Natividad Almeda-López
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Natividad Almeda-López (8 September 1892 – 22 January 1977) was a suffragist[2] and the first female lawyer in the Philippines,[3] passing the bar in 1914 and the first woman to defend a woman in a court of law.[4][5] She was also the first female judge of the municipal court of Manila. She has been described as a "beacon in the feminist movement".[6]
8 September 1892[1]
Personal life
Career
Almeda-López passed the bar in 1913 but due to her being too young she had to wait one year before joining the Roll of Attorneys.[5] Aged 26 she delivered a speech at the Philippine Legislative Assembly arguing for women's rights.[5] In 1919 she was hired by the Bureau of Justice and was promoted to assistant attorney at the Attorney General’s Office.[5] In 1934 president Manuel Quezon gave her a permanent appointment as city judge of the City of Court of Manila, a post she had served in as a temporary capacity for three years.[6]
Honours
Since her death the government of the Philippines has honoured her legacy in various ways. In 1996 Natividad Lopez Street was named after her.[8] She was given three presidential awards, the Presidential Medal of Merit for her leadership in the feminist movement in 1955, in 1966 she was given recognition for her work in women's rights and in 1968 she again received the Presidential Medal of Merit[6]