I was active in the student protest movement prior to the First Quarter Storm ( FQS ) in 1970 with mass activities in Adamson University, where I studied chemistry, through the Progresibong Samahan sa Inhenyeria at Agham (PSIA), then part of the progressive movement for national liberation, which organized and mobilized progressive students in science and technology. When writ of habeas corpus was suspended in 1971, I went underground and worked full time as a section secretary in the underground trade union movement in La Loma, Quezon City until my arrest under Martial Law in June 1973. I moved to Sweden after my release. My work aspires towards a dream of a democratic and prosperous Philippines for the coming generations.

I graduated in 1973 from Notre Dame Girls Department in General Santos City, which was run by the Dominican Sisters of Sienna and went to college at Mindanao State University. I studied midwifery for two years and took the board exam. I worked for a year, then entered the Dominican sisters of Sienna for three years, then returned home just before doing my temporary vows. The situation from 1983-1985 brought many military checkpoints to our peaceful town of South Cotabato, followed by militarization and oppression to workers who were considered progressives. This change was an awakening – namulat o nagising ako sa matagal at mahabang pagkatulog. My Ninong, the Barrio Captain, said to me: Be careful, we have our eyes on you. I left and worked with an NGO Community Based Health Program. Today, I am the district nurse at a hospital in Stockholm and am deeply involved in Ugnayang Pilipino, supporting the Philippine community in Sweden.

My father is an activist. My mother was an Ilocana and therefore a Marcos supporter, which created much division and conflict in my family. A close family member of mine was abducted and harmed by the Philippine Constabulary during Martial Law. I am a Traditional Philippine Hilot practitioner and a Birth Doula, and I believe that Kapwa is at the center of healing for our nation and our people. I am a Babaylan apprentice, Babaylan is a return to our indigenous practices and spiritual traditions to support decolonization and healing. I am currently studying Aquaponics Engineering at Norrtälje, Stockholm’s län, in hopes to bring this sustainable technology to Filipino farmers, who have suffered the most under Martial Law and continued corruption in Philippine government and policy. I’m working on a three part documentary on Martial Law called Balik Bayan, Balik Babaylan, Balik Bayani.

For many years I carried the shame of my father’s role as the highest ranking officer under Marcos during the Martial Law era. I did my best to ignore politics and escape my identity and history. After fleeing the Philippines in 1986, I studied film at Emerson College in Boston, and worked on a documentary then called Survivors of the Shoah, where I witnessed the power of Holocaust survivors sharing their story. I worked as a filmmaker, graphic designer, a yoga and meditation instructor. Once outside of my privileged and protected life in Philippines, I learned about the atrocities that occurred under Martial Law, which conflicted with the “Golden Era” narrative that I was taught. The birth of my daughter in 2019 showed me the importance of knowing not just my story, but the story of our homeland, our kababayan, and our ancestors. I’m working on a forthcoming memoir with data research through Masters Programme for Investigative Journalism at Gothenburg University in Sweden.