Mighty Magulang: Women of Malolos

In December 1888, twenty women from affluent Chinese-Filipino families in Malolos, Bulacan, petitioned Governor General Valeriano Weyler for permission to establish a night school for learning Spanish. This request sparked outrage from the Agustinian friars and the governor-general, but also inspired support from Filipino reformists such as Jose Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Marcelo H. Del Pilar.

After much debate, the school opened conditionally in February 1889. However, it was accused of immoral teaching and breaking religious dietary rules by church officials in April 1889, leading to its closure. Despite its short existence, the efforts of the women of Malolos are recognized as a pivotal moment in the development of Filipino feminist activism.

Thanks to Nicanor Tiongson's book 'The Women of Malolos,' more is known about these twenty women, who were connected by family and friendship and shared five surnames: Reyes, Tanchangco, Tantoco, Tiongson, and Uitangcoy. Many supported their Katipunero relatives during the 1896 revolution and later became active suffragettes. The video highlights key figures like Basilia Tiongson (oldest signatory), Olimpia Reyes (youngest signatory and mother of Jose R. Reyes, after whom a hospital is named), Aurea Tanchangco (brightest student), Maria Tantoco, Mercedes Tiongson, and Alberta Uitangcoy, whose home is now a heritage site and museum dedicated to the Women of Malolos.