometimes for no reason at all, other than that they were soul sisters who wished us well. We owe them our lives, our sanity, our very survival in this terrifying, infuriating, yet ever enchanting world.
"The last time we were teenagers was over two decades ago, but that is irrelevant. What matters is that we kept faith in our adolescent bonds and are stronger, wiser and infinitely happier for it."
We may not all have gone to Maryknoll or matured into adulthood in the era of big hair, super-padded shoulders and frosted eye makeup, but there is something in the stories in "Speak Up, Woman!" that speaks to every woman of whatever time and hair style.
Updated 05:38am (Mla time) Nov 14, 2004
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the November 14, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
JUST in time for the celebration of the Centennial of Feminism in the Philippines next year is the publication of "The Women of Malolos" (Ateneo de Manila University Press) by Nicanor G. Tiongson.
Even if they did not know it themselves, the 20 women from Malolos-described by Marcelo H. del Pilar to Jose Rizal as "from the elite class of the town, respected for their reputation and daughters of maginoos (gentry)"-could be said to be among our earliest feminists. They are best known for being the recipients of a letter-"to the young women of Malolos"-from Rizal, recognized as the document that best sums up the national hero's views on the role of women in society.
Rizal's letter was provoked by a report on the women's daring. In defiance of the powerful parish priest, they presented a petition before Governor-General Valeriano Weyler, asking to be allowed to attend a "night school" so they could learn Spanish. As Tiongson points out, the women were not simply "ladies of leisure who just wanted to be more Hispanized and sophisticated by learning the prestige language of the period." Rather, they were part of the broader reform movement in Bulacan, led by Del Pilar and among whose leaders were the women's husbands, brothers, fathers and other relatives. Their desire for education beyond the rudiments allowed at the time spoke of their desire to take more active part in the shaping of the nation.
Their letter to the governor-general also showed early recognition of a woman's double burden that requires her to be solely responsible for the home while striving to carve a place for herself outside it. Explaining the need to hold classes at night, the women said this was "because (our) domestic duties prevent (us) from studying during the day."
* * *
WHILE Tiongson situates the women's activism within the historical circumstances-the brewing restiveness among the native and mestizo elite for greater autonomy and participation in governance-"The Women of Malolos" is enriched by individual portraits of the 20 young women, all of whom were linked to each other by ties of blood, marriage and affinity, and from most of whom Tiongson is descended. As he relates in his introduction, Tiongson had long wanted to write a book on the women who populated his family's lore and picture albums, but was constrained by the fact that he was related to them, fearing this would "color" the historical accuracy of his accounts.
But, inspired by a movement that seeks to retell history "from below," that is, from the viewpoint of ordinary individuals and communities, Tiongson decided to forsake any attempt at objectivity and instead used his kinship to ferret out previously unknown and undisclosed details about his subjects.
Not surprisingly, one finds out that the women of Malolos were among the founding members of the Asociacion Femenista de Filipinas (Feminist Association of the Philippines), setting up its first local "chapter" in Malolos, and turning their convictions into service, by helping establish "Gota de Leche" (the first "NGO" in the country dedicated to the amelioration of impoverished women), as well as the local Red Cross chapter.
Finally, "The Women of Malolos" is a fascinating read, painting a portrait not just of 20 proto-feminists who defied convention and broke free of traditional constraints, but also of their town and their world, and the aspirations of a nation a-borning, midwifed by women like them.
* * *
HUMBLER in scope, but no less riveting are the "stories on living, loving, leaving and learning" that make up "Speak Up, Woman!" The book is a collection of essays by members of the Maryknoll College High School Class of 1980, edited by Marivi Soliven Blanco, and published on the occasion of their class' silver jubilee. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to projects for the empowerment of underprivileged women.
The women's stories cover a wide range of experiences and life stages, from accounts of both early and late marriage and motherhood, the careers they plunged into-from medicine to broadcasting to law enforcement-while surviving various diseases and other catastrophes, including divorce, domestic violence and mental and emotional breakdowns.
Who would have thought a group of women from similar privileged backgrounds, who went to the same "exclusive" Catholic school for girls in the late 1970s and 1980s, and shared much the same youthful passions and obsessions, would end up carving such divergent, unusual but always interesting paths?
* * *
THE IMPORTANT thing to note, though, is that no matter the varied roads and byways they followed, they all somehow made it through. They survived to tell their stories, showing off scars, confessing to past foibles, celebrating their own or their children's milestones, and realizing the value of the friendships and sisterhood that bind them.
As Blanco writes in her introduction: "Classmates helped deliver our children, comforted us in heartbreak, consoled us in widowhood, and cheered us through debuts, weddings, promotions; sometimes for no reason at all, other than that they were soul sisters who wished us well. We owe them our lives, our sanity, our very survival in this terrifying, infuriating, yet ever enchanting world.
"The last time we were teenagers was over two decades ago, but that is irrelevant. What matters is that we kept faith in our adolescent bonds and are stronger, wiser and infinitely happier for it."
We may not all have gone to Maryknoll or matured into adulthood in the era of big hair, super-padded shoulders and frosted eye makeup, but there is something in the stories in "Speak Up, Woman!" that speaks to every woman of whatever time and hair style.
posted by Dante at 10:40 PM
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