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MANILA — Nelia Sancho, a former beauty queen who later became an activist fighting for women's rights, has passed away. She was 71.
Gabriela party-list confirmed her passing to ABS-CBN News on Friday. The cause of death was not specified.
As of writing, her family is still finalizing details of her wake and funeral.
"She is proof that women are not meant to be submissive and obedient, but have a crucial role in pushing for genuine freedom and human rights," Gabriela said in a statement.
Hailing from a prominent family in Aklan, Sancho became a beauty queen between the '60s and '70s. In 1969, while still a student at the University of the Philippines (UP), she joined Binibining Pilipinas and finished first runner-up to Gloria Diaz, who would eventually become the country's first Miss Universe titleholder.
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Sancho earned her own title in 1971, when she was crowned "Queen of the Pacific" in Melbourne, Australia. She was also an in-demand model for Pitoy Moreno and other fashion designers.
Sancho later left the limelight and became a student activist during the rule of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., earning the moniker "Rebel Queen" from the international media.
"She became an active face during demonstrations, she participated and immersed herself to the masses and eventually went underground in pursuit of meaningful changes in the country," non-governmental organization Dakila described Sancho in a 2016 Women's Month tribute.
Sancho was arrested for charges of subversion during an immersion in the slum areas of Cagayan de Oro City. She was detained for 2 years, from 1976 to 1978, but was released for humanitarian reasons.
Sancho later co-founded women's group Gabriela.
During the late '90s, she was also the secretary-general of Lila-Filipina, a group that advocated for Filipina comfort women who were abused by Japanese soldiers during World War 2.
Before her passing, she had still been active in fighting for comfort women and victims of human trafficking.
— With a report from Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News
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