The woman on the P1,000 bill’s message for the cityhood of Cebu City

The lone woman in the P1,000 bill is Josefa Llanes Escoda. She is memorialized on the bill depicting Filipinos who died resisting the Japanese Imperial Army that invaded the Philippines. With her are two men, General Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos. Santos was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and caretaker of the country after Manuel Quezon left, he was arrested in Barili, Cebu, and brought to Mindanao to be executed by the Japanese.

Josefa was born on September 20, 1898 and last seen alive on January 6, 1945, presumed to be executed after she was arrested together with her husband. She was also the founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

Here is a reprint of the letter that Jose Llanes Escoda sent to Alfredo Jacinto, the first Cebu City mayor. The letter is taken from “The Golden Book of Cebu 1937”. Here is the letter:

“December 14, 1936 My dear Mayor Jacinto;

I am happy to extend to you my most heartfelt congratulations for your appointment as Mayor of the new City. They could not have made a better appointment. You have all the qualifications, and more, which the new job requires. We are happy to bask in reflective glory and we will not miss any opportunity to tell people that we have the privilege of knowing your Honor. I wish you continued success and I hope that you will not forget to push the woman suffrage campaign in that city. The womanhood of the Philippines will be eternally indebted to you for your civic mindedness in helping us meet the required quota. I hope, further, that Mrs. Jacinto will find it possible to identify herself with the movement to inspire and encourage the women to support it. With my deepest regards to your family, I am.

Very sincerely, JOSEFA LLANES ESCODA, Secretary, National Federation of Women’s Clubs of the Philippines, Manila.”

Escoda was speaking of the upcoming referendum on women’s suffrage. During the 1934 Constitutional Convention the Sotto brothers pushed for women’s suffrage or the right to vote, but a compromise was reached that although the 1935 Constitution did not grant women’s right of suffrage, a law has to be passed calling for a referendum. Thus Commonwealth Act No. 34 was approved on September 30, 1936 calling for a referendum on April 30, 1937 asking the women of the country if they were in favor of getting the right to vote. The result; 447,725 voted in favor, while 52,275 voted against it.