Elisa Rosales Ochoa (December 3, 1897 – September 20, 1978) was the first woman elected to the

Philippine Congress The Congress of the Philippines ( fil, Kongreso ng Pilipinas, italic=unset) is the legislature of the national government of the Philippines. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, although colloquially the ter ...

in 1941.

Background

Ochoa was born in

Butuan Butuan (pronounced ), officially the City of Butuan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Butuan; Butuanon: ''Dakbayan hong Butuan''; fil, Lungsod ng Butuan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Caraga, Philippines. It is the ''de facto'' ca ...

, in what was then the province of Agusan. Her parents were Canuto Rosales and Ramona Villanueva, In 1915, she became a licensed nurse after completing her studies at the

Philippine General Hospital The Philippine General Hospital (also known as University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital or UP–Philippine General Hospital), simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated ...

. She married Enrique Ochoa, a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and spent the next several years working at different hospitals as a nurse. In 1934, Ochoa returned to schooling, finally obtaining a high school diploma. By 1936, she had obtained an associate of arts degree from the

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. Some national universities are associated with national cultural or po ...

. After passing a

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

examination for nursing superintendents in

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

First woman member of Congress

In 1937, the right of

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

was extended to Filipino women after a law allowing the same was approved via

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

Elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

were scheduled for 1941. Ochoa interrupted her law school studies to return home and run for the National Assembly representing the province of Agusan. Ochoa handily won the election on November 11, 1941. Ochoa would not have the opportunity to fully serve out her term. Less than a month after her election, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines commenced, and the National Assembly was unable to convene until it was reorganized under the control of the Japanese in 1943. Ochoa nonetheless tried to perform her official duties as a member of Congress. She was active in

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

efforts during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the restoration of the Commonwealth government under

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Sergio Osmeña Sergio Osmeña Sr. (, ; 9 September 1878 – 19 October 1961) was a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the fourth president of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was vice president under Manuel L. Quezon. Upon Quezon's sudden ...

, Ochoa resumed her duties as the duly elected Congresswoman of Agusan.

Later life

Ochoa's term expired in 1946, and she was not a member of the 1st Congress that was elected in that year. Still, Ochoa remained in public service, acting as a presidential technical assistant on health to

Presidents President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ramon Magsaysay Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino statesman who served as the seventh president of the Philippines, from December 30, 1953, until his death in an aircraft disaster on March 17, 1957. An automo ...

and

Carlos P. Garcia Carlos Polestico Garcia (November 4, 1896 – June 14, 1971) was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader who was the eighth president of the Philippines. A l ...

. She would also help establish a school for

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

in her hometown, Butuan. Ochoa died on September 20, 1978, at the age of 80. She is buried in Butuan. She left behind a daughter, Aida Veloso, and 2 grandchildren.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ochoa, Elisa Filipino nurses Filipino suffragists People from Agusan del Norte 1897 births 1978 deaths Women members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Agusan del Norte Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Agusan del Sur Filipino collaborators with Imperial Japan People from Butuan KALIBAPI politicians Nacionalista Party politicians National University (Philippines) alumni Members of the National Assembly (Second Philippine Republic) Members of the National Assembly of the Philippines