Tandang Sora (Elder Sora), also known as Melchora Aquino. The Mother of the Revolution.
She was a peasant all her life, and her love for the land was insurmountable. I can only speculate that it’s probably why, when shit hit the fan, she did everything she could to protect it.
She’s already in her 80s when she joined the revolution. I like to imagine Tandang Sora wielding a bolo knife in the battle field, shouting war cries, but realistically she didn’t have the strength to do that. However, her contributions should not and cannot be overlooked.
She opened her house to the revolutionary fighters, specifically the Katipuneros (her sons were most likely also in it too). Her house became a sanctuary, a refuge to all the revolutionaries. She fed them and gave aid to the wounded.
I picture Tandang Sora as the cool grandma who would let you take a sip of booze and tell you stuff like “I’d rather you do it here than somewhere else.” This is why decisive meetings were held at her place. It was also at her house in August of 1896 where “Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin” (The Cry of the Hawk’s Nest) took place. It was a momentous event in the revolution; the Katipuneros, led by Andres Bonifacio, tore up their Cedulas (tax certificate) as a symbol of officially denouncing their allegiance to Spain.
Tandang Sora was a real G. She was arrested on Aug 29, 1896 and imprisoned at the Bilibid Prison. Interrogated and possibly (and I don’t want to imagine it) tortured to give out information and betray the Katipuneros. Obviously, a badass that she was, she didn’t say a single word. Eventually, she was exiled to Guåhan (Guam) for six years, but returned in 1903. She lived up to 107 before passing away peacefully in her hometown. Now she rests at the Mauseleo de Los Veterenos de La Revolucion, forever keeping watchful eyes to the land she loved.