Flame Pillar of Rizal

Legacy of Filipino Women (I): History

~Background~
(Flowers are girls, girls are flowers)

Are you aware of certain flowers everywhere? Living and unliving freshness of their kinds? The varieties of these over the world are much appreciated by our Mother Earth, the bountiful gift of nature which sustains us life with all our sight and all being as a man. Compared to women, flowers are different nature of dignified manners and personality. Likewise, with some fresh of beauty that hastened your eyes to glorify her as somewhat a physical attraction like a booming firework, or indeed a pure soul within woman's heart. They can be, as is, a reflecting sense everywhere to be the greatness partner of man holding impact to our society -- women.

Rizal, the romantic poet, imbued and alluded the women so much from his writings and travels along the way. Especially the Filipino women - our girl of our life. They sustain us, like flowers, in nation building and nurturing our society. So, I just want to share these important information and words of wisdom to all women - young or old - as a means of giving high regard to them, most of all, uplifting us by our dear mother. I decided to divide at least 6 parts for every keypoints focused by Rizal about the legacy and advises so I shall update with the upcoming parts, since it is important to know, because of its long length letter that I cannot hurled all those to this way for your instant understanding.

Letter to the (Young) Women of Malolos, was another a well known and long letter written by Rizal, not a romantic, but a letter of praise, insights and advises to the women of Malolos as well as to all the Filipino women throughout the letter.

This began when a group of twenty women of Malolos, Bulacan petitioned Governor-General Weyler on December 12, 1888 to permit them and establish a night school even a friar, Father Felipe Garcia, of that town were unwillingly to the project and against them. They were very eager to study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko. At the same time, that friar with some others sought to turning down and it happened. But, because of the determination and courage of the women, they allowed successfully in the end on the condition that Señorita Guadalupe Reyes should be their teacher. They were very true maiden and heroine from the beloved Bulacan.

Soon, Marcelo H. del Pilar, born at that home province, informed Rizal about the good news happened. The development of his province by those Bulacan women became a such a delightful calling for their rights as women and extraordinary courage. Those Bulacan women were Alberta Ui Tangcoy, Teresa and Natia Tontoco, Merced, Agapita, Basilia, Paz and Feliciana Tiongson, Eugenia and Aurea Tangchangco, Leoncia and Olympia Reyes, and Maria de los Reyes. Thus, he requested Rizal to write a letter for them, praising to the achievement they got.

Rizal was inspired of that great news and signified as much as he appreciated for their rampant scent they gave hope. This paved way for the letter he written, not only to make proud of their woman's power but also giving the will of action.

"Rizal reveals once again his rationalism, his reputation of clericalism, his concern with freedom and independence that would liberate man from slavery, his defense of honor and dignity, and necessity for education and culture as the fundamental source of liberation..." As words came from the part of Letter to the Women of Malolos (Jose Rizal: Filipino Doctor and Patriot by Jose Baron Fernández), who was a great Spaniard author.

On February 22, 1889, Rizal sent the letter to del Pilar for transmittal to the young women of Malolos.