Cebuano Kinship Terms

In one article I read, an expert seemed to think that Filipino kinship terms are simplistic and generalist in nature. I strongly disagree. Western terms of kinship are very simple. For example, father generally becomes grandfather, and grandfather is simply added with the word “great” before it. Depending on how far the generation, the number of “greats” also increases as the generation goes farther.

(Western Kinship terms. Click here to enlarge)

In-laws are generally added to the relationship between two people, such that the parents of one’s spouse are one’s father or mother-in-law. Siblings are sister- or brother-in-law, while the spouse of one’s child is a son- or daughter-in-law.

Perhaps the reason why some experts claim that our system of kinship is simplistic is because we tend to generally call anyone we can’t figure out how far related we are as ig-agaw, or cousin. And if they are older, then we switch to the generic oyo-an or iya-an, or Uncle or Aunt. Those older than uncles or aunts are also simply called lolo or lola, or grandfather or grandmother.

(Cebuano Kinship terms. Click here to enlarge)

Comparing the charts above, I conclude that we have a sense of making distinctions when it comes to calling relatives. Take the in-laws, for instance. A father or mother-in-law is called an ugangan, but a son- or daughter-in-law is called an umagad. Meanwhile, brothers- or sisters-in-laws are called bayaw. And it gets even more colorful. A grandfather is called apohan, while a great-grandfather is an apohan sa tuhod, while a great-great-grandfather is called an apohan sa tungkod or sungkod, the tungkod indicating an old person’s walking stick, or cane. To come up with such ingenious and colorful terms makes me admire our ancient forebears even more.

EDSA and the use of Surnames

During this time of the year I always look back to that time when Filipinos of all ages and occupation gathered in and around a stretch of land called Epifanio de los Santos to protest the Marcos regime. My generation is perhaps one of the last few to still truly hold this peaceful uprising close to our hearts; the current younger activists who were still infants or not yet even born at that time who continue to use the "spirit of EDSA" for their various causes are probably only aware of this event based on the recollections of others or from history books.

In recent years I have also realized one little flaw in the naming of this historic street. Or rather, the use of the acronym based on Epifanio de los Santos's name. The Spanish naming pattern has always been very structured. Many of our indigenous ancestors who mimicked their Spanish masters did not probably know how the Spaniards named their children. For instance, many churches in the country list the names of their Spanish-era parish priests wrongly. Many local historians based their list on the church records. The problem here is that when they started listing down these friars' names, they read these names in the same way modern Filipinos write their names: FIRST NAME, MOTHER'S FAMILY NAME, LAST NAME. This was not how the Spanish friars, or any Spaniard for that matter, wrote their name. When they wrote, for instance, Jose Santos Gomez, this meant that Jose's last name was Santos and Gomez was his mother's surname. This is actually a variation of the more traditional naming pattern using the particle "y", meaning "and", such that the name would be written as JOSE SANTOS Y GOMEZ. In most cases and in most records he would have signed himself as Jose S. Gomez. These type of records would have definitely made modern local historians think that the last name was Gomez.

Another common mistake modern Filipinos make when looking at and using Spanish names lies in the use of particles. Common particles in family names are "de", "de los", and "de la". In modern times, Filipinos have simply lumped these particles together, such that surnames using "de" followed by a name beginning with a vowel are usually combined (such as Deparine from de Parine, Deabordo from Deabordo, Delima from de Lima, and so on). "de los" and "de la" have also transformed into "Delos" and "Dela"; thus, Epifanio Delos Santos. If we were to be really strict about it, the acronym for Epifanio de los Santos should have been EDSLA and NOT EDSA.

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Because of the Claveria edict, many Filipino surnames are Spanish in form and origin. This means that while most people may carry a Spanish family name, the chances of being of Hispanic descent are not always high. If one can prove that their surname existed in their family prior to 1849, then chances are that they have some Spaniards lurking in their family trees.

Aside from the common surname types enumerated in a previous post, Philippine surnames also include everyday objects and nouns, such as Estrella, “star”, Sales, “salt”, and others. The list below shows the most common Spanish surnames in the country (notice that most can be seen even among movie stars):

1. García
2. Fernández
3. González
4. Rodríguez
5. López
6. Martínez
7. Sánchez
8. Pérez
9. Martín
10. Gómez
11. Ruiz
12. Hernández
13. Santos
14. Jiménez
15. Díaz
16. Álvarez
17. Moreno
18. Muñoz
19. Alonso
20. Gutiérrez

As can be seen, there is an abundance of patronymics in the list of most common Spanish names. There are other surnames that exist in the Philippines, and, other than the list above the other most common surnames are of indigenous origin. These are authentic Filipino surnames culled from various dialects and languages in the country that have been used prior to the 1849 decree. Many of these were also incorporated into the Catalogue of Surnames. It is difficult to have a clear list of these names, because only Spanish and Chinese surnames have thus so far been studied in depth. Maybe someday, someone will have the patience to do a statistical work on indigenous Filipino surnames.

Argao Families: Lucero Lines and Legacy

The Lucero family of Argao, Cebu, Philippines is one of the three Lucero branches in the country, the other two from the Luzon (Bulacan-Ilocos) branch and the Samar branch. While all three families claim relatedness, the dearth of records makes it impossible to trace just how related these three families are.
The history of the family begins with the Lugo fanily of Spain, which claims descent from Aurora, the goddess of the dawn in Greek mythology. This is an interesting because the Lucero surname, which is a later branch of the Lugo family, is a Hispanic version of the Latin word LUCIFEROUS, itself transliterated from the Greek name HESPEROS, who was the Greek god of the evening star, and in turn the son of Aurora, the dawn goddess.
The farthest known Lucero is history is Don Diego Diaz Lucero, an infamous Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition during the reign of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela of Spain in the fifteenth century. The farthest traceable direct lineal ancestor of the Luceros of Argao, Cebu, is Don Vicente Ignacio Lopez de Lucero, who came to the Philippines in 1597, roughly thirty years after the colonization of the Philippines by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. He and his wife, Doña Maria Catarina de Aragon, had just one child, Don Juan Lopez Lucero, who in the 1630’s to the 40’s led a successful campaign against Moro forts in the southern part of the archipelago.
A child of Juan Lopez Lucero, Francisca Alfonsa Lucero, found herself in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, sometime in the mid-1600’s, and it is there that she met and had an affair with Fr. Matias Villanueva. She gave birth to fraternal twins Francisca Yldefonza and Mariano Francisco Lucero. According to unverifiable oral history, Francisca Alfonsa later abandoned her children and apparently left for the United States. What became of her, no one knows.
Her son, Mariano Francisco Lucero, was left in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and is the forebear of Senator Santiago E. Lucero, a Philippine senator during the 1920’s. One of Senator Santiago’s great-grandchildren is Carmen Mercedes Beatriz Lucero-Lhuillier, popularly known as Bea Lucero.
Meanwhile, Francisca Yldefonza Lucero found her way to Argao, Cebu. There is a little problem in the establishment of the date of arrival of the Luceros in Argao. A poem by Francisco S. Geverola, which he claims has been handed down from generation to generation in his family, says that the first gobernadorcillo of Argao was Don Felipe Lucero, who allegedly came to Argao in 1608, during the town’s founding (the author is currently in the process of getting a copy of the records of Argao’s founding as a town from the National Archives in order to ascertain this claim).
Oral history in the Lucero family states that Francisca Yldefonza Lucero was the first Lucero in Argao, who came to the town around the early 1700’s. She married Don Agustin Francisco, a member of Argao’s principalia, or native nobility. This allowed her family and descendants to hold the positions of gobernadorcillo, cabeza de barangay, and even church positions.
Like his father before him, Don Hermenegildo became a cabeza de barangay. His children, in order of birth, were Don Justiniano Francisco, born in 1779; Don Tomas, born in 1786; Don Eustaquio, born in 1787; Don Juan, born in 1791; Doña Mauricia, born in 1795; Doña Micaela Francisca, born in 1797; and Doña Leoncia, born in 1807.
In the early 1800’s, Don Justiniano Francisco Lucero married Doña Casimira Manuela Cabrera, the daughter of Miguel Manuel Hernaez and Escolastica Francisca Cabrera. Don Justiniano and his wife Casimira had sixteen children who all grew to ripe ages, an astounding feat considering the high infant mortality rate of those times. Don Eustaquio Lucero married Doña Eustaquia Albrando and had two daughters: Maria Lucero, who married Jose Ordaneta (who also later became a cabeza), the son of cabeza de barangay Don Juan Ordaneta, and Juliana Lucero, who married Casimiro Panerio. Don Juan had two daughters; Carmelina, who died very young, and Maria, who never married.
Don Tomas Lucero, who was next to Don Justiniano, had one son, Don Jose Lucero. His branch of the family later became known as Lucero-Villanueva, a matter which shall be explained in the next chapter. His descendants include Gaudencio de la Peña, a former provincial board member of Cebu as well as the puppet mayor of Argao during the Japanese occupation, Edsel A. Galeos, another modern mayor of Argao, and Azucena Minoza Sesaldo, a 3-term Vice-Mayor of Argao.
The eldest daughter of Don Hermenegildo, Doña Mauricia, married a half-Spaniard from Cebu City by the name of Don Geronimo Luis Hernaez Taguenca. They had four children: Don Filomeno Taguenca, Doña Simeona, and a set of twins by the names of Doña Maria and Doña Enrica.
The eldest son, Jose, was a cabeza de barangay and is the ancestor of two town Mayors, Jose and Jesus Lucero Kintanar. Another descendant of Jose Lucero is the late Monsignor Sincero Lucero, who was Bishop of Borongan, Samar.
The next son, Felipe Lucero, held the position of Sacristan Mayor of the church until his death. His only son, Numeriano, also held the same position. A great-granddaughter, Vicenta Saniel, became a nun in Manila; another descendant, the most Reverend Monsignor Agripino Gregorio Elias M. Matarlo, was named a Bishop of Cebu and head of the Pope John Seminary in Cebu City. His Kintanar descendant, Simeon Lucero Kintanar, was a representative of the second district of Cebu to Congress. Simeon’s brothers, Roman and Quintin, served as heads of PAG-ASA and BFAD, respectively.
The third son was Lucas Lucero. One granddaughter, Concepcion Lucero, was one of the very few of her generation to retain the title of Doña. She later married Don Vicente Lozada, a member of a prominent landholding family in Dumanjug, Cebu. Another grandchild was Arsen Calledo Lucero, who was a Vice-Mayor of Dumanjug. Another descendant is Professor Samson A. Lucero, a history professor at the University of San Carlos and a renowned historian and columnist in Cebu City. And another is Jezrael Lucero, a visually-impaired child who has won the Perlas Award and has traveled around the country enthralling audiences with his haunting voice and his magical piano performances.
The fourth son, Pedro, has several prominent descendants. He has several descendants serving the Church like Father Filomeno Lucero, Father Paul Arnel L. Lucero, Sister Dolores, Sister Pilar, and Sister Rose Mary L. Lucero. The last, Sis. Rose Mary, founded the Sisters of the Blessed Trinity Congregation. Father Filomeno Lucero opened the Colegio de la Medalla Milagrosa in Jagna, Bohol. Sis. Pilar Lucero became Mother Superior and later Superior-General of Sta. Rita, Manila. A great-grandson, Don Aquilino Lucero, became the first Municipal President or Mayor of Ronda, Cebu. Three of his sons Felicisimo, Fermin, and Santiago succeeded him as Mayor in Ronda. A granddaughter, Socorro Gabuya Gabriel, also became mayor. Santiago later became Representative of Cebu’s second district while Felicisimo’s son, Doctor Felino Lucero, was a Mayor of Badian, Cebu. Another descendant was Ramon Lucero delos Cientos who was the former Mayor of Bansalan, Pagadian and later Governor of Davao del Sur. A granddaughter of Mayor Socorro Gabriel is Amanda Griffin, an international celebrity.
The fifth son to leave descendants is Antonio Lucero, who migrated to Sibonga in the middle of the 1800’s. A descendant is Casimiro Madarang Jr., who was a former Councilor of Cebu City and a former COMELEC (Commission on Elections) Commissioner. Another, Vicente Madarang, served two terms as a barangay captain of Pahina Central in Cebu City. A son of Casimiro Jr., Casimiro Madarang III, is the current Bureau of Immigration Alien Control Officer of Cebu City’.
The sixth and last son with descendants today was Juan Lucero. Comedian/Impersonator Jon Santos, Monsignor Rommel Kintanar, a Bishop in Cebu, and Maila Gumila, an actress and TV host in the 90’s, are three of Don Juan’s descendants.

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References

1. Todd Lucero Sales. The Luceros: A Portrait of a Filipino Family, 2010.

2. Church records of Saint Michael the Archangel church.

3. Various archival documents from the Philippine National Archives.

Cebuano Families: Loling Bihag and Barili's "Blue Bloods"

Barili's Official Seal

Barili, Cebu has always been a fascinating town. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, having been established as a pueblo in the early years of Spanish conquest. Though most of its old records have been ravaged by weather and time, the town has preserved much of its history and culture through a smattering of church and archival records and the colorful oral traditions that some families still hold true.

One of these old tales is the story of Loling Bihag. This is a tale almost equivalent to those of Maria Cacao's and Mangao's in that they have been retold many times that there is great difficulty in knowing which version came first. A zarzuela or a song and act skit performed on stage was written about Loling Bihag, thus making it even more popular. But the gist of the story is this:

Loling Bihag was a beautiful maiden in Barili who would fetch water by the Tanon Strait. She lived sometime in the late 18th century. One day she rowed quite too far from shore and there was a sudden storm. She was almost drowned had it not been for the rescue by a brave and noble prince by the name of Alimudin. As the story goes, Alimudin was one of the many sons of Sultan Kudarat and was one of the two sent by the ailing ruler far from their kingdom to test their daring. Alimudin returned to his father and presented the beautiful lass as his bride. They had many children and they ruled their kingdom wisely. One of their sons became a Catholic priest who later became Barili's first documented parish priest.

There is absolutely no documentation to support this of course. In the book Barili: A History written by Ms. Azucena L. Pace, she writes that Loling Bihag was actually Dolores Guerrero de San Jose. The priest in the tale was Fr. Cipriano de San Jose, whose signature does appear in the earlier records of the church of Sta. Anna. If we are to accept that Loling Bihag was indeed captured and brought to Mindanao by Alimudin, then we can also accept that Fr. Cipriano had in his veins the bluest blood of royalty of Maguindanao, Sulu, Tondo, and Brunei.

The Royal Seal of Maguindanao

Sultan Kudarat himself was a great-grandson of Mohammad Kabungsuwan, who is believed by many of Mindanao's ruling families to be their common ancestor. He was a Muslim cleric coming from the royal house of Johore who came to Mindanao and is considered as the first sultan of Maguindanao. Kudarat's mother was a princess of Sulu and a descendant of Abu Bakr, who renamed himself Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim and was the founder of the Sulu sultanate. Kudarat was also a descendant of Sultan Bolkiah Shah Alam, one of the earliest rulers of Brunei. And it goes without saying that Kudarat was also a descendant of the noble house of Tondo, being in direct line from Rajah Lontok and Dayang Kalangitan, the famed couple who ruled Tondo and were also the grandparents of Rajah Lakan Dula, Rajah Soliman, and Rajah Matanda.

Of course, the claim that Alimudin was Sultan Kudarat's son is not easy to prove. Although the famed sultan had many children, his immediate successor was his eldest son, Sultan Dundang Tidolay and there is no Alimudin in the partial listing of his children; thus this immediately disproves the story of Alimudin and Loling Bihag ruling a kingdom together. However, what is accepted now is that Fr. Cipriano sired several children, each of whom produced great men and women who made their mark in Barili. His descendants include the Abad, Paras, and Fajardo families, among others. Cebu Governor Dionisio Jakosalem was also said to be a descendant of Fr. Cipriano.

A possible family tree of Loling Bihag

The Abads have produced Roman Abad, Lazarao Abad, Miguel Abad, and Natalio Abad, all gobernadorcillos or municipal presidents of Barili.

The Paras family has Agustin Paras, Policarpio Paras, Aniceto Paras, Tiburcio Paras, Felix Paras, Ciriaco Paras, and Procopio Paras, all gobernadorcillos or municipal presidents of Barili. Another Paras descendant was Rep. Casiano Causin. Another family directly descended from the Parases of Barili are the Garcias of Dumanjug, a family that has produced two Cebu governors.

Of course, these stories are romantic. Whatever the truth, what matters is the constant desire of these families to preserve their family history. That is what genealogy is all about.

(C) 2012 Todd Lucero Sales

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References:

1. Pace, Azucena L. Barili: A History. Cebu City: Barili LGU, 2009.

2. Abdulmadid, Datu Ontay M. Tarsila of Maguindanao Sultanate.

3. Genealogy of the Sultanate of Brunei.

4. Genealogy of the Sultanate of Sulu.

Surname Spotlight: Acuña

ROSARIO ACUÑA, mother of President Manuel A. Roxas. She brought up Manuel on her own because her husband, Gerardo, died before their son was born.

Acuña is a Spanish surname, derived from the Galician surname Acuña, in turn a derivation of the words (a) cuña, which means, “wedge”. Cuña is derived from the Latin word cuneus, which means the same.

Historically, the Acuña surname began with Don Pelayo Fruela, the son or grandson of Don Aznar Fruela, who in turn was a son of King Fruela II of the Kingdom of Leon. Don Pelayo Fruela took Acuña surname after a place of the same name near Sierra de la Estrella, in Portugal.

Philip Amarillo: A Masterchef Genealogy

Philip Dave Amarillo is 13 years old. He comes from a first class municipality in the south of Cebu, from a family that has lived in that town for generations. In his own words, he comes from a humble family and said that "they could only eat if they had a good day selling at the market." His mother sells near a bakeshop in the town proper and he helps out with the chores at home, which includes cooking. By placing 2nd in the recently concluded first season of Junior Masterchef Pinoy Edition he joins a long list of Argawanons who gave pride to the town of Argao. He is also the first in the family to contribute pride and glory to the town.

The AMARILLO family of Argao has been in town since before its founding. Records from the church, municipal registrar, and the Philippine National Archives indicate they were a purely indio family, indicating that they are truly native to Argao. It is one of the families with very few members. From current vital and voters' records the family can said to roughly number 0.69% of the total population, scattered in around 20 of the barangays of the town of Argao, and with a bulk of these living in the barangays of Jomgao, Panadtaran, Canbanua, and Usmad. Because almost a third of these members live in Jomgao it can be concluded that the Amarillos began in Jomgao in the Spanish period.

The whole Amarillo family of Argao can be traced to Juan Miguel (Amarillo) who lived sometime in the early 18th century. Typical of an indio family, the Amarillo males were all described as labradores, or farmers, while the women were tejedoras, or weavers. Records also indicate a tendency to have small families, with a maximum of 3 children for most couples. Most of them also lived only to their 40s or 50s, an indication of short life-span at that time.

Philip Amarillo is the direct 9th generation descendant of Juan Miguel Amarillo and his wife, Maria Nicolasa. One peculiarity in Philip's line is that most of his female ancestors are from the Pantinople family, which is understandable though as the Pantinoples are also from Jomgao and one of the most populous families in town.

Philip is the son of Fausto Amarillo, Jr. and Elizabeth Albert. He has two other siblings, Devanie Jade and Ellyza Jean. Although there are no other well-known Amarillos, Philip is related to the current mayor, Edsel A. Galeos, who is his 6th cousin twice removed.

Placing second in the contest has truly placed the Amarillo family in the limelight. Congratulations, Philip! You've done great for your town!

Corona's Censure: Clans, Causes, & Cases

As I have always mentioned before, my approach to the sensational issues of the day has always been from a genealogist's perspective. As a social historian, I always see current events as the cause of deep and sometimes dark events from the past. And in the midst of these events are people, and people usually mean family affairs.

The impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Coronado Corona, which has once again occupied our legislators and every one else with the daily proceedings, is a clear example of of the interconnectedness of families and events. And at the center of this impeachment trial is the question over the finances of the the chief justice and his wife, Cristina Basa Roco-Corona.

The Basa Family

Before he was thrust into the national limelight on May 12, 2010 when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed him as the 23rd chief justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, Renato Corona had already entered the web of Philippine history. On November 7,1970 Corona married Cristina Basa Roco, whose maternal family, the Basas, was one of the most prominent families in Cavite and Manila; the Basa family is also known for their active involvement in the Philippine revolution against Spain.

The most renowned member of the family was Jose Maria Basa, a good friend of Jose Rizal. He smuggled copies of Rizal's novels, the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo, to the Philippines and made his home in Hong Kong the base of operation for the revolutionaries.

(Partial Basa family tree)

Jose Ma. Basa was the son of Matias (Jose) Basa and Joaquina de San Agustin. He married Bernarda Panlaque and had seven children. One of these was Jose Basa, Jr. who later married Rosario Guidote. Cristina Basa Roco Corona is a granddaughter of Jose Ma. Basa and Rosario Guidote. So when Renato Corona married Cristina, he married into the entire history of the Basa family and the role they played in the country's past.

Court Cases

A peculirity in Cristina's family is their constant involvement in litigations; the current impeachment trials is just the tip of the iceberg in their unfolding history. When the Basa matriarch (and Cristina's grandmother), Rosario Guidote Basa, died in December 1983 the entire family started suing each other, with Cristina and her mother Asuncion Basa de Roco against the rest of the family. The family war has continued to this day. Cristina filed a libel suit against her uncle and aunt Jose Ma. Basa III and Randy G. Basa in 1997 where the court found the defendants guilty. In that same year Jose Ma. Basa III sent a letter to the Judicial and Bar Council to stop the nomination of Renato Corona as a possible contender for the position of associate justice.

Even their own ancestor, Jose Ma. Basa, was himself involved in a sensational litigation. After the death of Jose Rizal his widow, Josephine Bracken, filed a lawsuit against Rizal's family to claim her inheritance from her martyred husband. Included in her demands was that Jose Ma. Basa, who was entrusted by Rizal with his extensive and expensive library, surrender the books to her. When her lawyers served Basa with the demand, Basa simply asked for proof of marriage between Rizal and Bracken, the matter was no longer pursued further.

Causes

It cannot be denied that the Basa family has already earned their mark in Philippine history, at least in terms of Jose Ma. Basa's contribution to the revolution. His descendants, however, have not been as discreet as he was in their feuds.

However it also appears that another clan, case, and cause has been in the midst of Corona's impeachment. The embattled chief justice maintains that the entire impeachment trial is all about the Cojuangco family's desire to have the Hacienda Luisita ruling reversed. President Aquino claims otherwise.

Who knows?

Surname Spotlight: GO

One of the most common Filipino surnames is GO. The Filipino-Chinese family name GO is a variant of an old Chinese last name, WU, which also comes in the forms of Gao, the Cantonese Ngo, Ngor, or Gor, Ng, Ang, Eng, and Ing. The family name is traced to the town of Wu Jin of the Jiang Su Province in China and is considered by most experts of Chinese genealogy as the top 10 most common Chinese last name. The word WU means “men of brotherly love”, "god-like" or "the highest."

According to official records, the surname Wu is from any of the following sources: first, that they are descendents of Wu Quan, who was an official of Zhuan Xu (2,513 – 2435 B.C.); second, that they are descendents of Yu Shun (2,255 – 2,205 B.C.); third, that they are descendents of the famous archer of Xia Shao Kang (2,079-2,057 B.C.); and fourth, that they are descendents of the kings of the Wu Kingdom established by Tai Bo and Zhong Yong. Most researchers agree that the last source is the most credible and plausible origin of the family.

In one of the earlier articles here, The Pedro Gotiaoco Family, many of the descendants of the Wu or Go clan in the Philippines has taken on different variations of the name: Gotiaoco, Gotianun, Gotianuy, & Gokongwei.

Another Myth: Use of Coats-of-Arms

(Sample Coats-of-Arms)

In many family reunions in the Philippines members of these families usually have souvenir programs and t-shirts prepared for everyone. And on most of these programs and shirts colorful illustrations of family shields, called coat-of-arms, are used as decorations. The question is: it is okay to use coats-of-arms?

An important auxiliary to genealogy is Heraldry, which is the practice of designing, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and badges. Historically, coats-of-arms were used to distinguish the armies of one knight against another. Later on, these colorful banners were incorporated into family decorations and when these were already common practice, state authorities started regulating the use of arms.

Technically, a coat-of-arms is granted to a person, and not a family. The use of arms is also legally passed only to the eldest child. If other children wish to use it, the arms should be “differenced”, or designed somewhat differently from the original. This early on, it must be understood that the only way for one to legally bear a coat-of-arms is first to prove descent from the original grantee of the arms.

When a woman inherits the right to use the arms, and gets married to another arms bearer (or armiger, as the technical term goes), the coats-of-arms of the man and woman have to be combined, or “marshalled”.

There are many other colorful terms used in general heraldry. Through it’s almost 900 years of history, heraldic terms have developed into colorful and interesting proportions. But the laws governing the use of arms today are not as strict as it was in the past. In the middle ages, when someone was caught using an arms that was not granted to any of his or her direct ancestor, imprisonment was the usual punishment.

Today, families who carry the same surname as that of an armigerous family indiscriminately use these arms. Such practice is common especially in countries like the Philippines and the United States where there are no governing bodies regulating the use of arms.

The common mistakes by most Filipino families are the following:

1. We went to Spain and we checked with their agencies and our family name has a registered coat-of-arms;

2. We have a Spanish surname so we can use this;

3. Our grandfather was Spanish so that automatically means we have a legal right to bear these arms.

Again, we have to remember that because of Governor-General Claveria's 1849 decree many Filipinos have Spanish-sounding surnames. So having a Spanish last name in the Philippines does not necessarily mean one's ancestor was Hispanic. Reprinting an official coat-of-arms from one of the Spanish research centers or archives does not mean one has the legal right to use this as a family emblem. And certainly, having a Spanish grandfather or even a great-great-grandfather even with archival documentation does not mean that this ancestor was granted the right to bear arms. This becomes especially true when an ancestor carried a very common last name, like GARCIA, CRUZ, PEREZ, etc.

Although having a coat-of-arms is nice, one has to prove first that his family is directly descended from an original bearer of an arms. Otherwise, a family can only use these arms as decoration but these have no legal purpose.

The Pedro Gotiaoco Family

(Go family tree. Click to enlarge)

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From a humble origin in the Fukien province of China, the enterprising young man Go Bon Tiao, known more commonly today as Don Pedro Singson Gotiaoco, went on to become known as one of the 19th-century Cebu wealthiest taipans. His story is not unlike those of many prominent Filipino-Chinese businessmen with their quite literally rags to riches story. But what sets Pedro Gotiaoco apart from the rest of his Chinese brethren is not only the continuation of the family wealth to the present generation, but also the diversification of the business enterprises in not one, two, or even just three families but in 5 financially entrenched families in the country today with their influence stretching in all corners of society. Truly, the rise to wealth of the Go family and their contribution to the economy of the Philippines is indeed a story worth telling.

Humble Origins

In an interview with Atty. Augusto Go, the President of the University of Cebu and the Honorary Consul of South Korea to Cebu, he depicts his grandfather Don Pedro Gotiaoco as a pioneering man who left his feudal homeland to search for the proverbial greener pastures here in Cebu City. Late nineteenth century China was still pretty much feudal, with the lords living prosperously while the peasants barely able to make ends meet. The Go family was one of those who had to toil the land for survival, and, added to this dismal poverty, Pedro Gotiaoco’s life was further burdened by his step-mother, who always managed to find fault in the young Chinese man. Thus, with all these happening, the young Gotiaoco decided to leave China and seek his fortune elsewhere.

But there was also a more pressing reason why he had to flee his hometown, and it was this reason, above all, that precipitated the young Gotiaoco’s escape from China. According to Atty. Go, who is the considered the best authority regarding the history of the family, Pedro Gotiaoco had accidentally shot a cousin and wanted to escape prosecution by running away. Indeed, if Pedro Gotiaoco had been arrested in Kei-tang, he would most probably have languished in jail and the Go dynasty of Cebu would never have been created. Thus, with barely anything to his name, Gotiaoco ventured the unknown and arrived in Cebu City during the late nineteenth century.

Start in Cebu

Like most of the Chinese population in the country, Pedro Gotiaoco started in the lowest wrung of the social ladder. The Chinese were already considered second-class citizens in late Spanish-colonial Philippines, and it must have indeed been difficult for a newcomer such as Gotiaoco to establish himself in the already crowded market of Cebu City. Displaying ingenuity and patience, Gotiaoco started from peddling oil and upgraded to selling rice which was consigned to him by a Vietnamese merchant. Upon the return of the Vietnamese, Gotiaoco informed the merchant that he was unable to sell all sacks of rice but, instead of getting mad, the Vietnamese instead gave the remaining sacks of rice to Gotiaoco as commission and even further consigned to him more sacks to be sold. This arrangement suited Gotiaoco, and, pretty soon, he was a trusted vendor for the Vietnamese merchant. At one point, Gotiaoco casually asked the merchant what made him trust Gotiaoco with his goods. The Vietnamese said that one night, as Gotiaoco was sleeping, he noticed that he had his hand on his heart, and, to the Vietnamese people, those who sleep with their hand upon their chest is an indication of honesty. Indeed, Pedro Gotiaoco remained an honest businessman, and pretty soon, with enough capital, he began to sell his own rice and, even when the selling of opium was legalized, he refused to sell it because of its addictive and negative effects. Thus was his business started in Cebu. He later called his products “JO”, in allusion to the hook-and-ring which he used to carry his sacks of rice when he still peddled.

Rags to Riches

Pretty soon, Pedro Gotiaoco decided to assimilate with mainstream Chinese-Filipino communities by being baptized in the Christian faith. According to American culture historian on the Philippines, Michael Cullinane, Don Pedro Gotiaoco was baptized with Don Mariano Singson, from the prominent Chinese mestizo family of the Parian, as a sponsor. Thus Don Pedro was also known as Don Pedro Singson Go Tiaoco, with his influential baptismal sponsor's name incorporated with his own, after the fashion of the times. A "padrino" was deemed a necessary protector for an immigrant like Don Pedro. The sponsor’s son, Don Segundo Singson, was later on the brother-in-law of the late Philippine president, Don Sergio Osmeña. Singson's second wife Eleuteria Chiong-Veloso was the sister of Osmeña's first, Estefania. A Singson lady also became a mistress of Pedro Gotiaoco and conceived his only daughter, Modesta.

Similarly, the ennobling title of “Don” soon became attached to Gotiaco’s name. Don Pedro Go Tiaoco, according Southwall magazine's Arts and Culture Editor Gavin Sanson Bagares, was a "Chino Cristiano" or Christianized Chinese who got his honorific title of "don" from some form of service to the Spanish Crown, most probably as a"teniente" or an adjutant of the Chinese "gremio" or tax ward. In the available list, he does not appear to have been a "capitan" or "gobernadorcillo" (a position equivalent to that of mayor today) of the said ward. The “co” on his adopted Hispanized surname also appears to indicate some form of influence; although the word "CO" is also a Chinese last surname, when it appears as part of a three-syllable Chinese-Filipino surname it then corresponds to a title or distinction given to affluent citizens, similar to the "DON/DONA" titles used by Spanish aristocratic mestizos. Says Hector Santos, an expert on indigenous Filipino/Chinese-Filipino names, “co was a title of respect given to someone like an elder, or an older brother. However, Co was also a valid name so that it would be hard to say whether the "Co" in the name was part of the original Chinese name or was an honorific. Generally speaking, if it is at the end it would have been an honorific.”

Progeny and Prodigy

It would seem that after becoming prosperous in the Philippines, Don Pedro Gotiaoco repeatedly returned to China and there married a woman whose name we know only today as “Disy” (or maybe Dee Sy). Go Disy was the mother of four children, three boys and a girl. The girl, however, died young. The three sons were Go Chiong Ut, Go Tian Uy, and Go Chiong An. It would also seem that Don Pedro also had other children outside marriage. The first and verifiable child was Doña Modesta Singson, whose mother was believed to have been a Chinese-Italiana mestiza who bore Don Pedro a daughter. When she was 13 years of age, Doña Modesta was taken by Don Pedro to China to be adopted by Disy, who was still grief-stricken over the death of her daughter and who was lonely as all three of her sons decided to seek their own fortune in the Philippines. The other alleged child of Don Pedro was Don Sergio Osmeña. Although Atty. Augusto Go categorically denies having proof that former President Osmeña is another Don Pedro son, it cannot be denied that Atty. Go’s father, Don Manuel Gotianuy, was very close to Don Sergio and they treated each other like brothers. Up to today, the parentage of Don Sergio Osmeña remains a controversy, with some historian claiming that he was a son of Don Pedro Gotiaoco, while others claiming that his father was another prominent Chino-Christiano.

Whatever the truth about Don Sergio, Don Pedro Gotiaoco and his brother Go Kiam Co (who later followed his brother to Cebu City) have left many descendants who are well-known in Philippine society. Prominent among these are Atty. Augusto Go, grandson of Don Pedro Gotiaoco and the President of the University of Cebu; John Gokongwei, Jr., a great-grandson of Don Pedro Gotiaoco and the owner of Cebu Pacific, Robinson’s Mall, JG Summit, and many more; and the Sy-Gaisano family, who operate chains of shopping malls all over Visayas and Mindanao. A grandson of the brother of Don Pedro is Andrew Gotianun, who owns FILINVEST Group and East West Bank.

Indeed, the family of Don Pedro Gotiaoco has gone a long way. From humble origins the enterprising and honest Don Pedro Gotiaoco ventured the unknown to become one of the pillars of the Chinese community in Cebu and has left men and women who are similarly respected in their own fields.

(C) TODD LUCERO SALES, 2012.

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This was originally published by this author in Southwall Magazine under the title "Chino Bravo".

Surname Spotlight: Presidential Family Names

SURNAME	ORIGIN	TYPE
Acuña	Spanish	Locational
Aguinaldo	Spanish	Noun
Aquino	Italian	Locational
Aragon	Spanish	Locational
Arroyo	Spanish	Locational
Banzon	Filipino-Chinese	Descriptive
Bonifacio	Spanish	Patronymic
Cojuangco	Filipino-Chinese	Patronymic
De Castro	Spanish	Locational
De Leon	Spanish	Locational
Del Fierro	Spanish	Occupational
Del Rosario	Spanish	Noun
Dimataga	Filipino	Verb
Edralin	Spanish	Unknown
Ejercito	Spanish	Noun
Famy	Spanish	Noun
Garcia	Spanish	Patronymic
Guingona	Spanish	Locational
Hidalgo	Spanish	Occupational
Laurel	Spanish	Locational
Lopez	Spanish	Patronymic
Macaraeg	Filipino	Verb
Magsaysay	Filipino	Verb
Marcos	Spanish	Patronymic
Marcelo	Spanish	Patronymic
Martinez	Spanish	Patronymic
Molina	Spanish	Locational
Osmeña	Moslem	Patronymic
Pangan	Filipino	Verb
Pelaez	Spanish	Patronymic
Pimentel	Spanish	Occupational
Polestico	Spanish	Locational
Quezon	Spanish	Descriptive
Quirino	Spanish	Patronymic
Ramos	Spanish	Locational
Rivera	Spanish	Locational
Romualdez	Spanish	Patronymic
Roxas	Spanish	Descriptive
Sumulong	Filipino	Verb
Syquia	Filipino-Chinese	Descriptive
Tolentino	Spanish	Locational
Valdez	Spanish	Patronymic

The surnames above are the family names of Philippine Presidents. Included also are their maternal family name, their wife's name, as well as the family names of Philippine Vice-Presidents.

For clarification on surname types, please go to "Where to Start: Family Names".

More discussion will be made on the history of each family name in the succeeding articles.