osefa Abiertas hailed from the town of Capiz, now Roxas City, where she was born in 1894. Hers was a life of hardship and toil from the very beginning. Her parents were poor and when she was eight years old, she and a younger brother were orphaned and stayed with their grandmother.

Young Josefa could have not gone to school had she not been found by two American Baptist missionary couples where they enrolled her at the Baptist Home School when this was opened in Capiz in 1904. The school is now the Filamer Christian College.

Her search for excellence broke a lot of boundaries and she found herself successful in many aspects. Among her notable achievements include being:

• First Filipino lady lawyer
• Bar topnotcher
• Outstanding Christian crusader and Pioneer social worker
• A Capizeña and a Filamerian

Josefa is an asset to the city and to the country by fighting women's rights almost a century ago. To commemorate her contributions to society, the Capiz Evangelical Church and Filamer Christian College named August 15 and 16, Josefa Abiertas Day. She was an exceptional woman who deserved an exceptional form of remembrance.

source: Demy P. Sonza