Reaction to The Filipino Woman: Cory and Leonor, Gabriela and Imelda by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil

          Who are the Filipinos? What is it like to be a Filipino woman? How do you describe yourself? These are important questions is finding our true identity as a nation and the identity of a Filipino woman in our modern world. Nakpil chose 4 historical women,Cory, Leonor, Gabriela and Imelda, to represent most, if not all, the women in our nation throughout the years.

         Cory and Leonor both came from the same small town and had both gone through the loss of a loved one. However, that is where the similarities end. Their differing personalities and the decisions they made lead them to very opposite roads in life. While Leonor was obedient and submissive to her parents and society, Cory overcame the tragic loss of her husband and became the first woman president of the Philippines.

        Gabriela and Imelda also had different stories to tell. Gabriela became a rich widow after her first husband died. However, she married a peasant leader and took up his revolution against Spain after he was shot in the back. The opposite was true for Imelda. She was the daughter of the least successful child in a family of professionals and government officials, but she later married the only Philippine president to reign for 20 years in office.

         Nakpil highlights that these women, although somehow similar, reflect the different personalities and attitudes that make up a Filipina. All the traits these women show, both positive and negative, can be seen in Filipino women migrant workers. These women migrant workers have sacrificed time, memories and contact with their families just to earn a suitable income. Many of them are overqualified for the work given to them overseas, sacrificing their dignity but rising above the challenge of poverty to provide a future for their families. Despite everything Filipino women have gone through throughout the centuries, they keep an identifiable Filipino trait with them, their unquenchable optimism.