To the Young Women of Malolos: Summary

and Analysis
Jose Rizals legacy to Filipino women is embodied in his famous essay entitled, To the Young Women of
Malolos, where he addresses all kinds of women mothers, wives, the unmarried, etc. and expresses
everything that he wishes them to keep in mind.

SUMMARY

To the Women of Malolos was originally written in Tagalog. Rizal penned this writing when he was in
London, in response to the request of Marcelo H. del Pilar. The salient points contained in this letter are
as follows:

1. The rejection of the spiritual authority of the friars not all of the priests in the country
that time embodied the true spirit of Christ and His Church. Most of them were corrupted by
worldly desires and used worldly methods to effect change and force discipline among the
people.
2. The defense of private judgment
3. Qualities Filipino mothers need to possess as evidenced by this portion of his letter,
Rizal is greatly concerned of the welfare of the Filipino children and the homes they grow up in.
4. Duties and responsibilities of Filipino mothers to their children
5. Duties and responsibilities of a wife to her husband Filipino women are known to be
submissive, tender, and loving. Rizal states in this portion of his letter how Filipino women ought
to be as wives, in order to preserve the identity of the race.
6. Counsel to young women on their choice of a lifetime partner

RIZALS MESSAGE TO FILIPINO WOMEN

Jose Rizal was greatly impressed by the fighting spirit that the young women of Malolos had shown. In
his letter, he expresses great joy and satisfaction over the battle they had fought. In this portion of Rizals
letter, it is obvious that his ultimate desire was for women to be offered the same opportunities as those
received by men in terms of education. During those days young girls were not sent to school because of
the universal notion that they would soon only be taken as wives and stay at home with the
children. Rizal, however, emphasizes on freedom of thought and the right to education, which must be
granted to both boys and girls alike.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF FILIPINO MOTHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN

Rizal stipulates a number of important points in this portion of his letter to the young women of
Malolos. The central idea here, however, is that whatever a mother shows to her children is what the
children will become also. If the mother is always kissing the hand of the friars in submission, then her
children will grow up to be sycophants and mindless fools who do nothing but do as they are told, even if
the very nature of the task would violate their rights as individuals.
QUALITIES MOTHERS HAVE TO POSSESS

Rizal enumerates the qualities Filipino mothers have to possess:

1. Be a noble wife.
2. Rear her children in the service of the state here Rizal gives reference to the women of
Sparta who embody this quality
3. Set standards of behavior for men around her.

RIZALS ADVICE TO UNMARRIED MEN AND WOMEN

Jose Rizal points out to unmarried women that they should not be easily taken by appearances and
looks, because these can be very deceiving. Instead, they should take heed of mens firmness of
character and lofty ideas. Rizal further adds that there are three things that a young woman must look for
a man she intends to be her husband:

1. A noble and honored name

2. A manly heart
3. A high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering slaves.

ANALYSIS

To the Women of Malolos centers around five salient points (Zaide &Zaide, 1999):

1. Filipino mothers should teach their children love of God, country and fellowmen.
2. Filipino mothers should be glad and honored, like Spartan mothers, to offer their sons in
defense of their country.
3. Filipino women should know how to protect their dignity and honor.
4. Filipino women should educate themselves aside from retaining their good racial values.
5. Faith is not merely reciting prayers and wearing religious pictures. It is living the real
Christian way with good morals and manners.
In recent times, it seems that these qualities are gradually lost in the way Filipino women
conduct themselves. There are oftentimes moments where mothers forget their roles in rearing
their children because of the overriding idea of having to earn for the family to supplement their
husbands income. Although there is nothing negative about working hard for the welfare of the
family, there must always be balance in the way people go through life. Failure in the home
cannot be compensated for by any amount of wealth or fame.

e Young Women of Malolos: Summary and Analysis

Jose Rizals legacy to Filipino women is embodied in his famous essay
entitled, To the Young Women of Malolos, where he addresses all
kinds of women mothers, wives, the unmarried, etc. and expresses
everything that he wishes them to keep in mind.

SUMMARY

To the Women of Malolos was originally written in Tagalog. Rizal

penned this writing when he was in London, in response to the request
of Marcelo H. del Pilar. The salient points contained in this letter are
as follows:

The rejection of the spiritual authority of the friars not all of the
priests in the country that time embodied the true spirit of Christ and
His Church. Most of them were corrupted by worldly desires and used
worldly methods to effect change and force discipline among the
people.

The defense of private judgment

Qualities Filipino mothers need to possess as evidenced by this
portion of his letter, Rizal is greatly concerned of the welfare of the
Filipino children and the homes they grow up in.

Duties and responsibilities of Filipino mothers to their children

Duties and responsibilities of a wife to her husband Filipino women

are known to be submissive, tender, and loving. Rizal states in this
portion of his letter how Filipino women ought to be as wives, in order
to preserve the identity of the race.

Counsel to young women on their choice of a lifetime partner

RIZALS MESSAGE TO FILIPINO WOMEN

Jose Rizal was greatly impressed by the fighting spirit that the young
women of Malolos had shown. In his letter, he expresses great joy and
satisfaction over the battle they had fought. In this portion of Rizals
letter, it is obvious that his ultimate desire was for women to be
offered the same opportunities as those received by men in terms of
education. During those days young girls were not sent to school
because of the universal notion that they would soon only be taken as
wives and stay at home with the children. Rizal, however, emphasizes
on freedom of thought and the right to education, which must be
granted to both boys and girls alike.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF FILIPINO MOTHERS TO THEIR

CHILDREN

Rizal stipulates a number of important points in this portion of his

letter to the young women of Malolos. The central idea here, however,
is that whatever a mother shows to her children is what the children
will become also. If the mother is always kissing the hand of the friars
in submission, then her children will grow up to be sycophants and
mindless fools who do nothing but do as they are told, even if the very
nature of the task would violate their rights as individuals.
QUALITIES MOTHERS HAVE TO POSSESS

Rizal enumerates the qualities Filipino mothers have to possess:

Be a noble wife.

Rear her children in the service of the state here Rizal gives
reference to the women of Sparta who embody this quality

Set standards of behavior for men around her.

RIZALS ADVICE TO UNMARRIED MEN AND WOMEN

Jose Rizal points out to unmarried women that they should not be
easily taken by appearances and looks, because these can be very
deceiving. Instead, they should take heed of mens firmness of
character and lofty ideas. Rizal further adds that there are three
things that a young woman must look for a man she intends to be her
husband:

A noble and honored name

A manly heart

A high spirit incapable of being satisfied with engendering slaves.

ANALYSIS

To the Women of Malolos centers around five salient points (Zaide

&Zaide, 1999):

Filipino mothers should teach their children love of God, country and
fellowmen.

Filipino mothers should be glad and honored, like Spartan mothers, to

offer their sons in defense of their country.

Filipino women should know how to protect their dignity and honor.

Filipino women should educate themselves aside from retaining their

good racial values.
Faith is not merely reciting prayers and wearing religious pictures. It is
living the real Christian way with good morals and manners.

In recent times, it seems that these qualities are gradually lost in the
way Filipino women conduct themselves. There are oftentimes
moments where mothers forget their roles in rearing their children
because of the overriding idea of having to earn for the family to
supplement their husbands income. Although there is nothing negative
about working hard for the welfare of the family, there must always be
balance in the way people go through life. Failure in the home cannot
be compensated for by any amount of wealth or fame

Women of Malolos

"The Women of Malolos" by Dr. Nicanor Tiongson, Ateneo de Manila University Press, January 2004.

The Women of Malolos were 20 women from prominent Chinese-Filipino families in Malolos, Bulacan who
signed and presented a letter to Governor-General Valeriano Weyler on December 12, 1888 requesting
permission to open a night school where they could be taught Spanish. The womens daring action, which
defied the authority of the towns Augustinian friar curate, was lauded by reformists such as Jose
Rizal, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Marcelo H. del Pilar.
 Contents

[hide]

1 Historical background

2 The presentation of the letter

3 The outcome of the letter

4 The Women

5 Reactions

6 Socio-historic implications

7 External link

8 References

Historical background

During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, education was for the most part in a deplorable state,
especially for women. The friars, who exerted power over both Filipinos and the Spanish government in
the Philippines, considered the education of the natives a threat to the Church, as scientific knowledge and
thinking could cause them to abandon the blind faith and obedience that the Church preached. Schools for girls
particularly focused on turning out graduates who were pious, chaste, modest, and industrious. The principal
aim of these schools was to form their students into meek wives and mothers.

The teaching of the Spanish language was especially lacking, not just for women but Filipinos in general. Friars
feared that proficiency in the Spanish language would give the natives the ability to communicate directly with
Spanish government officials and would expose them to liberal and progressive ideas then emerging in Europe.
As the friar curates spent many years with the natives, they were able to learn their language while government
officials were assigned to the Philippines for a mere 4 years and did not have enough time to learn the
language. The friars then served as the bridge between the natives and the Spanish officials, and were thus
able to exert a strong influence on both. The friars contended that teaching the Filipinos Spanish would
encourage subversion among them, as it would enable them to understand political matters. The friars were
accorded the responsibility to supervise education in the Philippines by an 1863 decree which ironically also
ordered that the Spanish language be taught in the islands. Thus education was never properly administered.
Often the recommended number of schools was not built.

This was the case in the prosperous town of Malolos, Bulacan. Thus a number of the foremost residents of the
town took their own initiative to build private schools. In 1886, Teodoro Sandico, a graduate of the University of
Sto. Tomas, opened a private school in Malolos with the help of members of the towns prominent clans, such
as Rufina Tanjosoy-Santos. Consisting of primary and secondary levels, the school took after
the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in their curriculum.
Sandico also clandestinely gave private Spanish lessons to adults, including the Women of Malolos. While
Sandico sought to legitimize this arrangement in 1888, the provincial government turned down his proposal to
open private night schools for men and for women on the grounds that it might be a threat to Spanish rule.

The presentation of the letter

Governor-General Weyler, who began his term in the Philippines on June 5, 1888, was known to have liberal
leanings. He took an interest in education in the Philippines, uplifting the state of teachers and opening 106
schools before his term ended in 1891. He personally inspected schools as well as government buildings in
most parts of the country. Sandico and the Women of Malolos decided to appeal to him when he visited
Malolos on December 12, 1888.

During his visit to Malolos, Weyler set aside time to hold an audience with the townsfolk. Upon getting word of
this, Sandico wrote a letter in Spanish and asked the women he had been teaching to sign the letter. The letter
was signed by 20 women, who went to the convent to present the letter to Weyler in the afternoon. One of their
leaders, Alberta Uitangcoy, handed him the letter. The women then waited around for a response, compelling
the governor-general to read it on the spot. The friars in the convent relentlessly questioned the women as to
what was in the letter, but the women refused to reveal its contents and spoke and behaved to the friars in such
a way that showed Weyler that the friars were no longer revered by the people of Malolos. Weyler promised
that he would soon reply to the letter, then left.

The outcome of the letter

The governor-general initially denied the womens request but the women continued to appeal for the school,
with the help of reformist Doreteo Cortes and schoolteacher Guadalupe Reyes. Rufina Tanjosoy-Santos and
others helped pay for the womens expenses when they traveled to Manila to follow up on their request. In
sympathy with the women, the Spanish Minister of Colonies Manuel Becerra, a friend of Del Pilars, sent
Weyler a letter of instruction on January 29, 1889 which reminded Weyler that he must strictly enforce the
teaching of Spanish in all Philippine schools.

On February 20, 1889, the women finally received permission to open their school on certain conditions. First,
the women were required to fund the school themselves since the government refused to. Second, their
teacher would be Guadalupe Reyes rather than Sandico, who had been blacklisted by the friar-curate of
Malolos. Third, the classes would have to be held in the day and not at night, probably due to the association of
nighttime gatherings with subversive meetings.

The school was immediately opened in the home of one of the women, Rufina T. Reyes. Tanjosoy-Santos took
care of most of the expenses.
Some of the women had already learned to read, write and speak Spanish in a colegio in Manila: Alberta
Uitangcoy, Eugenia and Aurea Tanchangco, and Basilia Tantoco. Nevertheless, they took interest in the
classes because discussions included political issues that concerned them. While in the school, the women
read the 1st issue of La Solidaridad, where they were significantly featured, and the letter of Rizal which was
sent to them in March 1889.

But in April 1889, Sandico was accused by the Church officials of immoral teaching and of eating meat on days
of abstinence. Sandico went into hiding then left the country under an assumed name on May 17, 1889, a week
after authorities ordered his school to be closed down. The school for the Women of Malolos was closed down
with it.

The Women

The Women of Malolos consisted of 20 women from the principal mestizo-sangley clans of the town: The
Tanchanco, Reyes, Santos, Tantoco, and Tiongson families of combined native, Chinese, and Spanish
ancestry. A few of them had received education at a college like Colegio de la Concordia. They all lived in the
Chinese neighborhood of Malolos, Pariancillo. They were all were related by either blood or affinity and were
friends as well.

During the Philippine Revolution against Spain, many of them aided the revolutionaries. Later, many of them
were involved in womens socio-civic organizations. For most, their main commitment was to family. All of them
were accomplished at keeping house; in fact they specifically requested for a night school as they were all busy
with household tasks during the day, although none of them were married at the time. Whether married or not,
throughout their lives most of the women ran organized households, whether for their own family or for parents
or siblings. A number of them were involved in business as well. The individual women are described briefly
below by family.

Elisea Tantoco Reyes Known by the nickname Seang, she was 15 at the time the women approached
Weyler. Though she did not go on to higher education, she spoke Spanish well. Her father was a reformist
who was persecuted by the Spanish government during his term as gobernadorcillo. Along with her family,
she aided the revolutionary army by providing supplies. She joined the National Red Cross formed in 1899
by Emilio Aguinaldos wife during the Philippine-American War. In 1906, she became a member of the
Pariancillo chapter of the Asociacion Femenista de Filipinas (AFF) which was formed by the sisters of
Rizal, which later became the Club de Mujeres. She married Gregorio Galang at the age of 31 and had 1
child. She remained in her familys home in Malolos for most of her life. She died in 1969 at the age of 96.

Juana Tantoco Reyes The younger sister of Elisea, she was called Anang and was 14 at the time.
Along with her family, she aided the revolutionary army by providing supplies. She did not have higher
 education and she later married her 4th cousin, Mariano Tiongson Buendia. Sadly, she died 2 months after
giving birth to their daughter in 1900.

Leoncia Santos Reyes The 1st cousin of Elisea and Juanas father, she was 24 at the time. She was a
fluent speaker of Spanish and at merely 17 was noted as a property owner. She married her firsst cousin
Graciano T. Reyes, a reformist and a friend of Sandicos, in 1889. They had 13 children and she ran a
store while her husband attended to a business of his own. She was widowed around 1930. She died in
1948 at the age of 84.

Olympia San Agustin Reyes The half-sister of Leoncia, she was 12 years younger. She was the
youngest of the women to sign the letter, being only 12 at the time. She eventually married Vicente T.
Reyes, the brother of Elisea and Juana. The couple had 9 children but Olympia died after giving birth to
twins at the age of 34.

Rufina T. Reyes Though she did not sign her family name, it is certain that Rufina was one of the
women as the classes were eventually held in her house. At that time, she was 19. She was a first cousin
of Elisea and Juana and, like them, a niece of Graciano T. Reyes. Along with her family, she aided
the Katipunan. She joined the Red Cross and was a founding member of the Pariancillo, Malolos
committee of the AFF. She died at the age of 40.

Eugenia Mendoza Tanchangco - Nicknamed Genia, she was then 17. Her father was the great Capitan
Tomas Tanchanco gobernadorcillo 1879 and the justice of peace of Malolos from 1887-1889. She studied
at Colegio de la Concordia in Manila. It is recorded that she met Rizal at a baptismal party in Malolos in
1888, prior to the encounter with Weyler. When she was 19 she married Ramon Vicente Reyes, who
became a municipal official, and they had 11 children. She was widowed in 1935 and died in 1969 at the
age of 98.

Aurea Mendoza Tanchangco Eugenias younger sister, she was 16 during the encounter with Weyler.
Like her sister, she was sent to La Concordia, living with relatives in Binondo while finishing her education.
She was known to be excellent in reading, writing, and speaking Spanish and was considered the brightest
student in the womens school. With her family, she gave aid to the revolutionary army. In 1898, she
married a former Spanish Army doctor, who began courting her in her textile shop. Her husband, Eugenio
Hernando, later became an officer in the Philippine Army under Aguinaldo and Director of the Bureau of
Public Health under Manuel L. Quezon. They had 14 children and Aurea became a member of the Club de
Mujeres. She died of stomach cancer within 4 months of her husbands death in 1958. She was 86 years
old.

Basilia Villario Tantoco Called Ilyang, she was 23 at the time. She was Eugenia and Aureas second
cousin. She studied with private tutors and in a college in a Manila and was known to be a devout Catholic.
In the early 1880s, she resisted the sexual advances of the friar curate of Malolos. She was one of those
chosen to lead the group in presenting the letter to Weyler. During the Philippine Revolution, her uncle,
 father and 5 brothers were active in the Katipunan. She acted as a courier for the Katipunan, hiding
messages in her clothing. During the establishment of the republic in Malolos, she and her brother Juan
donated their houses to the government. Connected by a bridge, they were used to house the office of the
Secretaria de Hacienda. A founding member of the Red Cross, she was on its board of directors and
headed the 3rd commission. She was a member of the AFF in Malolos as well. In 1917, she set up the
Escuela Catolica de Malolos, a pre-school and grade school which closed in 1922. As the firstborn as well
as the only daughter in her family, she managed her familys extensive properties after the death of her
parents until she died in 1925 at the age of 60.

Teresa Tiongson Tantoco A 1st cousin of Basilias and, like her, second cousin to Eugenia and Aurea,
Esang was 21 at the time of the encounter with Weyler. She was the eldest in her family. She also joined
the Red Cross and the AFF. In the AFF, she was treasurer of the 1st Pariancillo committee. She had a
daughter out of wedlock in 1897 and she married Julian Reyes in 1912, when she was 45. She was over
74 when she died in 1942.

Maria Tiongson Tantoco Teresas younger sister, she was then 19. She married Lino Santos Reyes,
who was the cabeza de barangay. The Secretaria de Exterior of the Republic of Malolos was housed in
their home. She became a member of the AFF. She had a dozen children and died at the age of 44 after
an operation.

Anastacia Maclang Tiongson She was 1st cousin to Teresa and Maria Tantoco and second cousin to
Eugenia and Aurea Tanchangco and to Basilia Tantoco. Nicknamed Taci, she was 14 at the time. She
and her family aided the revolutionaries by providing supplies. She later joined the Red Cross. In 1899,
she fled the American invasion of Malolos with her family. They resettled in Dagupan, where she opened
the firsst movie house in the province. A shrewd businesswoman, she was also the firsst and sole
distributor of San Miguel Beer in Dagupan, and the first to distribute it in Pangasinan. She also sold ice as
a companion business and became a large landowner. At the age of 36, she married Vicente Torres and
had 1 surviving daughter. She died of appendicitis in 1940, when she was 66.

Basilia Reyes Tiongson She is known to be a personal acquaintance of Marcelo del Pilar, based on his
letters. A firsst cousin of Anastacia Tiongson and Maria Tantoco, she was called Ylia and was then 28.

Paz Reyes Tiongson One of those who signed the letter with only her first name, she was the younger
sister of Basilia and like her known to have been acquainted with Del Pilar. She was 24 at the time of the
encounter with Weyler. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the official classes, due to illness. She
died early in 1889, probably of a heart ailment.

Aleja Reyes Tiongson The younger sister of Basilia and Paz, Ejang was 23 at the time. She also
signed only her first name on the letter.

Mercedes Reyes Tiongson Known as Merced for short, she was the younger sister of Basilia, Paz,
and Aleja. She was then 18 and was the one who organized the group to open a school for learning
 Spanish. During the Philippine Revolution, she aided the Katipunan by sending supplies. She took over the
management of the family property after the deaths of her father and older siblings, overseeing the lands
on horseback. In 1903, she married Sandico, who became governor and senator for 2 terms each. The
couples 2 sons died when they were barely out of infancy, so they adopted her goddaughter. Mercedes
was one of the founding members of the Red Cross. On the national board of directors of the Red Cross,
she headed its 2nd commission. She was a founding member of the AFF. She died in 1928 of a heart
attack following an asthmatic attack, at the age of 58

Agapita Reyes Tiongson The youngest sister of Basilia, Paz, Aleja, and Mercedes Tiongson, she was
16 at the time. Pitang, as she was known, was especially close to Mercedes, and like her aided the
revolutionary army. She studied at Colegio de Santa Isabel. She married Francisco Batungbakal when she
was 42. The couple had no children, so she raised her goddaughter. In 1937, when she was 65, she died
from a diabetic coma. Much of her property was willed for the construction of a hospital, which was never
built.

Filomena Oliveros Tiongson Known as Mena, she was 3rd cousin to the Reyes- Tiongson sisters,
Anastacia Tiongson, Leoncia Reyes, and the Tantoco sisters. She was around 23 when the letter to
Weyler was presented. It is recorded that while the new friar-curate was calling on her sisters in 1889, she
heard about it while in her uncles house across the street from her home. She immediately took a knife
and went home to participate in the conversation with the friar, all the while pretending to clean her nails
with the knife. With her sister Cecilia, she wittily parried the friars accusations regarding such matters as
their rare visits to the church, infrequency of confession, and gossip that they had eaten meat on Holy
Thursday. She married Eladio Adriano in 1892. The couple had 3 surviving children. Filomena aided the
Katipunan and the Malolos Republic, and joined her husband and sisters in petitioning Governor-General
Polavieja for clemency for Rizal in 1896. She maintained a close friendship with the Rizal sisters and
became a founding member of the AFF of Malolos. She helped with family business undertakings and the
management of their landholdings. Blinded late in life, she died suddenly in 1930, when she was about 65.

Cecilia Oliveros Tiongson One of the women who did not sign her last name, she was around 21
during the encounter with Weyler. Called Ylia, she was the younger sister of Filomena. She was known
for her audacious responses in dealing with the friar-curate who was appointed to Malolos in 1889. When
the friar-curate sent the gobernadorcillo to invite Cecilia and her sisters to the convent, Cecilia told him off
by saying she could not believe the gobernadorcillo would solicit women for the priest. When the friar-
curate visited her and her sisters, she was joined by her sister Filomena in parrying the friars accusations,
boldly pointing out among other things that they would have less time to do good deeds and to earn money
if they went to church too frequently, that the church only required confession once a year, and that
women who visited the friar at the convent in Malolos were considered to have lost their virtue. She joined
Filomena and other relatives in pleading for clemency for Rizal and remained a friend of the Rizal sisters.
 With the rest of her family, she helped the Katipunan by sending them supplies. She later became a
member of the Red Cross. At age 63, following the death of Filomena, Cecilia married her brother-in-law,
Eladio Adriano. She died 4 years later at the age of 67.

Feliciana Oliveros Tiongson Known as Cianang, she was the younger sister of Filomena and Cecilia.
She was 19 at the time the letter was presented. She witnessed the exchange between her older sisters
and the friar. She was also with her sisters when they went on their knees to plead for clemency for Rizal
and like them maintained a friendship with the Rizal sisters. Along with her family, she aided the Katipunan
by sending them supplies. She became a member of the AFF. She helped her sister Filomena raise her
children and grandchildren. Highly religious, she taught the children prayers in Spanish and gave them
lessons in catechism as well as the rudiments of reading and arithmetic. She died in 1938 at the age of 70.

Alberta Santos Uitangcoy Called Iding, she was the firsst cousin of Leoncia Reyes. She received
higher education at La Concordia. With her strong will, she was chosen along with Basilia Tantoco as the
leader of the group in presenting the letter to Weyler. At that time she was 23. It was she who personally
handed the letter to Weyler. She married Paulino Santos, then cabeza de barangay, the following year.
The couple had 9 children. Still, Uitangcoy found time for social involvement, becoming a founding
member of the Red Cross and the AFF. After she was widowed in 1927, she took over the administration
of the family properties. She died in 1953 at the age of 88, after a long period of debilitation.
Reactions

The friars were naturally threatened by the school. But the progressives and reformists were delighted by it.
The newspaper La Opinion and other newspapers as well as individuals from Madrid, France, England, Austria,
and elsewhere, sent La Solidaridad messages congratulating the women. Jaena, La Solidaridads founding
editor, was especially effusive in his praise of the women, lauding them for their noble courage and beautiful
tenacity and fairness.

In a letter to Rizal, Del Pilar observed that the womens triumph had fanned the flames of the anti-friar
movement: Because of the propaganda of these ladies who preach by word and by actions, the idea is now
spreading in the provinces that it is dishonorable for a man and for a woman to associate with the friar, and this
is producing great results.

Rizal then wrote his famous letter to the Women of Malolos, in which he said that the womens action made him
see Filipino women in a new light. He confessed that he used to think most Filipino women were servile to the
friars and was pleased to find that there were women who understood that true religiousness was more about
actions, intentions and judgments guided by reason, which is a gift from God. He encouraged them in their
desire to be educated, that they may raise their children to act honorably and fight for their rights. In addition to
this letter, Rizal probably alluded to the womens action in writing about students agitating for a school in his
novel El Filibusterismo.
Another of Del Pilars good friends, reformist Fernando Canon, wrote a sonnet in praise of the women. Del
Pilars own reactions to the incident were recorded in a personal letter that he sent to his niece Josefa
Gatmaytan on March 13, 1889. In this letter, he addressed not only his niece but all the women of Bulacan.
First, he extolled the womens proposal as an example for the women of his native Bulacan. Then, like Rizal,
he noted the influence of women over their children, and often on the rest of their family as well. Thus it was
important to educate women, for cultivating intelligence was necessary to achieve true virtue. He underscored
the importance of learning Spanish as well.

Socio-historic implications

The actions of the Women of Malolos played an important role in the struggle to uplift the state of women,
particularly when it came to education. The women won respect by demonstrating initiative, firmness of
purpose, and a desire for education that was unexpected for Filipino women of their time. Though the success
of their petition was short-lived, it was proof of the capacity of women to actively participate in social change,
which no doubt encouraged them and others as well in working towards reform in the Philippines under Spain
and thereafter.

External link