07/09/2026
Register now for the book launch of DIFFICULT: The Life and Times of Etta Rosales, authored by Carmel “Melay” V. Abao.
Attendees must register at bit.ly/difficult-book-launch on or before 12 NN, Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Limited seats available.
The Ateneo Library of Women’s Writings (ALIWW), with the Ateneo de Manila University Press (AUP), would like to invite you to the book launch of DIFFICULT: The Life and Times of Etta Rosales, authored by Carmel “Melay” V. Abao.
Co-sponsored with the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library, the University Gender and Development Office, the Department of Political Science, and Areté, the event will be held on September 21, 2026 (Monday) at 4:00 PM, at the Ateneo de Manila Loyola Heights campus and is open to the Ateneo community and the public.
Join us in celebrating the journey of Loretta Ann “Etta” P. Rosales, a survivor of the Martial Law regime, former AKBAYAN Party list Representative (11th-13th Congress) and former Chair of the Commission on Human Rights (2010-2015) – a remarkable woman, political activist, human rights defender, and public servant.
Attendees must register at http://bit.ly/difficult-book-launch on or before 12 NN, Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Limited seats available.
Event Details:
Date and Time: September 21, 2026 (Monday), 4:00 PM
Where: Ateneo de Manila Loyola Heights campus, Quezon City.
Copies of the book will be available for sale onsite.
Registration begins at 4:00 PM, with light refreshments available.
Program proper will begin at 5:30 PM.
Book signing will take place from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
Confirmation emails with the final venue will be sent to participants that have pre-registered for the event.
About the Book
Difficult follows the life of Etta Rosales: from childhood to motherhood; her teaching and organizing work during Martial Law; her shift into parliamentary politics; to the ongoing fight for human rights. The book weaves together the testimonies of colleagues, friends, and family to offer a rich and authentic feminist perspective into the life of the Filipina activist, honoring Etta and many other women whose struggles continue to benefit and shape future generations.
This biography does not mythologize Etta; if anything, it emphasizes her humanity in all its nuances and contradictions. Her story is a moving testament to the ongoing struggles the Filipino people continue to face. In these turbulent times, riddled with political strongmen, systemic oppression, and state violence, her story is an unflinching reminder to resist the norms and systems in place that continue to perpetuate harm and disposability of human life. It is an unflinching reminder that resistance, however stacked the odds may be, however difficult, is born out of care for one another: an act, first and foremost, of love.
About the Author
Carmel "Melay" V. Abao is an associate professor of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Department of Political Science and its former department chair (2022–2025). She completed a master's degree in politics and governance at the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, and a PhD in development studies at the De La Salle University. She specializes in social movement studies, labor and migration, and international political economy. Before joining the academe, she was involved in a number of movements: as labor organizer and educator for the Workers’ College and Workers’ Institute, as deputy director of the Institute for Popular Democracy, as program officer of the Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA), and as the founding national secretary-general of Akbayan (Citizens’ Action Party).
