Argao Families: The Birondos

Anacleta Birondo, my great-grandmother

BIRONDO is a family name close to my heart as it is one of the families I descend from. My great-grandmother, Anacleta Birondo de Lucero, was the natural daughter of Manuela Birondo and supposedly a very wealthy China man by the last name of Tan. This Mr. Tan went on to have 4 or 5 more children with my lola Manuela but for some reason they were never allowed to marry. 

Although Birondo is actually an original Argawanon last name it does not appear to be in Catalogo Alfabetico de Apellidos. I am not certain but it is quite possible that my ancestor most probably misread "Binondo" from the list. Looking at all the last names beginning in Bi-, Be-, Vi-, Ve-, Birondo is nowhere to be found. And since the patriarch of all Birondos in 1849/50, Juan Bernardo Birondo, was pushing his sixtieth year and was already probably unable to see clearly, he must have made a mistake in reading and choosing his last name. Between 1850 until the early 1900s the surname was spelled Birondo, Berondo, Virondo, and Verondo. Birondo later became the standard spelling by the American period though there are some who use Berondo today.

According to my gradfather as told by his mother, historically the earliest Birondos were more engaged in fishing and trading and thus were located near the shoreline. My research has shown that the addresses of almost 80% of the Spanish period to early American period Birondos were in what were designated by the Spaniards as Barangay Numero 1 and Barangay Numero 10, what are now roughly the sitios of Latid and Looc, both of which are part of Barangay Poblacion today. Needless to say, both Latid and Looc are situated near the shores of Argao.

The Birondos were also part of the principalia of Argao and since Juan Bernardo Birondo was a cabeza de barangay from the early 1800s, his brother also a cabeza de barangay as well as a gobernadorcillo, and many of their sons also served as cabezas de barangay, then it can also be safely concluded that they not only belonged to the principalia, but were part of the few who were of the hereditary principalia class.

For more information on the Birondo family of Argao, please contact the genealogist.

NOTE: When in parenthesis, the person did not have a surname during his/her lifetime.

EARLIEST TRACEABLE ANCESTOR(S):

All people who have Birondo ancestry from Argao can be traced to one couple. This couple, AGUSTIN MALUNES and his wife MARIA VALENTINA, lived sometime in the mid-1700s until about the first quarter of 1800s. As far as records show they had two children, JUAN BASILIO and ANDRES BASILIO. 

(1) Andres Basilio (Birondo) and his wife Maria Basilisa had only one child, Maria Clemencia Birondo. 

A.     Maria Clemencia Birondo married Francisco Selerio UMERES. They had 7 children:

a.      Dionisio Selerio Umeres, married Valeriana Gemenes.

b.      Barbara Umeres, no issue.

c.      Juana Umeres, no issue.

d.      Seleria Umeres, no issue.

e.      Francisco Umeres, married Petrona Albarracin.

f.        Catarina Facunda Umeres, married Julian RUBIA.

g.      Placida Umeres, had one illegitimate son, Gaudencio Umeres.

(2) Juan Basilio Birondo, the older of the two second generation Birondos, married Marcelina Teodora de los Santos and similar to the earliest generations of the family they only had two children, Juan Bernardo Birondo and Leon Bonifacio Birondo.

A.    Juan Bernardo Birondo, born in 1799 and died on April 8, 1854. He married Basilia Petrona Camantigue in 1824 and they had 13 children, 12 of which have descendants today. These were their children:

a.     Salvador Bernardo Birondo, married Lucia de la Cruz Fuentes.

b.     Maria Bernardo Birondo, married Maria Joaquina Sarmento.

c.     Lino Bernardo Birondo, married Cipriana Tanato.

d.     Maria Candelaria Birondo, married Francisco Feliz SANCHEZ.

e.     Gregorio Birondo, married Alipia Carillo.

f.      Eustaquio Birondo, married Mitilde Gonzaga.

g.     Tomas Birondo, married (1) Basilia Chavez and (2) Agripina Monton.

h.     Fausta Birondo, married Faustino LABRADOR

i.      Ysidora Birondo, married Gregorio SANCHEZ.

j.      Agapito Birondo, married Mansueto

k.     Florentino Birondo, no issue

l.      Vicente Birondo, married Ygnacia Sareno.

m.   Apolinario Birondo, married (1) Ysidra Egos and (2) Filomena Lanticse

B.    Leon Bonifacio Birondo, born sometime in the early 1800s and died on September 9, 1878. He married Maria Ysidra Sanchez in 1843 and they had four children:

a.     Eduardo Birondo, married Ygnacia Robedo.

b.     Benedicto Birondo, no issue.

c.     Hermenegilda Birondo, married Placido RELLANOS.

d.     Rufino Birondo, married Feliciana Mier.

 BIRONDO Family Name Distribution (Spanish Period)

BIRONDO Family Name Distribution (As of 2011)

References:

1. Libros Canonicos de Parroquia de San Miguel de Argao, 1868 - 1901.

2. Philippine National Archives, Varias Provincias: Reservados de Argao, 1855 & 1882.

3. Argao Voters' List, 2010