"This book would show us that heroism is not confined to a single gender. Dating back from our pre-colonial roots, with the highly respected babaylan, many Filipinas have distinguished themselves and proved time and time again that women are capable of being heroes. During the three different periods2 under colonial powers, women have joined the call to rise and fight against those that threaten Philippine sovereignty and improve the conditions of Filipinos... This publication highlights the lives of women across three periods of our history when the country was faced with foreign colonizers, the Spanish, American and Japanese periods. The Spanish colonial period being the longest, the context of the heroic action needed to be carefully laid out to show how the actions of the women gave tremendous service to other Filipinos. The struggle for identity and independence continued into the American period thus showing how women continued to blaze new trails for themeselves and for other Filipinos in various fields. The selection of women featured here on the brief Japanese occupation highlighted primarily their role in the country's return to freedom..." --Foreword