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Outlook: I had a baby while leading the resistance from the mountains

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18/05/2023 GMT

I had a baby while leading the resistance from the mountains

BBC World Service - Outlook, I had a baby while leading the resistance from the mountains

Cecilia Oebanda was once famous as Commander Liway, a rebel leader in 1970s Philippines

Cecilia Oebanda was a resistance leader during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Now she's saving thousands of young people in the Philippines from human trafficking.

'I had a baby in one arm and a gun in the other.' Cecilia Oebanda's story begins in the Philippines when in 1972, as a teenager, she saw martial law declared by the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Senior. Cecilia joined a rebel group in the mountains and gained a reputation as a leader of the resistance – she became known as Commander Liway. She gave birth to her first child during that time, then in 1982, when she was pregnant again, she and her husband were captured by the Philippine military. For four years inside the prison walls Cecilia brought up her children not to lose hope. Now, four decades later, she protects young people in the Philippines from modern-day slavery. Her organisation Voice of the Free has already helped tens of thousands of girls and boys.  

Presenter:  Jo Fidgen
Producer: June Christie 

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Cecilia Oebanda Credit: Voice of the Free)

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