Gardeopatra Gador Quijano (April 27, 1918 – May 3, 2003) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

Visayan Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...

dentist, teacher, writer, and fiction author known for her novel, ''Lourdes'', which is regarded as the first

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

novel written in the

Cebuano language Cebuano (Cebuano
on Merriam-Webster.com ), natively called by its generic term Bisaya or Binisaya (bot ...

. She is considered the first Cebuana

fiction writer and was awarded the ''Gawad CCP para sa Sining'' in 1993.

Early life

Quijano was born in

Alcantara Alcantara, Alcântara (Portuguese), Alcántara (Spanish), Alcàntara, Alcàntera, El-Qantarah and (El) Kantara are all transliterations of the Arabic word ''al qantara'' (القنطرة), meaning "the bridge". Alcantara may refer to: People * A ...

, Cebu,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on April 27, 1918. She was the eldest daughter of the nine children of

Aglipayan , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...

bishop and Cebuano writer Juan P. Quijano and Segundina Gador and attended schools in Cebu, Lanao,

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, and

Oroquieta Oroquieta,(formerly known as Layawan), officially the City of Oroquieta ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Oroquieta; fil, Lungsod ng Oroquieta), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines. According to the 20 ...

Misamis Occidental Misamis Occidental ( ceb, Kasadpang Misamis; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Sindepan Mis'samis''; fil, Kanlurang Misamis), officially the Province of Misamis Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province located in the Regions of the Ph ...

. Former Misamis Occidental governor

Gedeon Quijano Gedeon Gador Quijano (Alcantara, Cebu, 13 December 1910 – 15 May 1989) was a Filipino politician, governor of Misamis Occidental, and later Doctor of Medicine, medical doctor in the United States at Salisbury – W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical C ...

was her brother. She became a college teacher and a dentist, whereby people call her the nickname "Doktor or Dok Garding". She settled in Oroquieta for most of her life and remained unmarried.

Writing

Quijano was the first feminist fictionist in

Cebuano literature Cebuano literature includes both the oral and written literary forms Cebuano of colonial, pre-colonial and post-colonial Philippines. While the majority of Cebuano writers are from the Visayas and Mindanao region, the best-known literary outlets ...

and one of the early pre-war short story writers. She had written two novels and over 150 stories and wrote for periodicals

The Freeman ''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberl ...

, ''Nasod (Nation)'', ''Babaye (Woman)'' and '' Bag-ong Kusog (New Force)'' and other publications before and after

World War II 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 ...

. In addition, she used the pen names Flora Burgos and Gerardo Largavista, and was a poet, literary critic, essayist, translator and columnist. She won literary prizes for the short stories ''Maayong Ngalan (Noble Name)'' and ''Ang Asawa nga Dala sa Akong Uyoan (literal translation: The Wife that My Uncle Brought Home).'' She also led the Misamis chapter of the Cebuano writers group ''LUDABI (Lubas sa Dagang Binisaya)'', serving as its president from the late 1960s to 1970s, and initiated the first literary workshops in that part of the country, giving lectures on writing fiction and non-fiction.

Feminism

Feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

themes were prevalent in her writing particularly on women's concerns and domestic problems, advocating for education for women during the time when many girls did not go to school. In particular in her novel, ''Lourdes'', the first feminist novel written in Cebuano language and which was serialized in

Vicente Rama Vicente Rama (June 6, 1887 – December 24, 1956) was a Filipino Visayan legislator, publisher, and writer from Cebu, Philippines. Recognized as the Father of Cebu City, he authored the bill for its cityhood which was approved into law by Octobe ...

's prewar Cebuano newspaper ''Bag-ong Kusog'' from August to September 1939, spoke about women's 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 ...

'''' and discussed themes on male-oriented discourse, child labor, and social contract inherent in ''

utang na loob ''Utang na loob'' (Visayan: ''utang kabubut-un'') is a Filipino cultural trait which, when translated literally, means "a debt of one's inner self (''loob'')." Charles Kaut translated the term in 1961 as a "debt of gratitude," while Tomas An ...

(debt of gratitude)''. Being a single woman was also a theme explored in her published short story, ''Ang Babaye ug ang Panimalay (The Woman and the Household),'' which was printed in 1931. Critic Hope Yu commented that for Quijano, "Being unmarried is central to marriage, family and community if the woman's autonomy provides her with the necessary space to do excellent work."

''Gawad CCP Para sa Sining''

She was awarded the ''Gawad CCP Para sa Sining: Panitikang Rehiyunal'' (CCP Awards for the Arts for Regional Literature) from the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines ( fil, Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas, or CCP) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines.Presidential Decree No. ...

in 1993. Part of the recognition read, "With numerous works in various genres published over a span of several decades, she is an enduring pillar of

Philippine literature Philippine literature is literature associated with the Philippines from prehistory, through its colonial legacies, and on to the present. Pre-Hispanic Philippine literature was actually epics passed on from generation to generation, o ...

... Over the years she has been hailed as a feminist writer whose political beliefs and creative works inspired other women writers to follow the path she had blazed."

Death

Quijano died on May 3, 2003. Her short stories are included in an anthology, ''Nabanhaw nga Himaya (Reawakened Bliss)'' translated into English by Hope Sabanpan Yu of University of San Carlos' Cebuano Studies Center and Haidee Emmie Palapar of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

External links

Cebuano Studies Center: Gardeopatra Quijano

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quijano, Gardeopatra 1918 births 2003 deaths People from Misamis Occidental Members of the Philippine Independent Church Filipino writers Writers from Misamis Oriental 20th-century Filipino writers Filipino dentists Cebuano writers Feminist writers Cebuano literature Cebuano language 20th-century dentists