Hilaria Aguinaldo

Who was Hilaria Aguinaldo?

Hilaria del Rosario was the first wife of General Emilio Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines. Emilio Aguinaldo married her on New Year's Day, 1896, the very same day he joined the Katipunan, the secret society that would initiate the Philippine Revolution. Although the title "first lady" was not used, and did not refer to the wife of the President of the Philippines at the time, she is today considered the first First Lady of the Philippines.

Mrs. Aguinaldo complemented Emilio's military campaigns by caring for wounded soldiers and their families. In 1899, as the president's spouse, she established the Hijas de la Revolución that later became Asociación de la Cruz Roja, considered a kind of precursor of the present Philippine National Red Cross, and for this she raised funds for medicine and other supplies. She was captured by American troops in 1900 and reunited with her husband after his capture by the Americans in 1901.

She died on March 6, 1921 because of leprosy.