Pinay Guerrilleras: The Unsung Heroics of Filipina Resistance Fighters During the Pacific War, 2nd Edition

by Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas

December 8th, 1941 marked the start of the full-scale invasion of the Philippines. With the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula and the fortified island Corregidor in the Spring of 1942, all hope seemed lost. But, almost overnight, the Philippine underground resistance began to take shape. Units made up of guerrilla volunteers from all walks of life participated in the liberation of the Philippines. The women guerrillas of the resistance, or guerrilleras, are one such group who have received less attention in Pacific Theater histories. The names and faces of those Filipina guerrilla soldiers, who led their own units, conducted espionage, nursed the wounded, led raids, or raised armies, have nearly been forgotten. The rigid gender barriers guerrilleras faced both on and off the field of duty resulted in their stories being silenced or relegated to less commanding roles in the aftermath of the war. This book attempts to bring these stories to light so that the legacy of these unsung Filipina resistance fighters lives on."Filipino female freedom fighters who fought bravely against Spanish colonization like Gabriela Silang, Gregoria de Jesus, and Melchora Aquino are more or less staples in Filipino history textbooks. But mentioning just a handful of female historical figures may sometimes make it appear that women’s involvement and participation in the various resistance movements were rare or exceptional, rather than integral to them. Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas’ book challenges this assumption and introduces us to more of these brave women, particularly those who risked their lives during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during the Second World War. Commander Guerrero, a.k.a. Simeona Punsalan, Dayang-Dayang, a.k.a. Felipa Culala and Kumander Mameng, a.k.a. Elena Poblete (just to name a few) deserve to take their places not just in the history of freedom fighting, but in history-making."- Carolina Ruiz, ALPHA Education"Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas has unearthed an intriguing gem of Pacific the gripping stories of the women warriors of the Philippines. In Pinay Guerrilleras Salinas traces their history from the medieval exploits of the renowned warrior princess Urduja up through the brave Filipinas who fought and gathered intelligence during the Japanese occupation and were probably the most important allies of General MacArthur that you've never heard of. If you've not thought of beautiful Filipinas as capable of wielding rifles and running a resistance movement you will be quite surprised by Salinas's well-researched book."-Paul Johnson, Director of "731 - How America Exploited Japan's Biological Weapons Crimes"

Genres: History, Nonfiction

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2019

Reviews

[maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical Background:
During World War 2, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began on December 8th, 1941, the day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.

April 1942, around 75,000 Filipina/o and American troops were forced to make a strenuous 65-mile march to prison camps. Thousands died during the Bataan Death March, from starvation, beatings, and exhaustion. More died from disease, mistreatment, and starvation at the prisoner-of-war camps.

The occupation of Japanese soldiers incited the formation of guerrilla volunteer forces, working toward the liberation and eventual independence of the Philippines.

These stories focus on the women guerrillas of the resistance, “the guerilleras”, who are less acknowledged (if mentioned at all) in media and history books. These Filipina guerilleras commanded their own units, conducted espionage (some, forced to be comfort women), and/or lead raids.

Pinay guerilleras were challenged by gender hierarchies and a patriarchal culture. This culture decided which stories get to be told and which fade into oblivion. Those viewed as a “Filipina amazon” (perceived to be beautiful, mestiza, maternal, ultra-feminine and pure) were more likely to be recognized as a war hero, yet they were still marginalized based on rigid gender conventions. Along with fighting against Japanese soldiers, Filipina guerilleras faced harsh discrimination from their fellow comrades. Despite these inequalities, Filipina guerilleras persisted to challenge the male hierarchy of leadership, to risk their own lives and fight for their country’s freedom. Their stories are typically romanticized. But these women deserve recognition for their sacrifice and bravery, even if their stories are dissonant from stereotyped war heroes.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important book that counters the notion that Filipinas were by and large helpless victims during WWII. My only gripe was that the author was rather repetitive in stating that Filipina resistance fighters were overlooked; I mean, I got that the first time. 🙂 Still, I hope there will be more editions if and/or when more accounts of their heroics come to light.

[Simon Gibson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook: I was really pleased to find this book as I'm trying to learn the history of the Philippines, however, after listening to the first half I must give up. It is badly written, constantly bashes the reader over the head with an American/Feminist diatribe to the point of nausea. I got the very important feminist message in the introduction. It was made very clear, rightly so, the lack of female voices in historical narratives, I do not need it repeated every paragraph. An incredibly important topic hijacked and, for me, ruined by a self aggrandising author.

[Abby Pugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it’d been more critical of us military and war in general 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently had the pleasure of reading Pinay Guerrilleras: The Unsung Heroics of Filipina Resistance Fighters During the Pacific War, and it left a lasting impression on me. This book explores the often-overlooked contributions of Filipina resistance fighters during World War II.

One aspect that stood out to me was the meticulous research evident throughout the book. The author delves deep into the lives of these unsung heroes, providing readers with a well-rounded understanding of the challenges they faced and the resilience they demonstrated. The inclusion of photographs added a visuals which, enhanced the book.

Thank you to the Pacific Atrocities Education for gifting me a copy to review.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a lot of good information in this book and I learned about some very interesting women. But the reading itself wasn’t very dynamic. I’m not sure if I have the second edition, I might have the first, so maybe some of these issues are resolved. There was so much repetition of points; I would have rather just had more detail about each person. Also, it was hard to focus at times because of the heavy editorializing in the writing. I appreciate the research that went into this book, it just took me a lot of effort to finish it.

[Ivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm happy this book exists - a lot of the time Filipinas in WWII are depicted as helpless or as comfort women. It did get a bit too repetitive at times about Filipina resistance fighters being overlooked, but it was still refreshing to read about the other side of things.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly well researched book that included all the references so you can read more about any of the stories. And she doesn't just write about the pretty guerrillas, she has an entire chapter devoted to regular women who did amazing things.