Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

tually single-hsnded, although she was
| 1000 miles away frcTl her adored
| America-lsnd of her birth.
Her noble efforts thanks to CRATE
| full constituency, were not entirely in
vain. for the press Of tn land. notably
the Free Press, leading Manila weekly,
| lauded her as If she were native
| daughter. deserving of the nations
highest homage.
Into this simple tale of the romance
of politics IN the Philippines is there
fore woven. happily for the Filipino
youth, the name of a modest but brave
and exemplary Yankee girl.
According to the Free Press, she
would not nave been forced into poll
tics, if the opponents Of her Filipino
husband, running on the Democrcta
| licked for representative in the Philip
pine Legislature, had not argued in
their campaigns that thu electorate
should not vote for Sen Suntay be-
cause his wife was an A. icon. More
important. perhaps. YES t;1ct. instead
of speaking English or Spanish in her
campaign speeches. as mos of the ma
tive politicoS do, she used the native
dialect, Tagalog-and literally won the
election for her husband en- that one
count. She appealed directly, in the
native tongue, to the popular masses
1t proved decisive.
The Americana" proved her mettle
by bringing home. with lots of pride
and honors a-plenty. the bacon to her
Filipino husband. who was elected rep
resentative on the streny''l Of her using
the Tagalog dialect in 80 campaign
speeches.
Senior Angel Suntay. the newly
elected representative fc" 'le first dis
trict OF Bulacan. was a '',ted to the
Washington, D. c., bar at the age of 81,
shortly after his graduation from
Georgetown University. 1t was while
he was an undergraduate in Washing
ton that Senior Suntay met his future
wife. 1t was case of love at first
sight. They soon were married, and,
on the husbands admittance to the
bar, went together to the Philippines
for the honeymoon.
An extract from the Free Press story
follows:
The Americana became such
popular campaigner for her husband
that the latter could not hold a sue
cessful meeting without her presence.
In a distant barrio (villagel the
Democratic candidates once held a
meeting. The people. not finding Mrs.
Suntay on the platform, insisted on
pcstponing the meeting unless she were
brought to the place. Never mind the
distance and the hour they said;
bring her before us and we will wait
so the meeting was suspended. Mrs.
Suntay was brought before the crowd,
and the fireworks started. The
Americana closed the speechmaking-
she was purposely placed at the end so
that the crowd would stay. To say that
the audience went wild when she adj
dressed them in Tagalog is putting it
mildly"
Mrs. Suntay, besides effecting the
election of her husband, does splendid
civic work for Hagonoy, not very far
from Manila, where she and her hus-
band reside. With the aid of her hus-
band she founded a private high school
which now compares we'll with the best
high schools, public or private, in the
Philippines.
When Representative Sundays politi-
cal enemies attacked him because Of
his marrying an American. the "Ameri-
cana" was quick to answer: DO not
forget for a moment that your fore
most martyred leader, DR.. Jose Rial.
was married to a foreigner" She con-
sider5 the fact that she is married 10
a Filipino ana tnat S1e is QOlng ner
utmost to make of her adopted country
the greater Philippines as one of the
greatest joys of her life. She was a
volunteer worker during the World
War
Mrs. Suntay is the proud mother of
four children, two boys and two girls
and, because of them and her husband
she considers herself forever linked to
her adopted Philippines.
In Hagonoy the Americana" is just
plain Edna to everybody. Even the
little children of the town. when she
passed its streets. shout: ''Mabuhay 81
Edna!" Oong live EdnaD And to the
common people Whereabouts she Is as
ministering angel. For in times Of
disaster, s.;ch as floods. cholera, etc,
Edna always takes unto herself the task
of Red Cross worker. to succor the
helpless and the needy. When the
town was recently infested by a
cholera epidemic the Suntay family
converted their palatial house into an
hospital.
You see, the Americana" has a good
knowledge of nursing. and many a per-
son has been the r"-'pient of her
kindly care.
Vive lc "Americcc