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ABSTRACT
The Virgin Mary looms large as the image of a "good" Filipina or Filipino woman in both cultural and religious landscapes in the Philippines. A "good Filipina" imagery points specifically to the weak or passive woman, who is represented by a satirical character named Maria Clara. The Roman Catholic Church reinforces such imagery to highlight the Madonna-Whore dichotomy. However, in the twenty-first century, Filipino women have come to challenge the image of a good woman as weak and passive person. This paper explores the challenges that Filipinas face in their everyday lives, which call for a re-examination of the role of Catholic faith in their lived experiences.
Keywords
Filipina, rights, religion, gender
Introduction
A photograph, which appeared in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on July 23, 2016, would become the haunting image of the human cost of the present administration's "war on drugs." A grieving woman cradled her slain partner, a rickshaw driver, and a suspected illegal drug peddler, who was killed in execution-style supposedly by vigilante killers. Raffy Lerma, who photographed the haunting scene, named it as "La Pieta," an obvious reference to The Pieta by Michelangelo. Newly-elected President Rodrigo Duterte, in his first-ever State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25, 2016 regarded the picture (and the reference to Pieta) as "melodramatic." His precise words: "Then there you are, sprawled, and you are portrayed in a broadsheet like Mother Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus Christ. These people, we'll be doing dramatics here."
The mention of The Pieta in the historic SONA reveals the power that photographs wield in framing the perceived association of Filipino women to the long-suffering Virgin Mother.
The Madonna and Child images abound-a fitting image of a loving mother. The Pieta provides a magnificent background for a, self-sacrificing and passive mother. These images loom heavily and provide a fitting representation of a loving mother. Indeed, The Pieta offers a magnificent impression of a long-suffering mother (Peracullo 2015, 38). What destabilizes or problematizes this image however is another image of Filipino women as "empowered" and "highly educated."
Representations of educated Filipino women, bravely and resolutely leaving their loved ones and country behind to work in strange lands as domestic helpers, nurses, caregivers and performers abound in mainstream...