Melchora Aquino | |
|---|---|
 Aquino inc. 1896 | |
| Born | Melchora Aquino (1812-01-06)January 6, 1812[1] |
| Died | February 19, 1919(1919-02-19) (aged 107) |
| Resting place | Tandang Sora National Shrine,Quezon City |
| Spouse | Fulgencio Ramos (died 1856) |
| Children | 6 |
Melchora Aquino (January 6, 1812 – February 19, 1919) was aFilipino revolutionary. She became known as "Tandang Sora" ("tandang" meaning "old") because of her old age during thePhilippine Revolution (1896-1899). She was also known as the "Grand Woman of the Revolution" and the "Mother of Balintawak" for her contributions.
Melchora Aquino was born on January 6, 1812, in Barrio Banlat,Caloocan (the present-day Barangay Tandang Sora,Quezon City).[2] Having been born on thefeast of the Epiphany, she was named afterMelchior, one of theThree Wise Men.
Melchora, daughter of a peasant couple, Juan and Valentina Aquino, never attended school.[3] However, she was apparently literate at an early age and talented as a singer and performed at local events as well as atMass for her Church. She was also often chosen for the role ofReyna Elena during the "Santacruzan", a processional pageant commemoratingEmpress Helen's finding of theCross of Christ, celebrated in the Philippines in May.[1][4]
Later in life, she married Fulgencio Ramos,[1][5] acabeza de barrio (village chief), and bore six children. As his wife she was known asMelchora Aquino de Ramos ("of Ramos"). Her husband died when their youngest child was 7 and she was left as a single parent for their children. Tandang Sora continued her life as anhermana mayor active in celebratingfiestas,baptisms, and weddings. She worked hard in order to give her children education.[1]
In her native town, Tandang Sora operated a store,[6] which became a refuge for the sick and wounded revolutionaries. She fed,[1] gave medical attention to and encouraged the revolutionaries with motherly advice and prayers.
Secret meetings of theKatipuneros (revolutionaries) were also held at her house in August 1896. Due to the maternal nature of her help for the revolution, she received names such as "Woman of Revolution", "Mother of Balintawak[3]", "Mother of thePhilippine Revolution", andTandang Sora (Tandang is derived from theTagalog wordmatandâ, which means old). She and her son, Juan Ramos, were present in theCry of Balintawak and were witnesses to the tearing up of thecedulas.[1][7]
When theSpaniards learned about her activities and her knowledge to the whereabouts of the Katipuneros, she was arrested by theguardia civil on August 29, 1896. She was held captive in the house of acabeza de barangay of Pasong Putik, Novaliches and then transferred toBilibid Prison inManila. While in prison, she was interrogated but she refused to divulge any information. She was then deported toGuam,Marianas Islands byGovernor GeneralRamón Blanco on September 2.[1][7] In Guam, she and a woman named Segunda Puentes were placed under house arrest in the residence of a Don Justo Dungca.[8][9]
After theUnited States took control of the Philippines in 1898, Tandang Sora, like other exiles, returned to the Philippines in 1903. She later became an active member of thePhilippine Independent Church.[10]
She died at her daughter Saturnina's house in Banlat on February 19, 1919, at the age of 107.[1] She received full state honors shortly after her death after years of being unnoticed for her efforts in the revolution.[3] Her remains were first interred at theMausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution at theManila North Cemetery.[11] These were then transferred to the Himlayang Pilipino Memorial Park inQuezon City in 1970 and finally at theTandang Sora National Shrine in 2012.[12][13][14]
As a token of gratitude, aQuezon City barangay and aroad were named after Tandang Sora. Her profile was also placed in thePhilippines' five-centavo coin from 1967 to 1994. She was the first Filipina who appears on aPhilippine peso banknote, in this case, a100-peso bill from the English Series (1951–1966). Tandang Sora Street in the city ofSan Francisco is named in her honor.[citation needed]
In 2012, on the celebration of her 200th birthday, the Quezon City local government decided to transfer Tandang Sora's remains from Himlayang Pilipino Memorial Park to theTandang Sora National Shrine. They also declared 2012 as be Tandang Sora Year.[12][13]
Her descendants carry different surnames, with almost all living in Novaliches and Tandang Sora districts in Quezon City as well as in Guam such as Figueroa, Ramos (her husband's surname), Geronimo, Eugenio, Cleofas and Apo.[15]
APhilippine Coast Guard 97-meter (318 ft) vessel was named after her, theBRP Melchora Aquino.
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