An iconic figure in the Philippine revolutionary movement is expected in Vancouver for the launch of a progressive women’s organization.

Maria Consuelo ‘Coni’ Kalaw Ledesma will deliver the keynote address to inaugurate a new international chapter of GABRIELA on Sunday (May 19) at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (800 East Broadway).

Based in the Philippines, GABRIELA stands for General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Action.

The organization got its name from Gabriela Silang, a Philippine version of Joan of Arc. She was the first Filipino woman revolutionary to lead an independence movement against Spanish colonialism during the 18^th century.

Ledesma was cut from the same revolutionary cloth.

Born to a wealthy family in central Philippines, Ledesma was a nun when she became involved in social issues.

She went underground after martial law was declared in the Philippines in 1972. She was captured not long after, but was released after about a year in detention.

Ledesma is currently a member of a panel with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), which has been negotiating peace with the Republic of the Philippines.

The NDFP is the united front organization of different Filipino underground organizations fighting for what is described as the “completion of the national democratic revolution”.

The front’s 12-point program includes advancing the “revolutionary emancipation of women in all spheres”.

One of the NDFP’s member organizations is MAKIBAKA (Malayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababihan or the Free Movement of New Women), of which Ledesma is the international representative.

In a previous talk in The Netherlands, where Ledesma has been living in exile, she extolled the establishment of MAKIBAKA in 1970 as a “major landmark in the history of the women’s movement in the Philippines”.

“It articulated the oppression suffered by women and the need for women’s liberation through participation in the nationalist struggle,” Ledesma said.

For its part, GABRIELA is a grassroots-based group that addresses issues like women’s rights, gender discrimination, and violence.

As a new organization, GABRIELA B.C. is an offshoot of the women’s organizing committee of Migrante B.C., a Filipino group focused on migrant concerns.

Erie Maestro is a Vancouver librarian and chair of Migrante B.C.’s board. According to her, Ledesma is the ideal speaker for the keynote address launching GABRIELA B.C.

“The liberation of women, especially in the Philippines, has always been linked to the movement for nationalism in democracy,” Maestro told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview Monday (May 13).

GABRIELA B.C.’s launch is a whole-day event on May 19, starting at 9:30 a.m.

Details here.