Influential Feminist

Princess Mae Amarillo September 25, 2019
BSED-English 1st Yr. MWF (9:00-10:00am)
Teresita “Ging” Quintos Deles
Teresita “Ging” Deles helped mother women’s

organizations such as FILIPINA, Women’s Action Network for
Development (WAND) and Legislative Advocates for Women
(LAW) working on the first laws protecting women. “Changing
the status of women. Transforming how women are, how gender
roles are, requires the use of power differently… It could also
mean opposing and doing strategies against people who hold
power,” says Deles. “Sometimes, it may get really dark. One has to
be ready for it.”
Deles began structured work as a feminist-activist in 1980s. Back then they were
fighting to overcome barriers for women’s equal participation for the country. “It was
transforming burdens and responsibilities both inside and outside the house [and
addressing] multiple burdens of women … It was the insight that poor women suffered not
just being poor but as women. In the natural order of things, the third world women suffered
still another burden.” Deles was also a peace advocate, she co-founded the Coalition for
Peace, the first non-government that aimed to end the ongoing conflicts in the Philippines.
She then moved to grassroots communities to help them develop their own piece initiatives.
Katherine D. Entera September 25, 2019
Sister Mary John Mananzan
“You have to tell the story of Judith, of Esther, of Mary and all
the strong women of the Bible. You should read the Bible from the
perspective of women. If you are a man, like the patriarchal priests,
[you] would consider Mary as a model of obedience, of being the
handmaid of the Lord. They would use her as a model to make
women subservient,” says Sister Mary John Mananzan, who belongs
to the Benedictine Missionary Sisters. She founded the Institute of
Women’s Studies of St. Scholastica’s College and co-founded
FILIPINA, the first consciously feminist organization in the
Philippines. She believes that in teaching religion, feminist theologians must deconstruct
what is oppressive and construct and enhance what is liberating. Although Mananzan is a
nun, she is also for the reproductive health law.
“A feminist like me would say, no, you did not read the Gospel as a whole! If you read
it, you would see that Mary is a very strong woman. Look at her song, she says there, God
shall put down the mighty from their seat. That’s revolutionary. God will send away the rich
empty and feed the poor. That is very social justice, hindi ba?” She formed FILIPINA with
Ging Deles, Remy Rikken and Irene Santiago. In 1984, feminists groups started sprouting.
FILIPINA initiated a meeting at St. Scholastica’s College and formed an umbrella organization
that will unite all the women’s movement. They called it GABRIELA and Mananzan acted as
the federation’s Chair for 18 years.
She was a political activist fighting against Marcos before becoming a feminist. “Our
feminism should always be in the context of social transformation. If you put feminism by
itself, hanging in the air, it’s not going to do a lot of good. It would just be about the
relationship of men and women and has nothing to do in the transformation of society.” It
was through a Women’s Conference in Venice when she first realized that one cannot have
social transformation unless the gender question is resolved. “I made up my mind, when I
return to the Philippines, I would see to it that the woman question would be included as an
essential part of national transformation.” From then on, she focused on giving gender
consciousness seminar among grass roots women.
Cherry Jane G. Plando September 25, 2019
LEONA FLORENTINO
Leona Florentino (1849-1884) became the first

internationally recognized Filipina poet at a time when
Philippine society was largely patriarchal. Born in Vigan,
Ilocos Sur, Florentino started to write poems at the age of
ten. Her works–written in Ilocano and some in Spanish–
include Naangawan A Kablaaw (“A Jolly Birthday
Greeting”) and Nalpay A Namnama (“Blasted Hope”). A
prolific poetess, satirist, and playwright, Florentino braved
all adversities to express her creativity–sometimes even at
the expense of her family. It is said that due to her feminist
views, her husband and son opposed her writing. For this
reason, Florentino was forced to leave her family and had since led a life of solitude until her
untimely death in 1884 at the age of 35.
Florentino’s 22 poems were later exhibited posthumously in the Exposicion General
de Filipinas (Madrid, 1887), Exposition Internationale (Paris, 1889), and St. Louis
International Exposition (Missouri, 1904). Her name, as well as her works, were also
represented in Madame Andzia Wolska’s anthology, Bibliotheque Internationale des
Oeuvres de Femmes, edited in 1889.

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Princess Mae Amarillo September 25, 2019

BSED-English 1st Yr. MWF (9:00-10:00am)

Teresita “Ging” Quintos Deles

Teresita “Ging” Deles helped mother women’s

BSED-English 1st Yr. MWF (9:00-10:00am)

Sister Mary John Mananzan

BSED-English 1st Yr. MWF (9:00-10:00am)

Leona Florentino (1849-1884) became the first

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