Remembering Lubuagan’s ‘Lioness’ of Filipino Guerrilla Agents: How Kalinga Academy alumna MAGDALENA LEONES got the Silver Star and made history

FEATURE

Magdalena “Maggie” Leones: Teacher, Spy, Heroine

LUBUAGAN, Kalinga — Long before she became known as the “Lioness of Filipino Guerrilla Agents,” Magdalena “Maggie” Estoista Leones was a young student walking the halls of Kalinga Academy in Lubuagan, carrying dreams that had little to do with war.

She would eventually become a teacher, intelligence operative and war heroine whose courage earned her the Silver Star, one of the highest United States military decorations for valor.

Born on August 19, 1920, in the highlands of Lubuagan, Kalinga, Leones was the third of seven children of Juan A. Leones and Lucia Estoista, both originally from La Union. Her father was a Filipino missionary who served as a pastor of the United Brethren Church in the Cordilleras during the 1920s.

Raised in a family rooted in faith and service, Leones became a deaconess of the United Evangelical Church, reflecting her compassion and dedication to others at an early age.

She completed her secondary education at Kalinga Academy, graduating with the Class of 1937–1938.

At the time, there was little indication that the young woman from Lubuagan would one day find herself behind enemy lines, carrying secrets that could mean the difference between life and death.

From teacher to wartime operative

Before World War II reached the Philippines, Leones worked as a teacher and was preparing to enter religious life.

Her plans changed when Japanese forces invaded Northern Luzon.

When the church became a headquarters for a battalion, Leones helped provide first aid to the men of Colonel John Horan even before the fall of Bataan.

After Bataan fell, she refused to surrender and was imprisoned for five months.

Rather than allowing captivity to break her spirit, Leones used the time to secretly learn the Japanese language.

That decision would later prove invaluable.

Her ability to speak Japanese enabled her to gather critical information from the occupying forces and pass intelligence to Filipino and Allied guerrillas.

The spy behind the mission

Colonel Russell W. Volckmann recognized Leones’ potential and recruited her to become an intelligence operative.

Motivated by the loss of friends and determined to help liberate the Philippines, she accepted the dangerous assignment.

After her release, she joined the United States Army Forces in the Philippines–North Luzon (USAFIP-NL) and served as a corporal and intelligence operative.

Leones operated behind enemy lines, carrying vital medical supplies and radio equipment while gathering information for the Allied forces.

Her missions included intercepting intelligence about Japanese military installations and troop movements between Manila and San Fernando, La Union.

Her work eventually took her as far as Bicol, where she secured radio equipment and located technicians capable of helping establish communications.

More than an informant

Leones was not merely collecting information.

In Tuguegarao, she reportedly played a key role in a mission targeting Japanese aircraft. She helped plan and coordinate an operation that resulted in the destruction of Japanese planes on an airstrip, dealing a significant blow to the enemy’s air capability.

The attack alarmed Japanese forces, who launched efforts to identify the mysterious operative behind the sabotage.

Leones was captured by the Japanese three times—and escaped every time.

She returned to her mission each time, demonstrating the courage and determination that would eventually make her one of the most decorated Filipino women of World War II.

Her intelligence work also helped maintain communications that connected Filipino guerrilla forces with Allied leadership. Her efforts became part of the broader resistance that helped pave the way for General Douglas MacArthur’s return to the Philippines and the eventual liberation of the country.

A Silver Star for a silent heroine

When the Allies declared victory on September 2, 1945, Leones’ wartime service finally received formal recognition.

On October 22, 1945, Lieutenant General Oscar W. Griswold awarded Corporal Magdalena Leones the Silver Star for her extraordinary bravery during the war.

She became the only Asian woman and one of only five women to receive the distinction from the U.S. Army during World War II, according to historical accounts.

She also received the Philippine Liberation Medal, World War II Medal, Resistance Movement Medal, and Philippine Independence Ribbon for her wartime service.

For a woman who had begun her adult life as a teacher, the recognition marked an extraordinary transformation—from educator to intelligence operative, from student to decorated war heroine.

A quiet life after a heroic past

After the war, Leones chose a life far removed from the spotlight.

She married Pedro Tabor of San Jose, Nueva Ecija, and raised a family of five children: Guillermo, Gildon, Gregorio, Alijadra Maytas and adopted son Leonard Yates.

The family eventually moved to California in 1969, where Leones lived quietly with her family.

She became a grandmother to 13 grandchildren and later a great-grandmother to three.

On June 16, 2016, at the age of 95, Leones died.

She was later laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, an appropriate final resting place for a woman who risked her life during one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history.

A daughter of Lubuagan, a hero remembered

On August 19, 2026, Leones would have turned 106.

Her story remains remarkable not simply because she became a spy or received a prestigious military decoration, but because she demonstrated that heroism can emerge from the most unexpected places.

Before she became the “Lioness of Filipino Guerrilla Agents,” she was a daughter of Lubuagan, a student of Kalinga Academy, a teacher and a woman preparing for a life of religious service.

War changed her path—but not her commitment to serve.

Her legacy is a reminder that courage does not always announce itself. Sometimes, it begins quietly—in a classroom, a church, or a small community—and reveals itself only when circumstances demand it.

A legacy for Kalinga Academy

As Kalinga Academy Inc. looks toward its 100th Founding Anniversary on October 27, 2027, the institution has another reason to look back with pride.

Among its distinguished alumni is a woman whose name became part of the history of the Philippines and the Allied war effort.

Leones’ journey from the classrooms of Kalinga Academy in Lubuagan to the battlefields and intelligence networks of World War II stands as an enduring source of inspiration for generations of students.

Her story reminds today’s young people that education is not only about preparing for a profession—it can also prepare a person to serve others when history calls.

Magdalena “Maggie” Leones may have lived much of her later life away from the public eye, but the courage of the young woman from Lubuagan who became a Silver Star heroine deserves to remain in the light.