Teresa Magbanua

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Magbanua and the second or maternal family name is Ferraris.
Teresa Magbanua
Birth nameTeresa Magbanua y Ferraris
Nickname(s)Nanay Isa
Nay Isa
Visayan "Joan of Arc"
Born(1868-10-13)October 13, 1868
Pototan, Iloilo, Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish Empire
DiedAugust 1947(1947-08-00) (aged 78)
Pagadian, Zamboanga, Philippines
Allegiance First Philippine Republic
Katipunan
  • Visayan Region
Service / branchPhilippine Revolutionary Army
Years of service1896–1900
RankBrigadier General (disputed)
CommandsBolo Battalion
Battles / warsPhilippine Revolution
* Battle of Barrio Yoting
* Battle of Sapong Hills
Philippine–American War
* Battle of Iloilo City
* Battle of Balantang
World War II
* Philippine Resistance (1941–45)
RelationsJuan Magbanua (father)
Alejandra Ferraris (mother)
Alejandro Balderas (husband)
Perfecto Poblador (uncle)
Pascual Magbanua (brother)
Elias Magbanua (brother)

Teresa Magbanua y Ferraris (October 13, 1868 – August 1947), better known as Teresa Magbanua and dubbed as the "Visayan Joan of Arc", was a Filipino schoolteacher and military leader. Born in Pototan, Iloilo, Philippines, she retired from education and became a housewife shortly after her marriage to Alejandro Balderas, a wealthy landowner from Sara, Iloilo.[1] When the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain broke out, she became one of only a few women to join the Panay-based Visayan arm of the Katipunan, the initially secret revolutionary society headed by Andrés Bonifacio.[2]

Despite opposition from her husband, Magbanua followed her two younger brothers and took up arms against the Spaniards,[3] leading troops into combat and winning several battles under the command of General Martin Delgado.[4] Magbanua is credited as the only woman to lead troops in the Visayan area during the Revolution.[5] Shortly thereafter, Magbanua shifted to fighting American colonial forces during the Philippine–American War.[1][6]

She is one of the few Filipinos to have participated in all three resistance movements against the three major colonizers: Spain (in the Philippine Revolution), the United States (in the Philippine–American War), and Japan (in World War II).[7]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Nay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cook 2006, p. 465.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dumindin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Yap was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Blog was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Gloria, Baby (June 7, 2017). "5 Filipino heroines who changed Philippine history". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-04-03.