From A Young Woman of Bulacan: An essay reacting to Rizal’s To the Young Women of Malolos

by Rachelle Herrera

In Rizal’s letter to the twenty (20) young women of  Malolos who petitioned to the Governor-General that a “night school” be opened so they could be taught Spanish, he praised the courageous character and good judgments of the Filipinas and at the same time encouraged them to play their role in the deliverance of the people from servitude. Despite the church’s objection to their proposal, these women managed to secure permission to go on a “night school” with Señora Guadalupe Reyes as their teacher. Back in their time, the women doesn’t have the same status as men have. They are not given the privilege to vote nor to have a formal education. The only things they are being taught at home and in the church are prayers and invocations. They are also taught to submit themselves to men such as their father, the priests, and even their husbands.  Hence, this act of the young women from Malolos is surely one of the courageous acts taken by women in the past to forward gender equality in the society.

As a Filipina who lives in the 20^th century when we are no longer under the rule neither of Spain nor of any country, this act of bravery done by the Filipinas in the past is truly admirable. I feel sad though because Filipinas today are passive and complacent. Despite of the many success stories of Filipinas excelling in fields usually dominated by men, there are still a majority of our fellowmen who are content in being just a housewife and has no intention of further improving themselves. The only thing they care about is their daily survival and fails to take into account the future.  Rizal also said in the letter that there is no tyranny if there is no cowardice and negligence on the part of others. Even though Rizal said this many centuries ago, this statement still rings true today. Domestic violence is rampant among the Filipina housewives and the law cannot protect them from their abusive spouses because they let their abusers get away with what they did to them. This might be out of love but in my own opinion, I see it as the cowardice and negligence that Rizal has mentioned in the letter.

 He also mentioned that God would have wanted men to decide for themselves and not rely on others on what they must do or say. He emphasized the ignorance is servitude; meaning a man  who think is a man while a man who lets other people judge him or make decisions for him is like a beast led by a halter. He even pointed out the difference between the God in the Bible and the God being worshipped by the friars. It was a good comparison of how far they are from each other. I also agree that God created men to be equal and that He is the source of wisdom. He wouldn’t want man to be hoodwinked and led like a beast in a halter. If that’s what He wanted, He wouldn’t have sacrificed His life to save ours and give us agency.

There are a lot of things he mentioned in the letter but the one last thing that impresses me the most is this quote:

“Consider well what kind of religion they are teaching you.  See whether it is the will of God or according to the teachings of Christ that the poor be succored and those who suffer alleviated. “

As women, we must be aware of the things happening around us. We must make sure that the things we believe in, our actions, and decisions in life are prudent so that when the time comes that we become mothers, our children would learn from us and we may be able to contribute in building our country.