Feminism and the Women's Movement in the Philippines: Struggles, Advances, and Challenges that followed. Camagay(1998: 56) cited the Asociacion Filantropica dela Cruz Roja (also known Junta Patriotica dela Cruz Roja ) as an important association founded in aid of the revolution, collecting funds for the war and treating wounded revolutionary soldiers. The membership of the Cruz Roja was noticeably composed of prominent ilustrado 2 families and were attached to important men in the revolution. One of the most notable but often unnoticed contributions of women in the revolution can be found in the realm of literature. They published poems in revolutionary publications like El Heraldo de la Revolucion and La Independencia (Camagay, 1998: 65). This implies that the contribution of women in the revolution was not only logistical but also intellectual, as seen in the literature that they produced. Aside from this, women also led troops into battles themselves. Women who actually fought in the battlefield during the Filipino-American war hailed from various parts of the country like Aguada Kahabagan of Laguna, Trinidad Tecson of Bulacan, and Teresa Magbanua of Iloilo(Camagay, 1998: 68-69). Still, it would be wrong to assume that because women actively participated in the revolution, they were no longer vulnerable to abuse in a society that was steeped in patriarchal and feudal mindset. Revolutionary leader Apolinario Mabini for example, strongly deplored Filipino revolutionary soldiers who raped Filipino women (Camagay, 1998: 70). The dawn of the 20 th century witnessed more interesting developments in the history of the women's movement in the Philippines. In 1905, Concepcion Felix de Calderon founded the first organization which called itself feminist - the Asociacion Feminista Filipina(AFF). Concepcion Felix was from the working class, although she was joined by women from the elite such as Trinidad Rizal, Librada Avelino, Maria Paz Guanzon, Maria Francisco, the Almeda sisters and Luisa de Silyar(Estrada-Claudio, 2005). The Asociacion Feminista Ilonga was founded a year later, headed by the elite woman Pura Villanueva­Kalaw, and engaged in the struggle for women's right to vote. The women's right to suffrage was approved in a plebiscite on April 30, 1937 with a record 90% in affirmative votes(Quindoza-Santiago, 1996: 165). The AFF f ounded the La Proteccion de la Infancia, Inc. and later ran the Gota de Leche, which concerned itself with women and children's health based on the recognition of the high maternal and infant mortality rates prevalent especially among the poor(Estrada-Claudio, 2005). A mass-based women's organization was also created in the name of the Samahang Makabayan ng mga Babaing Pilipino or National League of Patriotic Women in 1937. It was composed of women members of the nationalist, pro-independence, anti-American Sakdalista . 3 . organization. The Samahang Makabayan was a curious case. They were of the belief that women should refrain from participating in politics. They believed that women's empowerment and gender equality were western values (Terami-Wada, 2014: 100-101). During the Second World War, Filipino women were subjected to war crimes. A number of them became comfort women and became victims, not just of rape but of the heavier crime of sexual slavery. This phenomenon was among the worst cases of systematic rape suffered by women in war time(Kimura, 2003: 2). Some were promised jobs, and subsequently brought to'comfort houses' where they experienced repetitive rape by tens of Japanese soldiers per day. The youngest comfort woman was aged at around nine years old(Kimura, 2003: 7-8). Most were forcibly abducted, raped repetitively, and were made to do chores for the Japanese soldiers(Yap, 2016). Amidst rampant victimization, there were women who actively participated in the armed resistance against the Japanese oppressors. Among these women the most popular was Felipa Culala, who was popularly known by her alias, Dayang-dayang. Culala was a female guerilla commander who led one of the earliest guerilla forces against the Japanese in 1942 as part of the popular armed resistance by a group called HUKBALAHAP or Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon (People's Army Against the Japanese). She led a successful ambush of combined Japanese and Filipino forces, killing some 30­40 Japanese forces and 68 Filipino police, and capturing their armaments. Women guerrillas were stereotypically labeled as Huk Amazons by the press and the post-war 2 The term 'ilustrado' or 'ilustrados' , Spanish for'enlightened' or'learned', referred to middle-class Filipinos who were educated in Europe and who subscribed to European ideals of nationalism and liberalism. 3 The Sakdal movement started as a newspaper that heavily criticized the traditional politicians. It later evolved into an armed organization. Its only woman member then was Salud Algabre, who hailed from the municipality of Cabuyao. She was hunted by the Philippine Constabulary after the failed Sakdal uprising in 1935 and was imprisoned more than once because of her subversive activities (Kintanar& David, 1996: 77-79). 2