CEBU, Philippines - Local author Erma Cuizon recently launched two books, "Twilight in Misamis" and "Woman."
"Twilight in Misamis" is about a woman from Cebu who in 1942 organized the women in Misamis, and later in other provinces in Mindanao, to contribute to the act of resistance in the country during World War II. A Cebuana married to a Misamisnon, Josefina Borromeo Capistrano led women who were willing to extend help to the guerilla organization in the south of the Philippines. The organization, which started with less than ten women, was officially attached to the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and was called Women's Auxiliary Service, or WAS. The women helped the soldiers, almost like in housekeeping for a big family, such as grinding corn, cooking whatever food they could solicit, washing clothes for them, soliciting medicines for the wounded, acting as guerilla spies and giving hope to the lonely fighters of the country.
"Woman" is a collection of essays on the woman as part of society, with rights due her, as much as man has them in most societies. The Filipino woman is one of the freest women in Asia but she doesn't stop safeguarding her rights within her lifetime and for the next generations of her gender. The book marks the fight for freedom of women, from the stories of women leaders who want to be heard, to survivors of a hard family life. In this collection are the voices of women in the world, from leaders of women's movements like Betty Friedan and Ellen Goodman, to political leaders like Cory Aquino, to a simple woman the author met named Estrella in Talisay City who at 31 turned widow and married a second husband who left her. She earned money to feed her children by joining in boxing matches in a town in Mindanao. It is a book on stories of political and social freedom for women.
Both books are published by the University of San Carlos Press.