Filipino-Led Biblewomen School
Harris Training School in the Philippines was closed during the years of World War II. To fill the void, Ka Onang Memorial Bible Institute was started in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, under the leadership of Rev. Carlos Mañacop and Patrocino Ocamp, the last principal of Mary Brown Townsend Bible School in Lingayen.
The Ka Onang Bible Institute was located in the parsonage of Cabanatuan Methodist Church. The school was able to train women workers who emulated the courage and sacrifice of Ka Onang, who was killed by a direct hit of an artillery shell in the performance of her duty.
The graduates of Ka Onang Bible Institute were known as Biblewomen. Together with the remaining deaconesses, they helped carry on a nurture and evangelism program in the church during the war. Their splendid performance was well-known and they were recognized for their dedication during the difficult times and dangers posed by the war.
Adapted from Methodism in the Philippines: A Century of Faith and Vision, ed. by Bishop Jose Gamboa, Jr., Gamaliel T. de Armas, Jr., Roela Victoria Rivera, and Sharon Paz C. Hechanova. (Manila: Philippines Central Conference of The United Methodist Church, 2003).
