Josefa Llanes Escoda
| Josefa Llanes Escoda | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Josefa Madamba Llanes 20 September 1898 Dingras, Ilocos Norte, Captaincy General of the Philippines |
| Died | 6 January 1945 (aged 46) Manila, Commonwealth of the Philippines |
| Resting place | Unmarked grave in La Loma Cemetery, Caloocan City, Philippines |
| Spouse(s) | Antonio Escoda |
| Parent(s) | Mercedes Madamba and Gabriel Llanes |
Josefa Llanes Escoda (20 September 1898–c. 6 January 1945), also known as the "Florence Nightingale of the Philippines", is a war heroine, great civic leader, and social worker. She was a well-known Filipino advocate of women's right of suffrage and founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.
Josefa was born in Dingras, Ilocos Norte as Josefa Llanes (y) Madamba. She was the eldest of the seven children of Mercedes Madamba and Gabriel Llanes. Josefa's siblings were, Florencio, Luisa, Elvira, Rosario, Purita and Eufrocina. Josefa (or Pepa, her nickname as a child) grew up with an instilled idea of the true Christian service. Her mother was said to be a sweet, loving woman who taught her children the importance of serving the people. This amiable character honed by her mother manifested in many parts of Pepa’s life.
During her elementary days, Pepa was known to be a sunny, naturally active and precocious student. She also had unyielding importance for education. Josefa was valedictorian in grade school and salutatorian in high school in Dingras Elementary School (Dingras, Ilocos Norte). She went to Philippine Normal School in Manila to earn her teaching degree, and graduated with honors in 1919. While working as a teacher, she earned a high school teacher's certificate from the University of the Philippines in 1922.
After obtaining her teacher's certificate, she became a social worker for the Philippine Chapter of the American Red Cross (the Philippines was a colony of the United States at the time). The Red Cross granted her a scholarship to the United States, where she earned a masteral degree in Sociology from Columbia University in 1925. While in the United States, Josefa joined a group of foreign students who wholeheartedly supported an International House project in New York. During her free time in the International House, she accepted speaking engagements. It was also her practice to wear a Filipiniana dress during her lecture tours to arouse foreigner’s interest in Philippines.
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