Anything Under the Sun
Ilongga suffragettes
Last week the 70th anniversary of Women's Suffrage was celebrated which granted Filipino women the right to vote in 1935. However, few Ilonggos are aware that spearheading that national movement 70 years ago were two prominent Ilonggos – Sofia Reyes de Veyra and Pura Villanueva Kalaw of Molo and Arevalo.
Here are their capsule biographies:
Sofia Reyes de Veyra
Sofia Reyes de Veyra had been social secretary in Malacañang of four presidents – Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino.
Born in Arevalo, Iloilo in 1875, she was also prominent as educator, social worker and civic leader.
As educator, she was co-author of pre-war public schools book Character and Conduct and vice president of the Centro Escolar University. As civic leader, she was officer of the national associations like Feminista which fought for women's suffrage, Philippine National Red Cross and Anti-Tuberculosis Society. As a social worker, she was president of the La Infancia and of the Catholic Women's League.
In 1907, she married national journalist Jaime de Veyra who was then governor of Leyte and later, Philippine Resident Commissioner to the United States.
This famous Ilongga died in 1953.
Pura Villanueva Kalaw
In 1907, a 16-year old Ilongga was crowned first Miss Philippines at the Manila Carnival. She was Pura Villanueva from Arevalo, Iloilo.
She was not just a beauty but also with brains and bravery. After studying at Colegio de Santa Ana in Molo, Iloilo she became the editor of the women's page in El Tiempo – a weekly in Iloilo.
She showed her bravery by fighting for women's suffrage for more than 30 years. In 1906, she organized the Asociacion Feminista Ilonga. In 1912, she co-founded the Women's Club of Manila. In 1937, she spearheaded the national campaign for women's suffrage plebiscite resulting in women being qualified to vote.
For these, Villanueva received the Presidential Medal as champion woman suffragist from Pres. Elpidio Quirino, Outstanding Woman of 1950 from National Federation of Women's Clubs in the Philippines, Number One Feminist of the Philippines. She was married to national journalist Teodoro M. Kalaw.