WOMEN OF ABRA
An ongoing documentary project about the women of Abra, Philippines, whose work in advocacy, education, peace building, good governance, and community development has shaped the province, often far from public attention.
The project began through my aunt, Puraperla “Pura” Sumangil, an educator, community organizer, social activist, and longtime member of the Auxiliaries of the Apostolate who made Bangued, Abra her home in 1970. She later co-founded the Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Government (CCAGG), which became known for involving ordinary citizens in monitoring government infrastructure projects and holding public institutions accountable. Her work also extended into peace building, education, Indigenous communities, and some of the more remote areas of the Cordillera.
Her work earned national and international recognition. She received the Aurora Aragon Quezon Peace Award, was among the Filipino women nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, and in 2022 received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, a papal honor recognizing service to the Catholic Church. CCAGG itself received Transparency International's Integrity Award in 2000 and the Galing Pook Citizenship Award in 2015 for its community based monitoring of government programs and services.
Before her death, Aunt Pura allowed me to begin documenting her story and provided names of people she wanted me to speak with. That work has since expanded beyond a portrait of one person. I have begun photographing and recording the women who worked alongside her, including members of the Auxiliaries of the Apostolate, women from Indigenous communities, civic leaders, educators, election workers, and others whose lives and work intersected with hers.
Many of these women spent decades working in communities that remain difficult to reach, through periods of political violence and instability, monitoring public projects, advocating for peace and accountability, supporting education, and helping ordinary citizens participate in decisions affecting their communities.
The project will continue through repeated visits to Bangued and communities throughout Abra, following the people, places, and unfinished work Aunt Pura left behind. More than documenting her legacy, it is becoming a record of a generation of women whose stories are intertwined with the modern history of Abra and whose work continues through the people and communities they served.
