An actor turned councilor is pushing for the declaration of the year 2012 as Tandang Sora Year in Quezon City, to enable the city to celebrate appropriately throughout the year the bicentennial of the Grand Old Lady of the Revolution of 1896.
In a proposed ordinance, Councilor Roderick Paulate said that like our other heroes, Melchora Aquino de Ramos most commonly known as Tandang Sora should be given recognition for her role in shaping the history of the country.
She was a Filipino revolutionary who became known as Tandang Sora in the history of the Philippines because of her advance age when the Philippine Revolution broke out in 1896.
Tandang Sora, born on January 6, 1812, gained the title “Grand Old Lady of the Revolution” and the “Mother of Balintawak” for her heroic contributions to the struggle for Philippine Independence.
Paulate said that during the revolutionary era, Tandang Sora supported the Katipuneros by providing them food and medical attention and encouraged them with motherly advice and prayers.
She was captured and interrogated by the Spaniards but remained loyal and steadfast to the cause of independence and was eventually deported to Guam, Mariana Islands.
After the United States took control of the Philippines in 1898, Tandang Sora, like other exiles, returned to Philippines and lived in Quezon City until her death on March 2, 1919 at the age of 107. Her remains lie at the Himlayang Pilipino Memorial Park, Quezon City.
The Councilor said that Tandang Sora now serves as a symbol of women empowerment and an inspiration to all women and it is incumbent upon the Quezon City Government to commemorate the 200th birth anniversary of the late Melchora Aquino.
Paulate added that it is important to education the people of QC, especially the youth about the achievements of Tandang Sora especially as she was the only heroine who lived and worked in what is now Quezon City.
A Task Force Tandang Sora shall be formed for the yearlong celebration of the Tandang Sora bicentennial in Quezon City. Divine/ Maureen Quiñones, PAISO, QC
