10 Facts About Jose Maria "JOMA" Sison's Genealogy

Jose Maria Canlas Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, passed away in the Netherlands on December 16, 2022. So today, let us look at his genealogy. He was born to a wealthy family in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, on February 8, 1939, the son of Salustiano Serrano Sison and Florentina Canlas. Let us explore his genealogy further to see just how well-connected he was.

NUMBER 1: The Sison family is not originally from Cabugao, Ilocos Sur.  

The Sison family tree

While the family of Jose Maria Sison for the last few generations have always called Cabugao, Ilocos Sur as their family home, they were originally from Lingayen, Pangasinan. They only started living there in the mid-1800s when Julian Sison married Bonifacia Sevilleja Suller in 1860 in Cabugao. Before that they were from Vigan, Ilocos Sur, and before Vigan the Sisons lived in Lingayen, Pangasinan.

NUMBER 2: The Sisons are descended from a 16th-century Fukienese ship captain in the merchant fleet of Lin Tao-k’ien named SY SON.

The Sisons of Cabugao

Similar to many Chinese mestizo families, their ancestor, who was said to be a ship captain in the merchant fleet of Lin Tao-k’ien named SY SON who came from Fujian, settled in Lingayen where he quickly assimilated with the local population. By the third generation, the Sisons of Lingayen were already racially classified as mestizos sangleyes or Chinese mestizos and made a living out of being itinerant merchants.

Don Leandro Serrano

NUMBER 3: His maternal great-grandfather Don Leandro Serrano was the biggest landlord in northern Luzon at the end of the 19th century. Leandro Serrano was the illegitimate child of Don Modesto Solosa y Solla, whose father was also a gobernadorcillo of Cabugao, and Dominga Serrano. A bulk of the Serrano’s wealth came from the Solosa family when Leandro’s grandmother, Dona Maria Solla viuda de Solosa, named him her legal heir and left most of her properties to him. He was also gobernadorcillo of Cabugao for a long time and built the largest mansion in the province. It had 25 rooms, was said to have a total floor space of 5,000 square meters, a chapel, and a four-level storehouse that was considered to be the biggest in the province.

Don Leandro Serrano would later marry Ursula Azcueta and one of their children, Martiniana Serrano, was JOMA's paternal grandmother.

Don Gorgonio Sison

NUMBER 4: His paternal grandfather Don Gorgonio Soller Sison was a prominent politician in Ilocos Sur.

Don Gorgonio Sison y Soller was the first generation of the Sison family to have been born in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur. He gave clandestine support to the Filipino guerrillas fighting against the invading Americans while presenting a cordial face to the enemy. He was the last to hold the position of capitan municipal of Cabugao during the Spanish period and then became the first to be elected municipal president during the American period.

He and his wife Martiniana Serrano were the parents of Salustiano Sison, father of JOMA Sison.

NUMBER 5: Jose Maria Sison is related to national hero Jose Rizal.

Though not relatives by blood, a first cousin of JOMA Sison’s father, Jesus Serrano, married into the Florentino family of Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Due to this union, JOMA Sison’s family is then related to the descendants of Jose Alberto y Florentino, the older half-brother of Teodora Alonzo, who was the mother of national hero Jose Rizal who was the son of Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo and Paula Florentino.

NUMBER 6: His father’s cousin Teofilo Sison was a governor of Pangasinan.

Teofilo Sison served as a governor of Pangasinan and was later appointed as the first Defense Secretary during the Commonwealth period. He was convicted in 1946 for allegedly collaborating with the Japanese occupation forces but was given amnesty in 1947.

NUMBER 7: His wife, Julieta de Lima is the third cousin of Senator Leila de Lima’s father.

Ever since Senator Leila de Lima’s incarceration, many have speculated how she and JOMA Sison’s wife Julieta de Lima were related. While some have erroneously concluded that they are sisters, and even some reputable researchers have quickly made her a sister of Senator Leila’s father, the truth is they are distantly related. Senator de Lima herself as late as 2020 stated that they are not cousins, but distant relatives. In another earlier interview, she mentioned that Julieta de Lima was at least third cousin with her father Vicente. In that case, Senator de Lima’s paternal ancestor, Juan de Lima, was the brother of Julieta’s great-grandfather, Pedro de Lima. 

NUMBER 8: His family is related to President Fidel Valdez Ramos.

Joma Sison’s grand-uncle, Enrique Serrano, married Maximina Valdez. Because of this marriage, JOMA Sison is thus also related to the Valdezes of Pangasinan, whose most illustrious member is the late former President Fidel Valdez Ramos.

NUMBER 9: He had four children with his wife Julieta de Lima.

Although very rarely mentioned, the Sison family trees online and some other rare references to JOMA Sison and his family mention the names of the children of Jose Maria Sison and his wife Julieta de Lima. These are JANAH BARBARA, JANOS LEO, JEMMIMA, and JASM.

NUMBER 10: The late Sixto Brilliantes, Jr. was JOMA’s cousin.

While it is not hidden knowledge, many still are unaware that the former Commission on Elections Chairperson Sixto Brillantes, Jr. was the second cousin of Jose Maria Sison. They shared a common descent from Don Leandro Serrano, whose daughter Martianiana Serrano was JOMA’s grandmother while her brother, Simeon Serrano, was Sixto’s grandfather. 

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Sources:

1. Church records of Cabugao and Vigan, Ilocos Sur 2. The Alonzo - Rizal family tree 3. https://josemariasison.org/ primarily the following articles: (1) My Ancestors in the Revolution (2) Sisons in Politics and Government (3) Kinship and Encounters with FVR (4) Sison Family of the Philippines 4. Dispatch from Crame No. 1,000 (https://legacy.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2020/1218_delima2.asp) 5. De Lima: So what if I'm Joma's kin? (https://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/07/30/09/de-lima-so-what-if-im-jomas-kin) 6. The Rizalian Trees: Lineages of Jose Rizal and His Love Interests

Photos except for the family trees are from the josemariasison.org website.

Charles and Camille: A Love Destined

 (I ask for indulgence from my usual readers to allow me to write about something that is not about Filipino genealogy. This article is nevertheless about genealogy, still, albeit about the British royal family.)

The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has brought a similar outpouring of grief throughout the British realm and the world, similar to or even more than the one we saw when Diana, Princess of Wales passed away tragically in 1997. Even though there had been multiple earlier rumors of Queen Elizabeth II's death and she was clearly old enough for everyone to anticipate her death, many people were still unprepared for the awful news. In particular, I wasn't ready for it. I have idolized Her Majesty since I was 13 years old. In 1993, when I heard about the union of Japan's then-Crown Prince Naruhito and Masako Owada, my love affair with royalty officially began. I searched the internet for everything regarding royal families since I have a natural curiosity and I find the idea of the monarchy to be particularly fascinating. My prize for reading through our collection of encyclopedias at home was a lengthy piece on the British royal family. Since then, I've gained expertise in the area. And, as Mike and Gavin, two of my fellow enthusiastic monarchists, would remark, individuals who are interested in genealogy, like we are, are inherently more royalist than the king (to be more royalist than the king). Given that I live in a republic, very few people understand my enthusiasm for the monarchy, which is the root of my love for genealogy and history.

At the center of this renewed attention and interest in the British monarchy is the new King, His Majesty King Charles III. Already, thousands of memes and videos have been posted online, from harmless poking fun at Charles from being "unemployed" for the past 70 years until suddenly becoming king, to blatantly comparing Diana to King Charles's consort, Camilla. More than anything, moralists are once more pointing out the affair Charles had with Camilla before later marrying her. Naturally, people who are unfamiliar with the entire story feel smug that they are right when in fact the story of Charles and Camilla has been destined generations ago. It is even suggested by some writers that when Camilla first met Charles in the 70s she told Charles: 'my great-grandmother and your great-great-grandfather were lovers. So, how about it?' or something to that effect. Intriguingly, the genealogical comment was accurate.

Whatever the truth about that first encounter, the genealogical connection between the two was well-established. It was indeed common knowledge within the royal family and the circle they circulated with that Camilla's great-grandmother, Alice Keppel (nee Edmonstone) met then-Prince Edward (later King Edward VII) in 1898 and became his mistress. While King Edward had a playboy reputation, Alice Keppel was unique in her position as the King's mistress because most people not only tolerated their affair but even approved of it. People said that the King, who had a temper, was a much better person when he started seeing Alice Keppel as she was the only one who could calm him down. Alice's husband, the Hon. George Keppel, would discreetly be out of the house whenever the king visited Alice at her home. Best of all, Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward, was not only tolerant of but approved of Alice Keppel. In fact, she was with the Queen in 1910 when the King was on his deathbed. Some might not really understand the arrangement, but this was from a different era and when seen from the lens of that generation we know that such things were common and accepted.

Almost a hundred years later, Alice Keppel's great-granddaughter, Camilla Shand, later Camilla Parker-Bowles, would meet Prince Charles, the great-great-grandson of King Edward VII and pick up where their ancestors left off. While their relationship had many challenges along the way, and almost everyone disapproved of it, as soon as the impediments were gone and Charles was finally able to marry Camilla, things started to get better. Camilla was able to quickly adapt to royal life and, just like her ancestor, she never called attention to herself. She followed royal protocol and earned the respect of the Queen. Because of this, instead of the original agreement that she would not be called Queen consort when Charles would accede to the throne, the Queen in February this year made it officially known that she wished for Camilla to become Queen Consort, instead.

The new King and Queen were destined to meet, that much is clear if one looks at their family tree. And while their ancestors were not allowed to be together in an official capacity, they now fulfilled the relationship that their forebears were meant to have. 

Once again, genealogy comes into play to explain something generations in the making.

10 Things About President Fidel V. Ramos's Genealogy

As a tribute to the recently departed former President Fidel Valdez Ramos, here are 10 things about his genealogy.

Elected as the 12th president of the Philippines and the 2nd of the 5th republic in 1992, FVR was the first and only Protestant to be elected president and so far the only Filipino in history to hold every position in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, from second lieutenant to commander-in-chief. He headed the Philippine Constabulary from 1972 until 1986, Chief of Staff of the AFP from 1986 to 1988, and Secretary of National Defense from 1988 to 1991. He served as President from June 30, 1992 to June 30, 1998, succeeding President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Here are some information about his genealogy:

Number 1: The Ramos surname used to be Apelido

Although the surname Ramos can be found in Asingan from as early as the late 1700s and there is enough evidence that FVR’s family had used Ramos prior to the 1849 Claveria surname decree, they opted to adopt the surname Apelido when the decree was enforced and so for several years they were known as Apelido or Ramos Apelido. But, just like the Marcoses who also adopted another last name (Tabuebue) to comply with the decree but eventually returned to using Marcos, the family eventually dropped Apelido and resumed using Ramos. 

Number 2: FVR’s grandfather, Placido Ramos, was a Katipunero

FVR’s grandfather, Placido Ramos, though a cabeza de barangay, joined the Katipunan and fought in the historic battle of Dagupan from July 18 to 22, 1898 that brought an end to Spanish rule in the province of Pangasinan. He had two families; when his first wife died, he had a relationship with Ramona Rueca. For some reason, all their children, while acknowledged by Placido, were described as hijos/hijas natural, which meant Placido and Ramona lived together outside of wedlock.

Number 3: FVR and President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos were Second Cousins

While history books have discussed it in the past, people still forget that President Ramos was the second cousin of President Marcos Sr. FVR’s maternal grandmother, Crispina Marcos, was the sister of Fabian Marcos, who was Marcos’s paternal grandfather, both the children of Don Damaso Marcos and Dona Leona Galimba. This means that current President Bongbong Marcos and the daughters of FVR are third cousins.

Number 4: He was the fifth President of almost pure Ilokano ancestry

Aside from his cousin, Ferdinand Marcos, who was of pure Ilokano stock, three other presidents were also from families in the Ilocos Region. These were President Elpidio Quirino, who was Ilocos Sur; President Ramon Magsaysay, who was from Zambales; and President Carlos P. Garcia, though born in Bohol, was the son of parents with deep roots to Abra.

Number 5: His father, Narciso Ramos, was a Founding Signatory of ASEAN

He served as the Fifth District representative for Pangasinan in the Philippine Assembly from 1934 to 1946. President Roxas asked Ramos to establish the Philippines' diplomatic service and establish the country's first embassy in Washington, D.C. after our independence. He was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1966 to 1968 and later held positions as head of various missions. Being one of the founding signatories of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in 1967 and his signature on the Ramos-Rusk Agreement, which reduced the 1947 agreement between the RP and the US about military sites from 99 to only 25 years, are two of his most enduring legacies. 

Number 6: FVR’s mother, Angela Marcos Valdez, was as accomplished as his father

Angela Valdez grew up in a family of educators. Both her parents were teachers and she and her 7 siblings were sent to and graduated from the University of the Philippines. She was also an educator as well as a civic leader. She was one of the leading figures fighting for women’s right to suffrage in the Philippines in the 1930s.

Number 7: FVR’s father, Narciso Ramos, married twice

Like his father before him, Narciso Ramos also had two women in his life. He first married Angela Marcos Valdez in 1927 in Batac, Ilocos Norte and they had three children: Leticia, Fidel, and Gloria.

Number 8: Narciso Ramos’s second wife was from Cebu

After the death of his wife Angela in 1977, he married Alfonsita Galeos Lucero in 1979. Alfonsita’s parents were both from Argao, Cebu and her father was a military dentist.

Number 9: FVR’ sisters were both accomplished in their own fields

The older sister, Leticia, was known as a a pioneer in the international women’s movement. In the 1970s, she led the drafting of a convention on the elimination of discrimination against women, also known as the international women’s bill of rights, and defied Cold War tensions by enlisting the Soviet Union as a co-sponsor to get it off the ground. She was Senator of the Philippines from June 30, 1987 to June 30, 1998. 

The younger sister, Gloria, was married to Lieutenant Aldo Jacinto Da Rodda, a jet pilot in the United States Navy. Gloria served as the Philippine Vice Consul then as Consul in Los Angeles and San Diego, California, USA.

Number 10: Both FVR and his wife, Amelita “Ming” Martinez, were Protestants

Although he was the first Protestant to be elected President in a predominantly Catholic nation, his cousin Ferdinand Marcos was also a non-Catholic, being a member of Aglipayan church, before converting to Catholicism right before his marriage to Imelda Romualdez. FVR and his wife Ming were married on Oct. 21, 1953 at the Central Church, now known as Central United Methodist Church in Manila. In a 1997 interview with the Chicago Tribune, First Lady Ming Ramos described how difficult it was growing up Protestant and how the Catholic Church continued to meddle during FVR’s presidency, accusing Cardinal Sin and former president Aquino of conducting a "hate campaign" against her husband "because he's a Protestant."

FVR, who came from a family of educators, leaders, and nationalists, would forever be known as one of the major players of the People Power of 1986. However history will judge him, it cannot be denied that he was instrumental in breathing life into the Philippine economy, earning us the moniker ‘Tiger Cub Economy in Asia.’ 

 

Vaya con Dios, President Ramos! 

President Marcos and His Best Friend Bong Daza were Cousins

Very noticeable during President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos, Jr.'s inaugural on June 30, was a vacant seat in the audience, reserved seat number 17 which was for his best friend, Gabriel "Bong" Daza III who passed away last July 14, 2016.

Restaurateur-entrepreneur, socialite Gabriel "Bong" Daza III died six years ago following a heart attack. When he married former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz, he became well-known to the general public. In today's age, he is most likely recognized as the father of Isabelle Daza, a fashion and showbiz celebrity and one of today's "it" girls. Bong Daza, on the other hand, was a restaurateur over the years, hailing from a family that pioneered the French cuisine restaurant in Manila. His mother, Nora Daza, was a culinary superstar known for her best-selling recipe book as well as her famed restaurant Au Bon Vivant in Manila, as well as another in Paris in the 1980s. Sandy, his younger brother, is a culinary columnist for the Inquirer and the owner of Wooden Spoon. Nina, Nina's younger sister, is a culinary specialist and food magazine editor.

Bong Daza and President Marcos were childhood friend who remained close throughout the years. With the parties and social events they organized, together with other friends like Tonyboy Floirendo, Louie Ysmael, and Louie Cruz, they contributed to defining Manila's social scene in the late '70s and '80s. It must be remembered that President BBM also stood as his friend's proxy during the wedding of his Isabelle Daza and was the one who walked her down the aisle. 

Unknown to many, President BBM and his close friend Bong were actually cousins. They both descend from the Romualdez family of Pandacan and Mandaluyong Manila. President Marcos's branch, which began with Don Daniel Romualdez, later went to Burauen, then Tolosa, Leyte. Bong Daza's Romualdez ancestor, Isabel Romualdez, an aunt of Daniel Romualdez, married into the prominent Villanueva family of Batangas. Tracing down to their generation, President Marcos and his late best friend Bong Daza were fourth cousins.

Former FL Imelda R. Marcos’s Name used to be Hilda

Genealogy Trivia: When she was first registered after her birth, the person who registered her name must have misheard and wrote down HILDA instead of IMELDA. Of course, she would soon be baptized as Imelda Remedios Visitacion Romualdez y Trinidad. Years later, she would become the First Lady of the Philippines and many years after that, would become the ONLY former First Lady to witness her own son's election and assumption to the Philippine Presidency. 

Happy birthday, First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos!

#FilipinoGenealogy #PhilippineHistory #Romualdez #Marcos

What If of History: President Ferdinand R. Tabuebue, Jr.

The Marcos family name has an interesting history. While many Filipino families have surnames that were adopted in accordance with the 1849 Claveria Surname decree, it is interesting that the Marcos family already used "Marcos" as their last name prior to Claveria, then adopted a new surname to comply with the decree, but later would officially register Marcos as their official name.

The Marcos family has roots to Batac, Ilocos Norte where the surname has been traced back to the last quarter of the 1700s. The earliest ancestor of President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that we can definitively trace is his 3X-great-grandfather, Don Gregorio Marcos, who was born on March 11, 1893. Unfortunately, his baptismal record (see below) does not state who his parents were and in fact simply states that he was padres no conocido, or parents unknown. This, despite him being described as a legitimate child. So we can only assume either the record keeper mistakenly wrote legitimate child in the record, or the other way around when he forgot to write down the names of Gregorio's parents. Whatever the case, family lore suggests that Gregorio Marcos was an assistant to the Spanish provincial judge in Laoag in the mid-19th century. His wife was also a Marcos named Maria who, according to some oral tradition, was supposedly Itneg by racial classification who was impregnated by the same Spanish judge her husband worked for. It is a possibility that it was Gregorio who was most likely the product of a liaison between a Spanish judge and a local woman, possibly Itneg as the oral tradition suggests.

Whatever the case, at least two of the children of Gregorio and Maria Marcos were baptized under the "Marcos" family name. Damaso Marcos, born on December 8, 1830, would have been too young to have been the one to register their family name to comply with the Claveria surname decree in 1849. Therefore, it was definitely Gregorio Marcos who would have officially adopted their Claveria-surname.

Even though the family already had a surname that was allowed by the provisions of the decree, the next decades saw the family name being listed in Batac's official records as either "Tabuebue" or "Tabuebue Marcos". These tell us that the family adopted "Tabuebue" as their new surname. It does not appear to be part of the list of surnames that accompanied the decree. It is very possible that the family simply reverted to an old indigenous name that they might have carried way before they used "Marcos". 

Damaso Marcos would later be listed as Damaso Tabuebue Marcos. His own son, President-elect Marcos Jr.'s great-grandfather, Don Fabian, would later officially revert the surnames to "Marcos Tabuebue" as seen in one official government gazette. Even the father of President Ferdinande Edralin Marcos, Mariano Marcos, was officially registered as Mariano Tabuebue when he was born on April 21, 1897. But records during the American period already consistently identified the family as using "Marcos" in all documents, which meant that they reverted to the use of their old surname and discarded the use of their adopted, Claveria-decree surname.

Had the family decided to stick with their adopted surname, we would have had a President Ferdinand Romualdez Tabuebue, Jr. today!

All The Presidents' Sons, Daughters, and Relatives

The results of the may 2022 elections still baffle many political observers. While some say that the recent elections did not make any difference as far as dynastic politics is concerned, with many people from the same family running and winning, not all of these related families were successful. In fact, among the descendants and relatives of Presidential families, not all were lucky enough. Here is a run-down of the sons, daughters, and relatives of Philippine presidents who ran and won (or lost) in the recent elections:

Aguinaldo

For generations, the Aguinaldo clan has continued to dominate the politics of Kawit, Cavite. The fight for Mayor of Cavite was between two great-grandsons of President Emilio Aguinaldo: incumbent Mayor Angelo Aguinaldo (the son of Mayor Reynaldo Aguinaldo, who was the son of Emilio Aguinaldo, Jr.) versus Cavite 1st District Representative Francis Gerald “Boy Blue” Aguinaldo Abaya (son of Consuelo Aguinaldo Abaya, the daughter of Emilio Aguinaldo, Jr.). Angelo Aguinaldo defeated his cousin Boy Blue Abaya by just 3,028 votes. A brother of Boy Blue Abaya, former Kawit Vice-Mayor Dr. Paul Plaridel Abaya, failed to secure his bid as representative of the 1st district of Cavite against Ramon "Jolo" Revilla, son of Senator Bong Revilla. Jolo Revilla defeated Dr. Abaya 9,048 votes.

Former Kawit Mayor Federico “Hit” Aguinaldo Poblete, the son of Maria Aguinaldo Poblete and grandson of President Emilio Aguinaldo, lost his bid for Kawit Councilor and placed only in the 10th spot.

Final Tally: 1 win, 3 loses

Laurel

Luis Carlos Mariano Laurel II, a grandson of President Jose P. Laurel, lost as councilor in Tanauan, Batangas, placing only 11th among the candidates.

Final Tally: 1 loss

Osmeña

What once was a family with many members holding various national and local positions, only 3 members ran and only 1 won. 

Margot Vargas Osmeña, former Cebu City Councilor and wife of former Mayor Tommy Osmeña, son of Senator Sergio Osmeña, Jr. and grandson of President Sergio Osmeña, and their daughter-in-law Bea Villegas Osmeña, both lost in their Mayoral and Council bids. Margot placed second to Mike Rama while Bea placed 12th in the race for Councilor in the South district of Cebu City.

Renato Osmeña, Jr., son of former Cebu City Vice-Mayor Renato Osmeña, who was the son of Edilberto Osmeña, in turn a son of President Sergio Osmeña, won and clinched the 5th place in the South district council.

Final Tally: 1 win, 2 losses

Magsaysay

No direct descendants of President Ramon Magsaysay ran for office, but Angel Magsaysay - Cheng, daughter of his nephew former Governor Vicente Magsaysay (son of his brother Jesus del Fierro Magsaysay), ran for Mayor of Castillejos, Zambales but lost to Jeff Khonghun. A sister-in-law of Angel Magsaysay-Cheng, former Congresswoman Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay, wife of Jesus "JV" Vicente, lost to Jay Khonghun.

Final Tally: 2 losses

Macapagal/Arroyo

Only former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, daughter of President Diosdado Macapagal, ran for Pampanga’s second district and won unopposed. Her sister-in-law, Maria Lourdes T. Arroyo, lost to Dino Yulo for 5th district Congressman of Negros Occidental by more than 42 thousand votes.

Final Tally: 1 win, 1 loss

Cojuangco-Aquino

No direct descendants of President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino ran in the 2022 elections, but several of her relatives did. Her former son-in-law, James Yap, won as councilor in the 1st district of San Juan, Manila. Lorenzo “Enzo” Oreta, the son of her sister-in-law, Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta, ran for Mayor of Malabon City to replace his brother, incumbent Mayor Antolin Aquino Oreta III, but lost to Jeannie Sandoval by just 1,279 votes.

Among her Cojuangco relatives, Jaime Diaz Cojuangco, the son of Tarlac Rep. Charlie Cojuangco and grandson of the late Danding Cojuangco, first cousin of President Cory Aquino, won as Tarlac 1st district representative. Jaime’s uncle, Mark Cojuangco, won as 2nd district representative of Pangasinan. Another Cojuangco nephew, Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro, ran for Senator but lost.

Final Tally: 3 wins, 2 losses

Ejercito Estrada

The family of President Joseph Ejercito Estrada fared very well in the recent elections. Two of his sons, Jose "Jinggoy" Ejercito Estrada, Jr. and Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito won as Senators. 

His nephew, Emilio Ramon “ER” Pelayo Ejercito III ran but lost to Rosseller “Ross” Rizal for Mayor of Calamba, Laguna. Interestingly, Mayor Ross Rizal is the great-great-grandson of Gabriel Rizal Mercado, brother of Francisco Rizal Mercado, father of Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal.

ER Ejercito’s son, Jorge Jerico Ejercito lost to Karen Agape for Vice-Governor of Laguna Province. ER’s wife and Jerico’s mother, incumbent Pagsanjan Vice-Mayor Maita “Girlie” Ejercito, ran but lost the Pagsanjan mayoral race to Kuya Cesar Areza. A niece of President Estrada, Councilor Jannah "Jana" Ejercito lost to Atty. Bel Zamora for the Congressional seat of San Juan.

Final Tally: 2 wins, 4 losses

Duterte

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s three adult children won in their respective posts: daughter Sara is the incoming 15th Vice-President of the Philippines, while sons Paolo and Sebastian were elected as the first district representative and Mayor of Davao City, respectively.

Red Duterte, a great-grandson of Severo Duterte whose brother Facundo was the grandfather of President Rodrigo Duterte, won a seat in the 5th district provincial board.

Final Tally: 4 wins

Marcos

Of course, the Presidential family who did the best in the recent polls is the Marcos family. Former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos’s own son, Ferdinand “Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos, Jr. clinched the top elective post and is the incoming 17th President of the Philippines. His daughter, Imee Marcos, is an incumbent Senator.

Two grandsons of President Marcos won: Senator Imee’s son, Matthew Marcos Manotoc, won as Governor of Ilocos Nortes while President-elect Marcos’s eldest son, Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, was elected 1st district representative of Ilocos Norte.

Michael Marcos Keon, a first cousin of both President BBM and Senator Imee, won as mayor of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte. Another first cousin, Eugenio Angelo Marcos Barba, won as congressman by a landslide with 127,867 votes in the 2nd District of Ilocos Norte.

Cecilia Araneta Marcos, President Marcos Jr.’s cousin-in-law on both the Marcos and his wife’s Araneta side, secured another term as vice governor of Ilocos Norte.

P.S. The relatives of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on his maternal side also did well but are not included here.

Final Tally: 5 wins

While political analysts are correct in saying that dynastic politics in the Philippines is stronger than ever after the May 2022 polls, it is also true that bearing the surname of a President is not always a sure win. As seen in the tallies above, among the various relatives of Philippine Presidents who ran in the recent elections, of the 33 candidates, only 20 won while the remaining 13 lost, some by a very large margin

First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and the House of Araneta

A recent article online which was obviously released to malign incoming First Lady Louise "Liza" Cacho Araneta Marcos, and in effect also take a cheap shot at presumptive President Ferdinand Romuladez Marcos, Jr., was brought to me attention since there was a brief genealogical revisionism found in the article. It read:

Liza's father, Filipino basketball Olympian Manuel Araneta Jr., is a distant cousin of Judy Araneta-Roxas, the mother of former Senator Mar Roxas. Liza's family residence was in Cubao where Mar's family mansion is also located which explains why the two are reportedly close to each other.

This short but very blatant genealogical error clearly shows either the writer being lazy with his research or trying to wrongly illustrate Atty. Liza Araneta-Marcos as a "poor" relation of the Aranetas.

Lineage of Atty. Liza A. Marcos

Whatever people say, records and genealogies available prove that the pedigree of our incoming First Lady is extensive and established. On her Araneta side, she can trace up to eight generations, while on her maternal line, she can climb 13 generations up the family tree. Aside from the Cachos and Aranetas, she can count as her relatives, whether near or far, the Cojuangcos, the Aquinos, the Pardo de Taveras, the Marcoses, the Macapagal-Arroyos, the Roxases, and many more.

                     

Her maternal side, the Cachos, are one of the most connected families in the Philippines. They all descend from Luisa Azaola, the widow of Davao City’s founder, Don Jose Oyangoren (interesting connection since BBM’s VP is Davao Mayor Sara Duterte). After the death of Don Jose, Luisa remarried to José María González y Brenes. Descendants of Luisa Azaola include:

• Paz Gonzalez de Azaola, the granddaughter of Luisa, married Joaquin Gorricho Pardo de Tavera, the uncle of Paz Pardo de Tavera who was married to Juan Luna (brother of General Antonio Luna);
• Rosario Cacho González de Azaola, a great-granddaughter of Luisa, married Pedro Jose Cojuangco, an older brother of former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and uncle of former President Benigno Aquino III;
• Javier Luis Castillejo, a great-great-grandson of Luisa, married Maria Beatriz Preysler Arrastia, sister of Maria Isabel Preysler Arrastia, the mother of singer Enrique Iglesias;
• Maria Angeles Cacho González de Azaola, a great-granddaughter, married Carlos Romulo, Jr., son of Filipino diplomat Carlos P. Romulo.
• Paul del Mar Soriano, a grandson of Marilu Cacho and a 3X-grandson of Luisa Azaola, is married to TV host and actress Toni Gonzaga.

And of course, Liza Araneta Marcos is another direct descendant of Luisa. Liza’s mother, Milagros, is a sister of Rosario Cacho de Cojuangco, Maria Angeles Cacho de Romulo, and Marilu Cacho de Soriano.

On the other hand, Liza is a member of the House of Araneta, one of the most powerful families in the Philippines where four members married into Presidential families:

• Judith Araneta, who married Senator Gerardo Roxas and thus became the daughter-in-law of President Manuel A. Roxas and mother to presidential aspirant Manuel “Mar” Roxas II;
• Jose Miguel T. Arroyo, who married presidential daughter (and later President) Gloria M. Macapagal, thereby becoming both a son-in-law to President Diosdado Macapagal and later First Gentleman;
• Gregorio Araneta, married to presidential daughter Irene Marcos; and,
• Marie Louise Araneta, married to presidential son and presumptive President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

The Araneta Connections

The family tree above (click to enlarge) clearly illustrates that the above mentioned article was wrong to say that Liza Araneta Marcos is a distant relative to the Araneta-Roxas family. She is, in fact, a second cousin of Mar Roxas, her father Manuel Araneta, Jr. being the first cousin of Mar’s mother, Judith “Judy” Araneta. 

Liza is also closely related to Jose Y. Yulo, a former Speaker of the House, a Supreme Court Chief Justice, and a Cabinet Secretary, who was married to Liza’s grand-aunt Cecilia S. Araneta; as already mentioned, she and former Secretary Mar Roxas are second cousins; former Ms. International Stella Marquez is the wife of of her dad’s first cousin, Jorge Araneta; former first gentleman Mike Arroyo is her fifth cousin once removed; Gemma Guerrero Cruz, former Ms. International and Tourism Secretary and a descendant of Jose Rizal’s sister, is married to Antonio “Tonypet” Araneta, Liza’s fifth cousin twice removed; Irene’s husband, Greggy Araneta, is Liza’s 6th cousin once removed; while Jose Concepcion III, the president and CEO of RFM Corporation as well as a current presidential adviser for entrepreneurship of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

The most interesting connection of the incoming First Lady is this: even before her marriage to President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on April 17, 1993, her aunt, Maria Teresa Araneta, married Manuel Abad Lopa, Jr. in 1956, whose brother, Ricardo A. Lopa, would marry Teresa Cojuangco, sister of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, who would later become President of the Philippines. Interestingly, during the Araneta-Lopa nuptials, one of their sponsors was Daniel Romualdez who in 2 years time would become Speaker of the House of Representatives. In another interesting genealogical twist, this same Daniel Romualdez married Paz "Pacita" Gueco, the first cousin of Ninoy's father, Benigno Aquino, Sr. Thus, incoming First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos is related to the Cojuangco-Aquino family on both her maternal and paternal sides, with the added twist that her husband's maternal family is also related to the Aquinos.

Clearly, Liza Araneta is not distantly related to the Araneta line of Mar Roxas, as the article stated, but is still closely related being the second cousin of Mar.

The House of Araneta, after all, knows and has accounted for all its members.