Remedios Gomez-Paraiso had the perfect life. She grew up in a town in the province of Pampanga in the Philippines where her father was the Mayor. Remedios enjoyed making dresses, perfume, make up, dancing, and was a local beauty queen. That is, until, the Japanese invaded and murdered her father when he tried to lead a rebellion against them. After swearing to avenge her father, Remedios ’ interests shifted from dances and dresses to resistance and insurgency.
Remedios joined the Hukbalahap Rebellion (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon, which means “People’s Anti-Japanese Army”). Her first job in the rebellion was as a nurse, but her fighting spirit and passion made her superiors realize she was NOT a woman you could mess with. WIthin months Remedios was given her own squadron of over 200 men to lead. Remedios took the name Kumander Liwayway, which means “Commander Dawn”.
Kumander Liwayway and her squadron went on to fight in battles and skirmishes all over Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales, provinces in the Philippines. One particular fight was the Battle of Kamansi. The rebel forces were so outnumbered that their ranking officer shouted commands to retreat. Liwayway’s voice was louder. When the Kumander roared to advance, her 100 troops heard her and held the line. Rebel reinforcements arrived at the scene, only to find that Liwayay and her men had nearly won the battle.
Before each battle, Kumander Liwayway would take the time to style her hair, buff her nails, and apply her trademark bright red lipstick. When she was asked why she looked like she was going to a party and not to a battlefield, Liwayway answered, “Why shouldn’t I? One of the things I am fighting for is the right to be myself.” Liwayway embraced her femininity and flaunted it instead of throwing it away in shame while being part of the male-dominated war effort. More than 10% of the troops fighting in the war effort were women. Kumander Liwayway and every woman involved in the rebellion showed that yes, anything men could do women could do, and even better.
By taking the time to do her hair and makeup, Liwayway also showed her troops how calm and fearless she was in the face of death. It seemed to work, seeing as they went on to have many more victories until the second time Liwayway was captured. When her captors killed her husband, she left the war to raise her child.
This couldn’t stop Kumander Liwayway from fighting. She advocated for the rights of soldiers, and for over 20 years she personally helped veterans fill out paperwork and lobby for a pension. Remedios Gomez-Parisio died at the age in 2014 at the age 95 in Quezon City, Philippines.
Parisio said, “Filipino women played an important role during the war. They dedicated their lives to a noble cause not only to drive away the Japanese invaders but [also] to pursue the struggle for genuine freedom, true justice and democracy … I hope that someday, the role of these unsung heroines will find a place in history”. Well here we are, Kumander Liwayway, remembering not only all the women who fought in the war and what they did for your country, but also you and what your story has done for women everywhere.
