Silang, Gabriela

(1731–1763), also known as the ‘Joan d’Arc of the Ilocos’. She was the wife of the insurgent leader, Diego Silang, who fought for the independence of Ilocos from Spain. She was one of his closest advisors and his unofficial aide-de-camp during skirmishes with Spanish troops. When Spanish collaborators assassinated Diego, Gabriela assumed her husband’s role as commander of the rebel troops. In 1763 she was captured and hanged in Vigan’s central plaza after watching all her men die ahead of her