The Philippines was one of the first Asian countries to become a home for women since 1937 when the country officially opened its door for women’s suffrage. It had been a long time since the word ‘freedom’ became the actual meaning of it for women. However, long before that year, women had already been placed in many significant contributions in the country. This time, we don’t just learn these things from school, we also embed it into our minds that these women are an inspiration, neither someone needs to be one of them or be more than them.
Here, we listed some notable women who contributed more than enough to Philippine history and to whom we can look up to as we celebrate Women’s Month:
Woman in Science
1. Mikaela Fudolig (the first and youngest Filipina degree holder)
Mikaela Fudolig, known as a former child prodigy, is the first woman and the youngest to graduate from college at the age of 16. Fudolig graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics, summa cum laude, from UP Diliman in 2016. She began her undergraduate studies at the age of 11 and graduated without taking the UP College Admission Test. Fudolig was part of an experimental program for gifted children, a study that checked if a child could pass college emotional and mental gaps at a very young age. The study has been successful after Fudolig proved them wrong. Now, Fudolig is setting an example to all brilliant minds in the country that one can set to traverse new roads.
2. Gay Jane Perez (the first Filipina who sent the satellite back to space)
Gay Jane Perez was the first Filipina who headed the PHL-Microsat program of the Department of Science and Technology, the mind behind the Diwata-1 Microsatellite in the Philippines back to space in 2016. Perez has helped derive and establish analytical methods for agriculture earning $20,000 out of her excellent study. Perez is now a Deputy Director for Research & Extension Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines.
Woman in Fashion
3. Kelsey Merritt (the first Filipina to walk in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show)
Kelsey Alaine Merritt is a Filipino-American model who made significant fame in the fashion industry. She was the first model from Pampanga, Philippines who walked on the runway during Victoria’s Secret Fashion show in New York. In her career in the Philippines, she appeared to be the face of numerous commercials and magazine covers. Regardless of her standards, Merritt claimed she is more Pinay, and hoping that her success will break in International modeling to other Filipina.
Woman in Revolution
4. Agueda Kahabagan (the first and only Filipina revolutionary general)
Agueda Kahabagan is the only woman who became a revolutionary general in Philippine history. Her favorite armed is rifle and bolo, and she used to always get dress in white during combat with Spaniards and Americans. One of her remarkable contributions was when she joined the attack on Spaniards in Laguna in 1897 that pushed Emilio Aguinaldo to honor her as the woman general in 1899.
5. Gabriela Silang (the first Filipina to lead a revolt against foreign power)
Gabriela Silang is one of the fearless women we most admire in the book of Philippine History. Her achievement has been engraved on every high school student up to these days. She is known to be the most courageous woman who fought for independence in Ilocos and the first woman who led the revolution against foreigners. She launched the guerrilla attacks that made her name echoed among Spanish garrisons. She was the only woman on the record who led over 2,000 men to battle over 6,000 foreign soldiers.
6. Magdalena Leones (the first Filipina to be awarded the Silver Star in World War II by the United States)
Magdalena Leones may have known less but her contribution has a lot to say about her and to the Filipinos, she helped during her time. She is the only Asian woman to be recognized by the United States and given the Silver Star Award in World War II. She was captured for five months, and by that time she utilized her time to study Niponggo to help other Filipinos get out of jail. After that, she was the first woman to serve as a special agent for Colonel Russel Volckman of the U.S. Armed Forces based in the Philippines. Using her knowledge in Niponggo, she had been able to deliver significant data through Japanese territory. Even though she knew how risky it was for her to be killed she continued to be in service and there, she had been recognized as the “Lioness of Filipino Guerilla Agent” of all time.
Woman in Governance
7. Cynthia Barker (the first Filipina Deputy Mayor in England)
Cynthia Barker is the first Filipino-British to serve as a mayor of Hertsmere, England until her death. Her responsibilities on the town council included collaborating with the city to change residents’ lives. In 2019, Barker was recently chosen as Woman of the Year by the enterprising and dependable group, the Side Projects Music Awards. The awarding of the Woman of the Year Award to Cynthia Barker has boosted the spirits of Filipino musical artists in the United Kingdom, who look up to her as a role model of a leader, and a woman at that, who came from an oppressed group but rose above it to prove her worth as a human being with universal character and a worldview attitude.
8. Miriam Defensor Santiago (the first Filipina judge of the International Criminal Court)
Miriam Defensor Santiago is famous for her brilliance in fighting corruption and the crowd favorite. Santiago is known as “The Iron Lady of Asia” and the “Dragon Lady” due to her ferocious but bold eloquence both in leadership and writing. She is the first Filipino and the first Asian that has been elected in the United Nations as judge of the International Criminal Court. She has received awards for outstanding achievement in all three branches of government, making her the most decorated public official in the modern age. She has won awards such as The Outstanding Young Men, or TOYM; The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service, or TOWNS; and Most Outstanding Alumna in Law from the University of Pennsylvania. As a woman, her ‘witty and smart’ personality will always be remembered especially during the congress debates.
9. Criseta Comerford (the first Filipina White House Executive Chef)
Criseta Comerford is the first woman and first Asian that has been recognized as the ‘White House Executive Chef’. She was appointed by first lady Laura Bush in 2015. In 2009, Michelle Obama announced that Comerford will be retained as the administration’s Head Chef; Omaha also claimed that they both shared a common perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families. Now, Comerford is considered one of the world-class chefs.
Woman in Literature and History
10. Doña Luisa Gonzaga de León (the first Filipina to publish a book)
The first woman who published a book is none other than Kabalen author, Doña Luisa Gonzaga de León. Her book entitled ‘The Ejercicio Cotidiano’ (Daily Devotion) in 1844. The year 2021 marked the 177TH anniversary publication of her book. Her contribution as a writer had been seen as a stepping stone for many other notable women writers in the Philippines literature to date.
11. Paz Marquez-Benitez (the first Filipina writer in English)
Paz Marquez-Benitez was the first to become a Filipina to write short stories that embody women’s advancement in professional careers. She authored the famous English short story “Dead Stars.” She was also the first woman to create a course in writing short stories and had taught and honed some of the country’s most prominent writers. Aside from her writing, she was one of the founders of the Philippine Women’s University in the country.
12. Encarnacion Alzona (the first Filipina to earn a doctoral degree and a woman historian)
Encarnacion Alzona is known to be the first and most prominent woman historian on the record. During her year, she chaired the University of the Philippines (UP) history department and was recognized as the Philippine National Scientist in 1985. She had associated her life to write so many books about the Philippine History and was also a promoter of several works of Rizal. Her reputation has grown as she also fought for women’s suffrage in 1937. She fought for life to achieve better conditions for women in the Philippines.
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3. https://models.com/models/kelsey-merritt
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9. https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/iron-chef-america/chef-cristeta-comerford, https://peoplepill.com/people/cristeta-comerford
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