a woman of letters

One of the substantial pieces in the 1943 souvenir edition of Free Philippines magazine was “Birth of a flag” (p. 95) written by Pura Villanueva Kalaw, which shared the experiences of Filipino women coming together to sew and make the Philippine flag that would be raised during the proclamation of the Philippine Republic.  Ms. Kalaw wrote that after learning from the Sunday Tribune that the PCPI (Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence) had met to discuss the work of its different committees, women, including herself, approached PCPI President Jose P. Laurel to discuss the Filipino women’s involvement in the preparation, something that Mr. Laurel (who would eventually become the third president of the country) welcomed with graceful tact. “You are the first women to come to me in order to profess an interest for our constitution. You must never for a moment forget that we have the progress of the Filipino woman in mind and we shall not permit such progress to be retarded. R

December 5, 2021, Saturday Just a haiku for today: the elysian fields glowed so brightly while pouring melancholic rain December 6, 2021, Monday Today was my mama-in-law’s birthday. Contrary to stories I heard from long-ago friends about mothers-in-law being frustrating, my story with my mama-in-law is one filled with blessing and gratitude. I’m happy that she is a fighter, fighting to overcome her physical limitations one day at a time. So her birthday today was special. And it was only right that we celebrate it however humbly. Big thanks to my sister-in-law for preparing a small but delicious salo-salo . I announced on my Facebook account that I would be giving away 10 books to clean my book space. My former colleague at SkyCable, Nova, asked for them. I will have them delivered via Maxim next week after some book cleaning.  December 7, 2021, Tuesday Every day is a demon-slaying battle. I strive to be loyal to my self-imposed therapy to get better: praying (I subscribe to YouVersion

A 4-page chapter titled “Women in Journalism” (pp. 171-174) was included in the 1933 self-published book, History of Journalism in the Philippine Islands , by Jesus Z. Valenzuela, B.J., M.A. The author was an instructor in English and Journalism at the University of the Philippines (UP).  The early publications targeting women, with sections on morals, fashions, literature, and history, were founded by men. The author noted that the “first woman journal in the strict sense of the term” and the first paper that was “genuinely feminine” was El Hogar (The Home), a weekly published on January 11, 1893; founded by Da. Amparo Gomez de la Serna, a Spaniard; written by women for women; and contained scientific and literary articles. Despite its sincere public “bow” in its first publication, it only lasted a few months, which the author surmised as a result of the public not yet prepared for women at the helm of things.  La Moda Filipina (Philippine Fashion), which came out on March 15, 1893,

November 28, 2021, Sunday I watched Studio Ghibli’s Only Yesterday . What a beautiful movie! I updated my blog.  Christmas gifts for my sister and mother arrived in the mail today. I took a late afternoon nap. A haiku to describe the current state of my mental health: Blank mind, restless mind,  anxious mind, agitated  mind, sad mind, cold mind November 29, 2021, Monday I missed watching true crime documentaries. I promised my husband not to, for a while. I easily absorb negative energies; the positive kind is what I need right now.  Before his bath, Jac managed to escape from his leash and ran outside, about 10 meters away. I briskly walked my way after him in my pajamas and apron and carried a 17-pound puppy back home. What a sight we must have been! Thank God for Civet’s mocha frappuccino with caramel syrup. It’s a heavenly creation. November 30, 2021, Tuesday Just a new haiku for today: Beams of light cut through  the dark broken roof, flashing myriad little spots And an old haiku

The January 5, 1941 issue of The Sunday Tribune magazine featured various sports–archery, golf, fencing, pistol and rifle shooting, badminton, and swimming–and the Filipino women who picked one or two of the above sports seriously or playfully. The publication picked “girls from high society for proficiency in sports and games [that] seems to have become a prime requisite for popularity in the higher life.” In archery, the featured Filipino women are Nieves Singson Encarnacion and Sally Unson, and they were glaringly compared. The captions were very descriptive: “Miss Encarnacion uses the rifleman’s method–holding her shaft like a rifle, and pointing it straight at the target. At these tests, archers find out if their arrows are straight or crooked.” The Sunday Tribune ( January 5, 1941). The 1941 Filipina in sports [Image, screen capture]. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/filipinasheritagelibrary/docs/1941-01-05_the_sunday_tribune_?e=18015266/70725958 The two were also featured for