Sara Duterte: Daughter of Destiny and History

Inday Sara is a product of the East and the West, having German, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Filipino ancestries. Her genealogy is even more interesting. She is an ABELLANA from her mother's side, as Elizabeth Zimmerman's mother was an Abellana from Cebu. A lore in the Abellana family says that they are putative descendants of Hari' Tupas, the son-in-law of Hari' Humabon. This lore is also discussed in Manuel Enriquez de la Calzada's book "Ang Kagubot sa Sugbo 1898" which narrates the invaluable assistance to the Spaniards of several soldiers from San Nicolas, Cebu, which was always believed to be the seat of Hari' Tupas and where his descendants lived. All these soldiers, led by a Captain Celestino Abellana, were descendants of Tupas and were later rewarded by the Spanish authorities with exemption from tribute as well as having their names etched on a pliego de bronce or bronze sheet which was displayed in prominence inside the the church of San Nicolas.

Tupas, who was the son of Humabon's younger brother, married Humabon's eldest daughter. This daughter, later baptized as Katherine, was Humabon's child with his first wife, who was the sister of Lapulapu. Thus, the Abellanas, and this includes Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, are not just the putative descendants of Humabon and Tupas, but also collateral descendants of Lapulapu.

The ABELLANA family name has always been considered a Cebuano family name. In fact, it was awarded as one of the Pinalanggang Sugbuanong Banay or Most Beloved Cebuano Families in 2012 together with 74 other Cebuano families. This distinction was given to families who had members who were successful in their respective field before 1965 and many of them were also very prominent since during the Spanish period (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2012).

A few of the prominent Abellanas in Philippine history were Martin Abellana, the LUDABI (Lubas sa Dagang Bisaya) and “Ang Dagang Bisaya” editor who was born in San Nicolas, Cebu City in 1904; Andres Abellana, a former capitan of the San Nicolas district of old Cebu who, together with his brothers Fabian and Lucas Abellana, were actively involved during the Philippine revolution against Spain in 1898. The three brothers were arrested by the Spaniards after the historic Tres de Abril battle. Andres Abellana's son, Hilario Abellana, became a governor of the province of Cebu (1941-1943).

Historically, the Abellanas have always been considered a true-blue Cebuano family. Legend has it that they are direct descendants of Hari’ Humabon of Sugbu through his grandson, Hari’ Carlos Tupas. This belief is held by almost all members of the Abellana family and is most likely rooted to the fact that, historically, the Abellanas have always been prominent in what is now San Nicolas in Cebu City, said to be the seat of Hari’ Humabon’s kingdom.

Interestingly, the surname Abellana does appear to be almost exclusively Cebuano. While it is found in many parts of the Philippines, it is only in two cities in the province of Cebu where there is a concentration of people carrying it as a last name: in Cebu City, where there are 2,352 people carrying it as a last name and in Talisay City with 790 people with Abellana as a last name. In Cebu City, Abellana is the 37th most populous surname while it is the 5th most common last name in Talisay City. Geographically, Talisay City is adjacent to Cebu City (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2015).

So when I found out that Inday Sara was an Abellana through her mother, Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman, I immediately realized just how huge the historical and genealogical significance was had she decided to run for the Presidency. Consider these: the year 2021 is the 500th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines. The primary players 500 years ago were Magellan, a Portuguese in the service of the Spanish crown; Hari’ Humabon, who welcomed the Spaniards; Lapulapu, who fought valiantly against the colonizers. Had Inday Sara decided to run for President, she would have been the convergence of all that happened 500 years ago. Her father, the current President, is actually from a family that has always maintained Portuguese descent on one side and Spanish lineage on another. Inday Sara’s mother is a direct descendant of Hari’ Tupas Kamparang and Hara’ Humamai, whose father was Hari’ Humabon and whose mother was a sister of Datu Lapulapu. Inday Sara’s running for President would not just have been an answer to the clamor of the people; it would have been the sacred fulfillment of a destiny carved into Philippine history half a millennium ago.

Amazing what-ifs of history, indeed!

Philippine Family Tree Series: The Genealogy of Pre-Hispanic Visayan Royalty

As an improvement to the genealogies of Humabon and Lapulapu discussed in previous posts, this new tree explores the connection between Rajah Humabon and Sri Lapulapu. That Humabon was Lapulapu's brother-in-law is actually backed by both archival documents and oral history.

It is true that documentation on the Visayan pre-Hispanic royalty is fewer than that of the Lakans of Luzon. Because of this, we know very little of the royal families of the Visayas. We also do not have proof of where their descendants are today. This is where oral tradition comes in to fill in the void, and where clues left by what little archival document we have complete the story.

One interesting factoid in the family tree of pre-colonial Visayan Royals is that the Abellana family of Cebu claims to be descendants of Tupas, Humabon's nephew and son-in-law and eventual successor. President Duterte's ex-wife's, Elizabeth Zimmerman, mother was Purisima Abellana, born in Tuburan, Cebu. While we have no way yet of proving her Abellana line to be related to those of San Nicolas, Cebu City's, further research just might shed light on the possibility of Duterte's children being descendants of pre-Hispanic royalty. It would be tantalizing to also compare this with PGMA: her father's family was from pre-Hispanic native royalty, and she later became president herself. If Sara Duterte were descended from Tupas, well, then, you make the conclusion.

Naturally, this does not make any claim of authenticity. There was a need to delineate between archival documentation and purely oral history to make sure people understand that the chart simply is an amalgamation of various sources on Humabon and Lapulapu. 

Celebrating Lapu-Lapu's Genealogy

April 27 marks an important event in the city of Lapu-Lapu, specifically, and for most of the Philippines, in general, Today is known as the Kadaugan sa Mactan - Victory in Mactan - the day that is considered by most Filipinos as the first successful act of defiance by a Filipino against a foreign invader. Today commemorates the defeat of Magellan at the hands of Datu Lapu-Lapu of Mactan.

The names Datu Lapu-Lapu and Ferdinand Magellan are perhaps two of the names that majority of Filipinos will never forget among the the pantheon of Filipino heroes and martyrs. Aside from the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Lapu-Lapu remains one of the few historical figures that Filipinos are proud of. After all, the story of the conquistador Magellan's death at the hands of Lapu-Lapu (or one of his men) is a story that is etched forever in the heart and mind of the Filipino people.

And yet no matter how enduring the legacy of Lapu-Lapu is he also remains one of the heroes in our history to have an incomplete story.

Little is known about Lapu-Lapu's beginnings. What we now know of him comes from Antonio Pigafetta's account of Magellan's voyage and eventual death in Cebu. After the Spaniards left Cebu following the death of their leader we know nothing about what became of the country's first hero. In fact, it is not even clear if his name was Lapu-Lapu or Caliph Pulaku. The latter name would indicate an Islamic root, and some historians have alluded to the possibility that Lapu-Lapu was a Moslem. 

Pigafetta's account calls him Cilapulapu, which, in my opinion, is actually "si Lapulapu" thus making his name Lapulapu. Despite the scarcity of records we can still piece together the life of Lapu-Lapu based on oral traditions. Various articles and essays have been written about him with stories taken from families claiming to be descended from Lapu-Lapu. The Pagobo and Baring families of Mactan and the Mundo family of Borbon, both in Cebu province, claim that they are modern-day blood relatives of hero of Mactan. Other oral traditions gathered through the years from various local sources have actually yielded more or less the same information as those coming from the families claiming to be Lapu-Lapu descendants.

In one online article it is said that Lapu-Lapu's father was called Kusgano and his mother was Inday Puti (clearly symbolic names, as Kusgano stands for strength while Puti pertains to purity). He also appears to have a brother called Mingming and a grandmother called Matang Mantaunas, said to be a very powerful ruler in her heyday. Later, Lapu-Lapu is said to have married a beautiful princess by the name of Bulakna (flowers), the daughter of another local chieftain. Their child was called Sawili and was said to be as brave as his father.

I also checked academic write-ups and found two. One was written by Heidi K. Gloria and the other one by Linda Kintanar Alburo. When I was working for UP Cebu's research arm way back 2002 I also read a research by one of my former professor, Ms. Fe N. Reyes, about Lapu-Lapu based on folklore. It is from their write-ups that I base this brief genealogy of Lapu-Lapu.

A simple family tree of Lapu-Lapu

According to the tales gathered by these writers, the tales about Lapulapu have unearthed a circle of names related to him, among them: Datu Manggal, his father; Matang Mantaunas, his mother; Malingin or Mingming, his daughter; Bulakna, his wife; and Sawili, his son. And while we would expect these oral traditions to put Lapu-Lapu at the forefront of the stories it is apparently Lapu-Lapu's father, Datu Mangal, who appears as the "lead" in most of these tales. These tales also appear to have better sources than the one earlier mentioned above.

These stories do not only tell about the quests Lapu-Lapu had to undergo in order to win the hand of Princess Bulakna, it also tells of the magical tradition that was apparent in the members of Lapu-Lapu's clan. Accordingly, Lapulapu possessed supernatural powers because of his father Datu Manggal’s anting-anting or talisman. Of course, no one was more powerful than the father as he also possessed the power of foresight as well as having a horse that could fly.

But back to Lapu-Lapu. Oral tradition states that though he successfully defeated Magellan, Lapu-Lapu did not come out of the battle unscathed. In fact, he had a serious enough knee wound which made him weak. Later, after a great whirlpool in Mactan, a miracle of the Sto. Niño restored the island and reconciled Lapulapu with Humabon.

Oral history further states that five months after the battle of Mactan, Lapulapu asked Rajah Humabon to help him return his family and himself to his native home, which apparently was Borneo. In the end, Lapu-Lapu left Cebu with three wives, eleven children and, twenty servants. His warriors and other followers to given to Rajah Humabon as a parting gift.

But there is also a more romantic end to Lapu-Lapu's life. It is said that sometime after the battle of Mactan, in his twilight years Lapu-Lapu and Bulakna decided that the time had come for them to leave the world and go on to the next. After making sure their son was ready to rule Lapu-Lapu and Bulakna entered a sacred cave and were never seen ever again.

In the future I would be adding an article on "possible" Lapu-Lapu descendants. While this would be hard to verify historically it would still be good to trace the genealogies of these families claiming descent from Lapu-Lapu.
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Sources:

1. Linda Alburo's write-up on Lapu-Lapu
2. Heidi K. Gloria's "The Legend of Lapu-Lapu: An Interpretation" published by the PQCS
3. Fe N. Reyes's research on Lapu-Lapu, published by the CVSC