English 10 THY Report Paper 3rd Draft

John Noel M. Viaa

2008-13900

BRAVERY BEYOND BEAUTY Nelia Sanchos Story of a Beauty Queen Turned Activist Bb. Pilipinas First Runner-Up in 1969, UP Lantern Queen in 1970, and Queen of the Pacific in 1971 three coronations in three years. she could have never asked for more. With these titles, Nelia Sancho could not have asked for more. She could have lived the luxurious and comfortable life every beauty queen is entitled to. Yet, she turned away from all the fame and prestige and decided to take a path few people with such distinction would dare go -- a life of activism. FollowingAfter her beauty queen experience, Nelia pursued her Mass Communications degree pursue meaning she finished the degree? Or she continued her studies? at UP Diliman in on 1972. However, she felt a need to get involved in something more meaningful and progressive. With the liberal environment in UP, she found a space for her idealism through joining demonstrations and discussion groups. When Martial Law was declared in September 1972, she went undergroundclarify what you mean by this together with other student activists from UP. However, on 1973, authorities raided the apartment in Malabon where she and other activists were staying. Authorities shot two activists and took Nelia and the rest of the activists to a safehouse where they were detained for a month. With the arresting officer being a distant relative of Nelias family, she and other two female UP students were released. Nelia returned to her home in Davao City and worked as a credit and collection staff in Asia Industries, a company that sold trucks and yarders. However,

the shooting incident at her apartment left her psychologically disturbed. She felt a need to search for answers on how to make the government accountable for the murder of two activists. So, in 1976, she joined a wing of the National Democratic Fronts anti-Martial Law movement in Mindanao. In Cagayan de Oro, she worked with foreign priests, assisting fishermen and urban poor people in writing letter to authorities to express their community concernsproblems and articulate their demands for services such as water and electricity. However, in 1976, an informant revealing whereabouts of members of the underground movement allowed the Cagayan de Oro Metrocom police to track herrevice. She was arrested for the second time and was detained in Cagayan de Oro City. Move to next paragraph-Because of a hunger strike she waged along with other political detainees, military authorities decided to transfer her along with another activist to the Manila Detention Center. She was first isolated from the rest of the detainees in the detention center; but because of a hunger strike she made, she was brought to Camp Crame and was later transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa along with other detainees. This paragraph is quite difficult to follow. Clarify the sequence of transfers. Being imprisoned did not weaken Nelias idealism nor her bravery. In the two years and four months she was imprisoned in Camp Bagong Diwa, she, together with other detainees, staged three hunger strikes for the release of female detainees who were pregnant or who were nursing children, and for the improvement of their detention facility. She was released in June 1978 when she got pregnant with her first child in prison. Months after her release, she got involved in the human rights movement against the torture of political prisoners and took care of children of political prisoners through a Day Child

Care Center project which was initiated in 1980. She also co-founded the Gabriela women's coalition in 1984. Eventually, she became a fulltime worker in the NGO-are you still referring to Gabriela/ movement for women and children's rights. Up toUntil now, she works as a volunteer in the NGO, working for victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery system (comfort women" lolas) during WWII, and for Filipino migrants who were victimized by international trafficking syndicates. The martial law era defined my politics, and perhaps caused me to be brave to enable me to stand up for my rights, and other people's human rights when these are being violated by authorities, or by an individual. I have learned to set aside my fear and have confidence when I know that the truth have to be surfaced., Nelia Sancho stated when asked how did she stood up as an activist during Martial Law and as a human rights worker nowadays.make this more concise Nelia Sancho is a woman who has chosen a life of activism and service over a life of comfort and luxury. She portrays not only the indigenous beauty every Filipinao woman possess, but also the genuine bravery every Filipinao woman is willing to exhibit once her country and its people are oppressed revise for more impact.
Everytime you move to another paragraph, use the proper noun first (Nelia) before the pronouns

Reference: Sancho, Nelia. E-mail Interview. 6 March 2009.