The Quezon City Government introduces the Tandang Sora Women’s Museum in Banlat, Quezon City. (Photo Courtesy of Quezon City Government)
Women continue to gain ground in different walks of life. In the era we are living now, we can see women freely making choices about their lives, participating fully in the causes they care about in their communities, and driving progress across all disciplines.
The growing share of women in economic development, political decision-making, and nation-building as a whole is something that can only happen in a distant dream in past societies.
It has not been easy for women’s voices to be heard and for their rights to be recognized but the fight for women empowerment has come a long way. Women speak with a louder voice in sharing the stories that define their paths. We can hear them better now.
Tandang Sora Women’s Museum
While much progress has been made in creating spaces for women inclusion, we cannot forget those women who have struggled to find their voice and those who fought to change their circumstances.
The Tandang Sora Women’s Museum in Quezon City seeks to immortalize and champion the contributions of notable women throughout Philippine history.
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From the Babaylan and other Philippine ritual specialists to women suffragists, the museum features the life works of various women who made strides and spearheaded innovations in different fields.
Among these is the story of Teresa Magbanua who was named the “fiercest woman in the whole Visayan islands during the revolution” for being one of the few women to join battles across Panay during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War.
The contributions of Encarnacion Alzona, the first female historian and woman to earn a doctorate degree, was also featured in the museum alongside the notable achievements of women in the field of art, science, and government.
Naming the women’s museum after Tandang Sora has a symbolic importance in view of the crucial role she played in shaping the nation’s history.
“Tandang Sora is really a role model for all of us, the young and old. Kasi biruin mo 84 years old–with her katapangan, mapagbigay sa kapwa, mapagmahal. Ito ang mga traits na kailangan natin,” Curator and Artist Sandra Torrijos explained.
(Tandang Sora is really a role model for all of us, the young and old. Can you imagine at 84 years old–with her bravery, generosity, and love for her fellow Filipinos. These are the traits that we need.)
Tandang Sora was a Filipino revolutionary heroine who selflessly risked her life and livelihood to support the country’s fight for independence by tending to the needs of struggling Katipuneros from food, medical care, to motherly comfort.
From concept to creation: Journey to building the country’s first women’s museum
The Tandang Sora Women’s Museum started with a dream of then 24-year-old woman named Sandra Torrijos.
Her dream of establishing a dedicated museum for women is rooted in the hope that one day, the world will embrace the fact that no history existed with a womanless past.
More than 30 years passed and this hope still served as the essential anchor that carried Torrijos to the inception of an idea that eventually led to the creation of the first women’s museum in the country.
Torrijos shared that she presented a concept paper to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte last April 2023 which the local chief executive immediately welcomed. It took several months to finish the proposal and Torrijos received support from different women-led organizations.
She also received the support of individuals she met along the way during the course of the research process, such as the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies (UPCWGS) for instance.
Fast forward to January 2024, the construction of the women’s museum began which took a year of completion. The Tandang Sora Women’s Museum was launched in January 2025 at Banlat, Barangay Tandang Sora where Tandang Sora Shrine is located.
Torrijos is a visual artist who used to teach in UP College of Fine Arts. She was actively involved in different women-led movements by feminist organizations during the 1980s.
At 64 years old, she is still striving hard to ensure that the Philippines has a place for women who rightfully earned their place in history regardless of her age–just like Tandang Sora.
“Ang ating Tandang Sora Women’s Museum po ay kauna-unahang women’s museum sa ating bayan at napakahalaga dahil marami tayong matututunan–bata man o matanda, kahit ano man ang kasarian dahil napakalalim ng pinaghuhugutan ng mga storya ng ating mga heroines, hindi lang noong araw, kung hindi hanggang ngayon,” said Torrijos.
[Our Tandang Sora Women’s Museum is the first women’s museum in our country and it is very important because it will teach us a lot of things–regardless of age and gender because these (what you will see in this museum) are deeply rooted in the stories of women, not only those who existed in the past but also in the contemporary.]
The soft opening of the Tandang Sora Women’s Museum was held in line with the commemoration of the 213th birth anniversary of Melchora Aquino on January 6, 2025. Its official opening to the public is tentatively scheduled on February 19, 2025, in time for the heroine’s death anniversary. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
