Maria: the story of every Filipina

Maria. If you were born with a vagina in the Philippines, you were probably once
grouped with usually two other girls and were once called Tres Marias by the grown-ups. A
name made famous by the well-known “Virgin Mary” that carried the Christ in her body and
bore Him to walk the earth bringing God closer to men. The “blessed one” whom all women of
the earth have been expected to exemplify in their lives. Since her existence, she has been a
namesake of countless women, the most well known in the Philippines being Maria Clara. The
presumably fictional leading lady in Jose Rizal’s historical novels: Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo. The woman which little girls have been taught to idolize and mirror in their lives.
Sadly, and most apparently, many have forgotten what happened to the pure and beautiful
epitome of Philippine femininity. Or is that part of the worst-case scenario?

Praised for being pious, beautiful, polite, demure, and kind. Protected by everyone
because she was known to be defenseless, and harmless; a healing presence to be around which
led her to meet the ideal man: Crisostomo Ibarra. She crossed no one and kept her silence even
after the death of the love of her life due to causes unbeknownst to her. Struck by grief she
vowed to love no other and the delicate flower then followed her namesake and offered her life
to God entering the convent. What happened after she was in the safety of “God’s house” and
dressed most conservatively, was what most of us including the little girls of today, have
forgotten; she was raped by the very man she revered and honored: Padre Salvi. This. This is the
story expected to be followed by every Filipina. Sadly we have.

The Philippines along with other countries colonized by Spain, or Great Brittain will
crucify every woman who dares not follow the example of Maria. History has villainized women
who dare not walk her path and manner. Women like Josefa Gabriela Silang were called maton
or bullies in Tagalog just because she fiercely fought alongside the men without shame, remorse,
or fear for her life, still, she was overshadowed by her husband despite her bigger contributions
to the revolution. She was shamed by her peers for her “manly” demeanor and the fact that she
has married more than once. To this day if you’re anything like her you will be avoided due to
prejudice and be called the contemporary derogatory term of maton: tibo or “unwomanly”. She
was hanged by the Spanish Priests whom she used to revere along with her troops who were
shamed because they followed a woman. All these because she refused to be a slave of the
patriarchy of Spain and wanted an independent government to replace their tyrannical leadership
over Filipinos.

Commander Teresa Magbanua is also one of the iconic notable Filipinas scorned by the
Catholic community of her time due to her being  “always restless for action and afraid of no
man,” as described by her sister, Paz. She was well known for being a sharpshooter, and gallant
horseback rider despite the prejudice of the clergy and kababayans. She joined the rebel troops
with her uncle and two brothers and led them to victory at the Battle of Barrio Yoting in Pilar,
Capiz. She was the bravest soldier of her time, all the while being a School Teacher. She did not
follow the Maria Clara example according to the prying eyes of the public, but she continued to
prove that “womanly” goodness is not hindered by being outspoken and unafraid to break gender
roles in society. For this, she is internationally known as the “Visayan Joan of Arc”.

Some embraced the gentler side of womanhood and have become mothers to our brave
soldiers such as Melchora Aquino or widely known as “Tandang Sora”. Her open, gentle,
motherly heart and hands have saved so many lives alongside the women who have served under
the Red Cross community during the wars. She was a hero of her league because she beat the
Spaniards in their own game; following the traditional Maria Clara way of life: gentle, demure,
and silent in every circumstance, not revealing anything about the guerilla.

Nievez Fernandes the woman who was feared by the Japanese army, and has an iconic
photo of her holding a bolo against the neck of a Japanese soldier. Agueda Kahabagan the
infamous lady in white who stepped into battle with a rifle in one hand and a bolo on the other.
Josefa Llanes Escoda, the woman who gave way to women’s right to suffrage. They and many
more women have filled history’s background while the men were put into the spotlight. Many
have scratched their heads wondering why these women existed in the first place? Why, is it that
the stereotypical Filipina is more internationally and locally renowned as feisty, fearless, and
outspoken despite the Maria Clara teachings and expectations of the rest of the masses?

Simple. They have forgotten that even Maria Clara is a descendant of the tribes of the
Original Filipinas who were known as warriors, magicians, and Scientists of the ancient worlds
or babaylans. Filipinas have fire in their blood that can conquer armies that hurt their land and
people and water that heals the sick and is the reason why communities thrive. The original
Filipina was not only a Maria, she was also a proud Urduja.
 Sadly, these great stories of victory, power, and glory of women have the darkest
chapters that no man recognizes. The original Filipina was forcefully subdued by the colonizers
to abandon her inner Urduja, and just become a Maria. To this day women of any age even just
as infants are taken advantage of and are limited by the world which men have forcefully created
for themselves. The contributions of these Female heroes and their contemporaries are still
overshadowed by those of men. Little girls of today will always know who Rizal, Bonifacio, and
Mabini are but never the likes of the aforementioned women unless they take a nose dive into
history books. Legends of female warriors have always been outshone by those of the fairytale
princesses. Out represented, outvoted, outcasted by the male superiors who continue to do their
best to bury the truth about women and the power they carry.

No matter how great any woman is, she or another woman she knows has been sexually,
mentally, emotionally, physically, and verbally abused and has suffered silently just like Maria
Clara. The lives of the historical women this essay has mentioned failed to also detail the abuse,
and prejudice they suffered on their road to greatness. No matter what potential, passion, or rigor
will always be less emphasized by the community that values skin-deep beauty standards, and
irrational expectations towards women. All because the Spaniards and Great Brittain have
colonized the world and decided not to teach that the “Virgin” Mary and every other female in
the bible were not just chosen “wives and mothers”. They have failed to emphasize as well that
Marias were not the only female characters in the Bible! That Eve was not just a wife she is the
Mother of all. Esther was not just a Queen, she was the liberator of Jews from Xerxes’ tyranny in
Persia. That Rahab was not just a mere prostitute; but the unsung hero of the Israelites and the
Great Grandmother of Jesus Christ Himself. They have decided to eradicate evidence of female
power, and authority; claiming these traits to only be masculine. And that being the “weaker
vessel” is the purity of being feminine.

The misogyny of today is the result of the patriarchal effort to make the world recognize,
and function only for Man alone. The Christian teaching being spread was manipulated by men
to only fit their needs, and have gone to great lengths to overpower other religions that recognize
the Divine Feminine. Colonialism is the reason why women of the known and exploited world
are demonized for not being Mary-like. Forgetting the teachings of Christ and God Himself that
the woman is equal to man, and never anything less. The patriarchal society we live in has
caused civilizations to crumble, and the world to be the mess that it is now. But most will never
admit to the truth, that the only reason why women are taking part in the wars in all forms, is
because men started it but have no idea how to end it. Being feminine is more than the typical
struggles for beauty, it is to be able to balance the firm and the gentle.

Men think feminism aims to overpower and subdue them, only because that’s their only
way of claiming control and authority. Feminism is about gaining back what women have lost:
their equal footing with men and giving back the reality that man is also allowed to have the
gentler side of being human. Colonialism is a bygone era, as progressives, we are called to make
amends and give back what the colonizers have taken. Recognize and relearn the truth: that we
are all equal in our strengths and weaknesses; that being anyone has the right to be feminine and
masculine at the same time.

REFERENCES:

Flores, M. C. N. (2016). About Culture, Life in the Philippines AND about the webmasters: The

Fahnoe family. Princess-Urduja. https://aboutphilippines.org/about-ph.html

Hega, M. D. (2017). Feminism and the womens’ movement in the Philippines. FREIDRICH

EBERT STIFTUNG. https://asia.fes.de/news/feminism-and-the-womens-movement-in-

the-philippines

Jose Rizal’s letter to the 20 young women of Malolos - Translation from Tagalog. (2015,

October 25). The Kahimyang Project.

https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/1727/jose-rizals-letter-to-the-20-young-

women-of-malolos-translation-from-tagalog

“Maria Clara” is not always the best definition of Filipinas. (2019, August 9). Preen.Ph.

https://preen.ph/99184/maria-clara-is-not-always-the-best-definition-of-filipinas

Maxwell, P. (2017). 15 Great Women of the Bible Every Christian Must-Know. Powerful

Women of the Bible. https://get.tithe.ly/blog/women-of-the-bible

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https://www.univie.ac.at/ksa/apsis/aufi/wstat/mujer.htm

Santa Maria, A. D. (2018). Finding Maria Clara. ATENEAN LAW JOURNAL.

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.pdf

Sunio, P. (1970, January 1). 10 Filipina Warriors And Their Battles That Made Philippine

History. Esquiremag.Ph. https://www.esquiremag.ph/the-good-life/what-she-

wants/filipino-heroines-to-know-a1868-20190826-lfrm2

Times, T. M. (2021, October 18). News | Opinion | Philippines | Asia | World. The Manila

Times. https://www.manilatimes.net