In the Philippines, it is almost impossible not to have had a teacher who was a woman.
This teacher may have been a young, fresh graduate who was the eldest daughter and breadwinner for her family. Or perhaps, a college student, already a practicing teacher, who taught her class so enthusiastically you could only hope she’d graduate and teach you again. She may have been the middle-aged woman with the sharp make-up look, who was strict but endearingly called everyone her “anak.” Or perhaps, she was in her early 30s, and you can’t help but stare at her stomach as she teaches, amazed at how effortlessly she taught while being pregnant.
She is someone you could recognize from your own life. Whoever she was, you remember her—not just for what she taught, but for how she made you feel seen.
But how often did you make her see?
For many women, their problems are interwoven by the very fact that they are women.
The expectations are heavier, the labor often unseen is greater, and their spaces to find strength in their struggles are smaller. A woman teacher may be judged more harshly for moments of weakness, expected to smile through exhaustion, or carry her personal struggles silently so as not to “burden” others. In the Philippines, these realities compound, creating lives where professional, familial, and societal responsibilities and issues are stacked one on top of the other.
And yet, they persevere. These are the same women who will stay late to tutor a struggling student, even if they won’t get overtime. They will spend their own money for classroom supplies without hesitation. They offer emotional support to their pupils, even when they themselves are running on empty. These are not just acts of duty but of love, and they deserve to be recognized as such.
Big Deal: An Anthology of Filipino Women's Stories and Art Volume I shines a light on these kinds of realities. In this anthology, the voices of Gen Z and Millennial Filipinas reflect the weight, resilience, and beauty of womanhood. Through essays, poetry, and art, it captures the plurality of women’s experiences, celebrates their creativity, and insists on making their labor visible.
In honoring these stories, we honor the women who have shaped us, taught us, and quietly built the people we've become today.
At the same time, it's a reminder to take a chance to share a few words—or perhaps a book like Big Deal—to express that honor and gratitude.
by Rae Goco