The HESPEROS

KALIKAF: Amazingly Alternative Food Options

2012-07-25T17:49:00.000+08:00

While in Dumaguete City for a training / seminar for my new job I was surprised to find one of my college friends, Grace, living and working there. Grace and I went to UP Cebu together, though she was a year behind me. So on my first day in this fair city Grace suggested we have dinner in this new restaurant located in Robinson's Place. Since I had no idea where to eat I just trusted her to take me to a place where I would enjoy gastronomically speaking. Since we've known each other since 1999 she knew how choosy I am in terms of picking the right place for us to eat. My rule has always been no matter the cost, whether a place is cheap or expensive, as long as I would love the food then I am up for it.

That's how I discovered KALIKAF.

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I am not like my mom who is a food expert. She can dissect a food down to its last component and tell me how good or bad it is. She can tell how a food is prepared just by tasting it. She has millions of ideas of making something bland into something delectable, and now that she is with Eden Nature Park and Resort in Davao City she has produced many innovations in the kitchen to keep the patrons of the resort always coming back for more. Recently, my mom has been trying to develop wholistic, healthy food for the resort. So they now have moringga tea, lemongrass tea, and ice cream made from natural fruits and ingredients.

I guess this is now the trend in the country. Although the obesity red flags are not as pronounced in the country as they are in, say, the United States, we cannot deny the fact that many Filipinos (myself included) are becoming rounder everyday. Worst, many of the available jobs in the job market are more sedentary, contributing further to a lazy lifestyle.

KALIKAF is one the first resturants I have been to that now offers this healthy option in its offered meals. Kalikaf, which stands for Kalikasan Kafe, came into being because of its owners' common passion to advocate for a healthier lifestyle and slow food movement in a world where the mode of meal consumption has become increasingly dependent on fast food and artificial ingredients. The restaurant was originally envisioned to be simply a cafe, where people can have a unique culinary experience, from breads, meals, salads, snacks, pasta, pizza, drinks, to the desserts at the end of each meal, all made from organic products, produces of local farmers, fresh and/or seasonal ingredients, or at least from least-processed ingredients. Now, they have expanded their menu and are making the resto more functional in order to cater to and accommodate and suit the health needs of its increasing clientele. Their concept, which also serves as a motto, is : "we cook NOT fancy or intricate masterpieces, but just good food from fresh and well-chosen ingredients."

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I am usually leery and wary of endorsing new restaurants because I can never be too sure of the entirety of its menu. The fast food chains and the restaurants I always go to, from the humble larsians to the fancy ones in various hotels and shopping malls, I have already personally sampled majority of their food variety. So I know that if I am craving for barbeque I would always eat at Larsians, or if I need pork liempo nothing beats Andok's, or if I want good chops I would always dine at Roma Mia and have their Godfather Chops in Herb sauce, and so on. Because I have a lazy and boring palette I am seldom blown away by new and experimental culinary establishments with confused themes or out of this world philosophies.

Kalikaf's Chef's pizza

So when my friend Grace H. Casano asked me what I wanted to eat, and their chef offered me regular meals or pizza, I chose pizza, which is always a safe food to choose in unchartered territory. So when the pizza arrived, I was asked what drink I wanted and I answered with my usual "coke zero". Grace informed me that they did not offer carbonated drinks in their establishment and I was a little disappointed at first. So I ordered mango shake instead. So, just as Grace was starting her story about their cozy restaurant I took my first bite of their pizza. It took me about a minute to realize that it was not greasy. I have been so used to eating Yellow Cab, Da Vinci's, and Pizza Hut that getting my hand smeared with lots of icky grease has become normal. But, my slice of our ordered Chef's Pizza not only contained all the meats I want on my pizza, it was not dripping oil. Plus, though it was thick crust (which I always like in a pizza), it was not so thick that it would bend when I picked it up to take a bite on it. And though I noticed there were bits and pieces of herbs on the pizza I realized I did not notice them at all.

My mango shake was not sweet, that was the first thing my uber sweet-obsessed palette noticed. I was about to ask for sugar when I decided to take a few more sips of my mango shake. After about six to eight sips I started to feel the natural sugars of the mango in my mouth, and throughout the meal I forgot I wanted to have sugar added to the shake.

Malunggay Ice Cream, a true taste of heaven

Finally, Grace surprised me with a green looking ice cream. She was proud to say that once more, the ingredients of the ice cream were all natural and healthy. So I took my first taste of this concoction, and I told her a second after the taste that whatever flavor it was, it was the best ice cream I've had in a very long time. She smiled and told me that it was malunggay ice cream! What the...? Grace knows I never eat green, leafy things and for me to taste that amazing taste on something that normally would NEVER get inside my mouth was an eye-opener for me. Of course, all these reflections came after I finsihed the ice cream. And then I was not surprised to hear this lady asking Grace if KALIKAF sells the malunggay ice cream in bigger quantities, like in a half-gallon container.

This is exactly what Kalikaf, and Grace and her business partners, want to tell everyone: great-tasting food does not have to be overseasoned with artificial ingredients, or great taste is not limited to the common and usual food creations. Kalikaf's owners and staff continue to spend money and time experimenting on new concoctions to find ways to make food tasty without the help of genetically-modified or artificial ingredients. :Like other health option food establishments in the world, Kalikaf believes that healthy AND safe food can also be delectable.

With Grace Casano, one of Kalikaf's owners

Although I was able to sample only their pizza, mango shake, and malunggay ice cream that night, I know for sure that I would return to this amazing establishment everytime I am in Dumaguete to try their other fares. And for the budget conscious, never fear! The pizza comes in various sizes, and they are planning (or already have started on it) to come up with small portions of the pizza for about P99. And their ice cream? Well, you can have this amazing and healthy dessert for only P20 per serving. Definitely not bad.

I am definitely recommending this unique restaurant with an amazing food philosophy. Visit KALIKAF at the ground floor of Robinson's Place in Dumaguete City.

The Language of Gender

2012-04-13T10:46:00.000+08:00

With all the hoopla accompanying the recent decision of the Miss Universe Organization to allow transsexuals to compete in the Miss Universe pageant I decided to share my thoughts on the issue.

When I was growing up, there was hardly any mention of the “third sex” in either our family or school. In my naïve, elementary view of life I simply accepted the prevalent belief that anyone not subscribing to the “two-sexes” policy of society was either abnormal or a troublemaker. It was taboo then to even give a thought to the “different” people whose sexuality society could not really comprehend.

It still is taboo now to talk about the “others”, and by others I mean the people in our society who are branded as gays and lesbians. More importantly, it should be stressed that the term “gay” for any effeminate man and the word “lesbian” to describe any manly woman no longer applies in the modern world. The world has simply evolved into a more complex and diverse grouping that people can no longer be lumped into two separate categories: the straights and the not straights, the heteros and the homos, the normal and the abnormal. Thus there is a need to redefine how society perceives and addresses these “different” people, who are more commonly known in a politically correct term as the Filipino Sexual Minorities (FSMs).

It is also a common misconception of people that gender and sex are the same. For many, there are only two sexes, which is true. Sex is of course biological, and thus, there could only be two sexes: male and female. But gender is an altogether different thing. Gender entails not just biology, but most importantly it also connotes psychological and sociological components. Thus, it is now high time that society begins to redefine how it attaches the word “gender” to a particular group of people.

Like straight men and women, the FSMs also come in varying forms and dispositions. In fact, while society before can just claim of two genders: feminine and masculine, there is now a whole new world of gender stratification. To make it easier to remember, these new brands of the human sexuality can be given the initials LGBTIs, or the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and the Intersexes. A brief discussion on each is necessary to understand how truly complex society has become.

The term “gay” is generic for anyone who is psychologically and physically attracted to the same sex, and thus gay could refer to a male or female homosexual. However, for convenience and simplistic purposes, it has been decided that the term gay should be used (but again not exclusively) to refer to a male homosexual, while the term “lesbian” is used to describe any woman attracted to another woman.

From the term itself, a bi-sexual is anybody who is attracted to both sexes, and while many would say that bi-sexuals are simply people who are still confused as to what exactly they want, or perhaps are people who want to get the best of both worlds, psychologists and medical experts now say that bi-sexuals are as normal as any of the other genders, albeit it is also admitted that real bi-sexuals are hard to find as they eventually would either turn out to be straight or gay in the end.

Further in the gender spectrum, a transgender is one who is psychologically different from his or her biological make up. Transgender is a social, more generic term for people whose gender does not match or conflicts with their biological identity. While a homosexual is attracted to the same sex but is still content of his or her biological make-up, a transgender begins life thinking that somehow he or she has been given the “wrong” body. A transgendered woman is what we can commonly term as a “woman trapped in a man’s body”, and the male transgender is the opposite. Studies have shown that such people are harder to find, and that a real transgender eventually becomes a transsexual, or transgenders who have opted to have this gender conflict reassigned through medical procedures such as hormone replacement therapy or the actual gender reassignment operation, which most people erroneously call sex change operation.

Finally, an Intersex is somebody born with two sex organs, and while this is more of a biological and less of a psychological issue, inter-sexes are still considered part of the Filipino Sexual Minorities primarily because they are still considered abnormal by society because of their being “different”. And in the long run, people born as inter-sexes tend also to be psychologically affected primarily because of their inability to comprehend exactly what they are, simply because they were born with two and not one organ.

As society progresses, gender roles also tend to become more and more complicated and diverse. In fact, even among gays and lesbians, certain “groups” have also developed to distinguish one kind of gay or lesbian from the other. The most common for gays are the “butch” and the “fairies”, where the former are the straight acting gays while the latter are the flamboyant, cross-dressing male homosexuals. Added to these are also the “in-betweens”; gays who are neither butch nor fairy, and this is where most Filipino gay guys fall into. Then for the lesbians, there are also two basic classifications: the “butch” and the “fam”. The former refers to a manly lesbian; the latter to a very feminine lesbian.

A lot of people, especially in pre-dominantly Christian countries, still are unable to comprehend and accept the existence of these “different” people. People still tend to see the FSMs as either people who are simply confused and can still be “cured” through medication, psychiatric sessions, or pray-overs, or as people who are abnormal and should either be ignored or eradicated. Either way, it does not address the simple and basic truth: these people exist and, as most medical and psychological experts now are convinced, are just as normal and completely functional as any other straight men and women.

It is then a first step for society to learn more and understand the underlying factors which led to the existence and development of these people. It must also be understood that in the viewing of human development, evolution should not just be seen in the biological perspective, but also in the emotional and psychological ones. Like in any other issue, especially in the issues of discrimination, educating the people from all walks of life is a first logical step to stop misconceptions and bigotry. And what more logical first step to take than to actually learn the most basic definition of these “different” genders.

Philip Amarillo - Junior Masterchef 2nd Placer

2012-02-20T04:12:00.004+08:00

Philip Dave Amarillo is an Argawanon student and amateur cook who placed 2nd in the recently concluded first ever Junior MasterChef Pinoy edition. He has been erroneously introduced as coming from Cebu city as he auditioned there.
He is a student of the Argao Central Elementary School.
In the introduction of the contestants, Philip is shown as coming from a humble family who said that "they could only eat if they had a good day selling at the market." His mother sells not at the public market but near a bakeshop in the town proper.
Almost everyone describes Philip as a fun-loving but very responsible kid. He was born in Argao, Cebu to Fausto P. Amarillo, Jr. and Elizabeth N. Albert in 1998. His family's roots are in barangay Jomgao, Argao. Raised by his mother, Philip learned from an early age how to help out at home.
Philip Amarillo placed second in the final episode of the first season of Junior MasterChef Pinoy edition held last February 18, 2012. Kyle Imao from Marikina placed first. Philip trailed Imao by only 0.7 points. He emerged from the competition with P500,000 and P1.5 million worth of culinary scholarship.

Burping Balamban Liempo

2012-02-03T12:54:00.003+08:00

I finally got the chance to taste the much talked-about Balamban liempo. Someone told me about this Cebu-based liempo place near the Buhangin fly-over. I've always considered myself a good judge of anything related to meat, and after two days of having Balamban liempo as my meal well, I have a few things to say.

First, the price is a bit higher than the usual liempos in Davao City. At P180.00 per order it is P50.00 higher than most liempos in the city. However, at that price, one gets the satisfaction of getting a bigger-sized portion per order. In fact, based on my recent order I would surmise that it is almost twice as much as the other liempos in the city. So for the price of P180.00 I guess it is worth the price.

Pricing and size of serving aside, the main thing I can say about the liempo is its too overpowering smell. The servers say it is because of the herbs they rub the meat with. I suppose many people love the smell but I for one do not like the smell. It destroys the experience in its entirety. Every mouthful would remind my senses that there was a powerful smelling hunk of meat in my mouth. And the worst part was the smell I had in my mouth and esophagus which stayed for more than 12 hours.

In the end, I'd still go for Andok's liempo if I were in Cebu or Manila and Uloy's liempo in Davao.

Argao's Beauty Queens

2011-09-13T22:59:00.002+08:00

Tired of reflecting on the politics of beauty pageants, which I believe I already wrote about last year in this blog, I decided this year to do a little search in the internet about past beauty queens. One blog, Manila Carnivals, caught my attention as it is perhaps the most comprehensive guide to the Carnival Queens of Manila, Cebu, and many other cities in the country.

I was surprised and extremely happy to find out that one former Carnival Queen of Cebu, Angeles Osmeña Climaco, had roots to Argao, Cebu. Not only that, she was also my great-grandfather's third cousin! I was so inspired by this little piece of historical tidbit that I wrote a whole article about Argao's beauty queens. It is a work in progress as I have many years not documented but this is a start. To read about it please visit Argao, Cebu's wiki, All About Argao.

The End of an Era: Growing up with Harry Potter

2011-07-21T15:57:00.006+08:00

I had to see it for the second time before I could really get my thoughts in order. Harry Potter's the best! I must have laughed, flinched, smiled, smirked, cried, and more all throughout the movie. When a film gives me an orgasm of emotions then I know it was well worth the wait.

I have already poured my emotions for the Harry Potter series when the last book was released in 2007 so I'll just post that article I wrote about the book after reading it. I believe that my emotions then were the purest in terms of what my feelings for the series really are.

I grew up, literally, with the Harry Potter series. It was a book I first dismissed as a kid's book; today I am one of the die-hard Potterites and I am proud to say so.

(Photo of me wearing my first HP shirt during the first showing of the last film in Davao on July 14, 2011)

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Harry Potter

Hundreds of possibly more interesting titles are swimming in my head now that I have finished the last installment in the Harry Potter series. But, I am at a loss. I have been unable to get a descent sleep since the past few days, trying to read the previous six Harry Potter books to have a better understanding of the last one. I had to wake today to make sure I was in National Bookstore when they opened and claimed the book as fast as I could so I could read it as fast as I did the rest. Mine is a deep thirst, a hunger, to see how everything ended. Harry Potter dying would have been a sad but poetic ending, as the rumors persisted. Most of all, I believe, serious Harry Potter fans simply want to know the answer to the age-old question: is love truly the most powerful force?

When religious fundamentalists attack the Harry Potter phenomenon as the work of something sinister, and, some might even say, evil, I have always been quick to say to anybody who bothers to listen to me that the Potter series is popular because it is a good read, and many people identify with the Boy-who-lived because of his heroic deeds against Lord Voldemort. Besides, it really didn’t matter to me that they were bashing the Potter books and Ms. Rowling; children still read the book despite the warnings of fundamentalist church organizations.

After reading the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I have come to the conclusion that JK Rowling has truly done what many writers have failed to do in recent times: attract all ages to once more read books. When I was waiting for my turn to get my copy in National Bookstore I saw different people from all walks of life also waiting to read their own copy. There were Japanese, Korean, Caucasian, and young, old, straight, and gay Filipinos who stood there with me. JK Rowling has united people of different creeds and color and orientations, much more than Bush and other world leaders who, in the words of Harry in book 6, “who never got it right.”

I am no literature major, and I am no Hermione Granger, but I would like to believe that JK Rowling has taught me a thing or two in her books. Love does conquer all, cliché and corny as it may sound. Good will always triumph over evil, not the heaven and hell version of fundamentalists but basic human, moral decisions in our everyday lives. It is not always the mighty that triumphs, but sometimes the weak and the oppressed. Friendship and family are our greatest treasures, and no amount of money or success could ever replace them. We have to learn to trust in the inherent goodness of people, because the world will truly be a dark and gloomy place if we all decide we cannot have faith in good. Most of all, we have to learn to tolerate and accept each other’s differences, because in the grand scheme of things we are all children of a Higher Power, whatever we are and wherever we are in the world.

Yup. JK Rowling has done more for many people than many misguided world leaders have. And she has injected age-old wisdom in her books and made sure it is understood by all ages. The younger ones may not have the same understanding of the entirety of Rowling’s messages in her books as, say, Stephen King or other novelists, but I believe they have more or less a firm grasp of the core of the books’ message: respect each other, trust each other, and love each other. So simple, and yet we simply do not have the presence of mind to do these everyday.

I started the book at two in the afternoon on July 21, and ended at 12:45 AM on July 22. I cried three times during the straight ten hours and forty-five minutes that I read the book without interruption (I was reading it even when I had to go to the loo to pee). I have journeyed with Harry Potter from his tiny closet to Hogwarts to all his adventures and sufferings in the course of his life, and I am glad that JK Rowling gave us Potter addicts a very, very great end.

I sincerely hope kids all over the world would understand and retain the meaning of the Harry Potter series. I thank Rose and Brigitte, two former college classmates and friends of mine, for introducing me to the Harry Potter book. And I thank JK Rowling for her writing the books and giving us a refresher course in the tried and tested “magic” of life.

To Harry Potter – the boy who lived! And Loved!

Yellowcab - Yellow is for Happiness?

2011-05-22T00:15:00.002+08:00

When Yellowcab Pizza opened in 2001, founded by Eric Puno, something promising seemed to have appeared out of thin air and pizza eating in the Philippines became even better. The Yellowcab franchise seemed to have raised the bar higher when it came to pizza appreciation. And for a few years the franchise grew into something even better and today is now in at least 5 countries.

Since I discovered them to be something my taste buds could actually appreciate about 5-6 years ago I have been loyally ordering various flavors of their pizza from their various franchises in Cebu, Manila, and now in Davao.

The nearest YC from my house is located in Damosa, and I have been occasionally ordering from this branch every time I've been on vacation and then I have been ordering thrice or four times a month since I went back to live in Davao in 2010. And since then they have been committing one customer service blunder after another.

A. Once, I found a tiny, hairy, and awfully familiar looking leg-like thing on one of the pizzas. I lost all my appetite and threw away the whole box which most likely had cockroach parts sprinkled all over the cheese.

B. Another time I asked for extra pepper and ketchup for my brother and they forgot about it.

C. One time I also asked for ice with my 1.5 L soda and they forgot.

D. Just recently I had to tell their delivery guy "wait, let me finish giving instructions first before you talk" as the guy would cut me off every time I gave directions to our place.

E. One time I ate there with some friends and we were seated outside it started to rain and none of their staff even bothered to help us with our tables and chairs.

I love their pizza, and would probably order again. I even ordered from them even after finding a cockroach leg on my pizza. I just hope they bother to train their people in customer service. A simple "sorry" could go a long a way and getting a customer service instructor would be more affordable compared to losing one customer per month.

Raj, Mendoza, and the Politics of Beauty Pageants

2010-08-24T20:15:00.005+08:00

It is quite interesting that this year's roster of Ms. Universe winners are not exactly the "usual" winners. Not one of the top 5 candidates come from countries that have a major relationship with the United States in recent months. The winning of Ms. Mexico as this year's Ms. Universe is a bit interesting. Is this a sign that the Latinos of the United States are finally making themselves heard? In many recent surveys, the Hispanics in the US (and many of these come from Mexico), are slowly topping the list better and improved non-white Americans. In fact, in a recent survey of computer/internet users/owners, the Hispanics outnumbered the African-Americans.

Venus Raj's fifth place in the final tally was probably due to her not so amazing answer, but it may also be very much due to what recently happened to the bungled resolution to the Mendoza hostage-taking crisis. Some observers (and conspiracy theorists) have stated that the hostage taking of Chinese nationals by S/Insp. Mendoza actually helped Venus Raj's quest for the most prestigious beauty title. It guaranteed that the judges would really pay special attention to her during the prelims, and indeed she breezed through the top 15 and top 10 rounds. However, having her place hear the crown would have also sent a wrong signal, especially to the Chinese who are probably still seething at what happened to their countrymen. There is a small chance that Raj placed only as 4th runner-up because of the hostage taking incident the day before the pageant. As always, observers like myself would say that, once more, politics got in the way of crowing beauty titleholders.

The Philippines probably holds the distinction of having the most number of local beauty pageants held annually, with most barrios from Appari to Jolo culminating their fiestas with a beauty search. Moreover, it gives us great pride and honor to send representatives to tilts like Miss International, Miss World and Miss Universe would at least make it to the 10 semi-finalists.

Since Margie Moran won the Miss Universe title in 1972, it took 21 years before the country saw Miss Philippines grace the stage as a finalist. Sharmaine "Ruffa" Guttierez won Miss World 2nd runner-up in 1993. It was a welcome end to the drought of beauty titles that our country had been experiencing.

But let's talk about how politics got in the way. The owner of Miss World Organization (MWO) is British Eric Morley. Needless to say, Miss World is a British-run and British-owned pageant. That same year, a few months before the pageant, the South African and British governments formally agreed to end the policy of apartheid in South Africa.

So, what better way to start this wonderful new relationship than to crown a black woman with African roots as the year's Ms. World? Almost every year in the 1990's, Miss South Africa always made it to the top three spots. India also seemed to be favored lately by both Miss World and Universe Pageants, having placed in the magic three or won the title since 1994. Why? Both the UK and US have been courting India to stop developing its nuclear weapons program for fear of a war with neighbor Pakistan. Also, South Africa and India have been so favored by the MWO is because both were former British colonies.

For the Miss Universe Organization, which is American-based, the Philippine bets rarely made it to the top 10 from the 70s to 80s. When it was our turn to host the pageant in 1994, Charlene Gonzales had to be at least in the top 10, of course. In 1995-1998, Miss Philippines was only seen during the Parade of Nations with dismally low scores flashed onscreen. But in 1999, a five-year no beauty-title-spell was almost broken by Miriam Quiambao, when she placed 1st runner-up to Miss Botswana.

Yes, she did deserve the title and admiration when she stood up after a fall in the evening gown preliminary contest. But, if you remember, days before the coronation night, the approval of the Visiting Forces Agreement was a hot issue in the country as many people fought against it. Obviously, it was America's own way of lobbying the Filipinos' support for the approval of the VFA and, lo and behold, our bet placed 1st runner-up on the same day of the VFA's signing.

It may very well be possible because a year later, many were surprised when favorite Nina Ricci Alagao failed to secure a spot in the semi-finals. An anchorwoman of the pageant was even caught saying, "I'm surprised Miss Philippines didn't make it! I think she's great!" What happened to our country that year?

We didn't have a good reputable image to speak of because a political crisis arose from the Abu Sayyaf kidnappings and at the same time, a Filipino impaired millions of computers worldwide, including those of the Pentagon's with the virus that he spread through the internet.

Last May 1, 2001, a mob filled the streets of Mediola as Erap supporters tried to grab power from Arroyo. The news of the Abu Sayyaf kidnappings was also still fresh. Two weeks later, just as expected, Zorayda Ruth Andam didn't make it to the select 10 delegates in the 2001 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant.

Also, many people were surprised when Ms. Russia, Oxana Fedorova, won the Miss Universe crown in 2002. Many observers raised their eyebrows at two of the least expected candidates to have gotten in the top ten: Russia and China. There was more to the pageant than just beauty. We knew that China was concluding its entry in the World Trade Organization during that time, and that Russia and the US were also ironing out their nuclear arms reduction treaty. And so, as an early treat for both, they got in the select 10 for the first time. China even had a much better deal.

Usually, the Chinese delegates bear the sash "Taiwan" or "Taiwan, PROC." Surprisingly, that year, the Chinese delegate bore the title of "China," as though telling everybody once and for all that the independent Taiwan issue was really dead. People's conviction that politics was involved in the Miss Universe pageant (after all, it's American owned) was further bolstered late that year when Oxana Fedorova was stripped of her title in September.

Accordingly, her inability to fulfill her duties as Miss U was the reason for the removal of her crown. But, if you were reading the papers that time, you'd realize that the US was busy convincing every member of the UN Security Council to vote for its resolution to wage war against Iraq. As Russia is a member of the UN Security Council, it was vehemently opposed to any attack against Iraq. Could her government's opposition to America's plans have precipitated the removal of Miss Russia's crown?

Then, in 2002 the Miss World pageant (which is British owned) was held at the Alexander Palace in London. Initially, the pageant was to be held in Nigeria, but after a newspaper article there suggested that the Prophet Mohammed would have approved of the Miss World pageant, Muslim fundamentalists of Nigeria went on a rampage and at least 220 people were killed. And, to make amends for the brouhaha in Nigeria, two concessions to Moslem contestants were given: Nigeria and Turkey, who won that year's Miss World crown.

These theories may for fetched, but remember that the primary goal of a state is the protection and preservation of its national interests. K.J. Hotsti, one of the leading experts in international relations, said that international competitions like the Olympics, Nobel Prize, and beauty pageants like the Miss Universe and Miss World, are avenues for nations to promote national interests.

It is therefore not surprising that Miss Universe Inc. and Miss World Inc., owned by US and UK respectively, would use the effect of "soft" power to promote their interests and reward and/or punish erring nations. As it is, in a beauty pageant, judges are compelled to judge not the lady, but the country from where they come from. The prejudice on the economic and political status of the represented country now steps in.

(Reprinted from my old website http://the.hesperos.googlepages.com/)

Mendoza Hostage Taking

2010-08-23T21:14:00.004+08:00

Truly a sad day for the Philippines. Senior Inspector Rolando (earlier mentioned as Reynaldo) del Rosario Mendoza probably did not wake up today thinking that this would be his last Monday. While he probably has had a lot of things on his mind recently since his dismissal from police service, he must still not have thought that today would end the way it did.

How could a policeman with 17 service medals, a commendation for meritorious service, and one of the Ten Outstanding Police Officers in the Philippines think of holding a tourist bus with many civilians hostage?

It is truly hard to imagine that this honorable police officer was truly guilty of his extortion charges in 2008. Why, after years and year of honest service, would he risk his name and reputation, not to mention his livelihood, for an alleged extorted amount of P200,000.00? His family was quoted as saying that the case was tied to the higher ups of his police department, but of course, as is always the case in our country, the sad and defenseless little people are the ones who take the fall.

I believe that he would have continued with his life quietly had he not been deprived of his benefits. A true dirty cop would have probably squirreled away millions of pesos by the time he was dismissed, so there would have been no problem with a dismissal from work and a deprivation of retirement benefits. But these benefits were the only thing that the hostage taker was actually after, which again begs the question: maybe he truly was not guilty, and whatever was accused of him ate at him so much that he lost all sense of nobility and decided to fight fire with fire instead.

His death has also exposed the ineptness of the entire Philippine Police. The very dramatic and much controversial forced detainment of the hostage-taker's brother, shown on live television, was what finally made Captain Mendoza snap. The police should have never done that that publicly. Because of what they did, almost dragging Mendoza's brother toward a police car, Captain Mendoza lost all sense of right.

When the driver jumped out of the bus and shouted everyone was dead, the police should have never stormed and shot at the bus as they did. They should have verified first if everyone was indeed dead before assaulting the bus with bullets. As it turned out, there were several hostages who were fine, and I am pretty certain that at least one or two of the dead hostages were killed not by Mendoza but by the bullets of the police assault team.

Why was there no high ranking hostage negotiator? If they had someone with authority talk to Mendoza, things would have been different. Police and military men are trained, almost brainwashed, to respect authority without question. If someone of an important rank had negotiated, things would have probably ended amicably. Now, we will never know.

The mere fact that Captain Mendoza released old and young people early in the hostage-taking drama suggested that he was not a cold-hearted criminal. That should have given the authorities the idea that Captain Mendoza was probably willing to negotiate. Instead, for the rest of the day, the police simply bungled the negotiation and ended the crisis with a dead decorated policeman and several foreign nationals also dead.

The chief police of the Manila area, as well as the PNP chief should both be held accountable for what happened. This should never have happened.

*************************************************************************************

P.S. It is a bit strange that Captain Mendoza's last name is Basque in origin. The Basques are of course known for their strong independent streak as well as their continued struggle for what should be theirs. Also, the name Mendoza means "cold mountain".

August 15, 1733 - Fr. Olalde is Assigned to Argao

2010-08-09T21:23:00.005+08:00

(The church of Argao as it may have appeared in the late 1800s)

August 15 is the the 277th anniversary of Fr. Ignacio de Olalde's appointment as the first Cura Parroco of the parish of Argao, Cebu.

To this very day, Fr. de Olalde remains almost a mystery. Local historians cannot even agree on his very name: was he surname OLALDE or OLAVE? Both are Spanish surnames, although Olalde has a much better claim as it is an old Basque family name. Olalde means "side" or the "cabin area", where ola refers to foundry or cabin while alde stands for side or region. The surname first appeared in the Arrasate-Mondragon region of Guipuzcoa, Spain in the fifteenth century.

On the other hand, Olave as a surname has a more difficult history to trace. Although is believed to also be of Basque origin, its meaning and origin remains a mystery to this day. As Olalde appears more frequently compared to Olave, it is very highly probable that Argao's first parish priest was an Olalde.

Before Fr. de Olalde was appointed as Argao's founding spiritual father, he was probably one of the priests assigned to the Carcar mission tasked to minister to the various vicarias or vice-parishes of the parish of Carcar, Argao being one of them. Although Argao was established as a separate town in 1608, it remained a vice-parish until 1733, a scenario that is not clearly explained in old Spanish records. However, in 1733, the prominent men of Carcar petitioned the Augustinian fathers of Cebu to return the priests assigned to Carcar who were, apparently, spending more time in Argao than in their mother parish. And so, on August 15, 1733, Fr. Ignacio de Olalde was appointed to take control of the newly created parish of St. Michael the Archangel. However, from 1733 until about October of 1735, Fr. Olalde did not stay for long in Argao.

This was, of course, understandable as there was no church in Argao yet. So Fr. Olalde probably stayed in the house of one of the principalia of Argao while overseeing the construction of the church. Stories passed from generation to generation state that the making of the Argawanon delicacy torta dates to this time, when the demand for eggs was high due to the need for a cement-type of component that the white in the egg produced. It is most probable that Fr. Olalde was the one who insisted that the yolk from the eggs not be thrown away and instead be used as an ingredient for the new pastry, torta de Argao.

Other stories from the time of Fr. Ignacio de Olalde include the carving of the first ever San Miguel statue from one of the older trunks of the Sali-Argaw tree, which remained in the possession of the people of Argao until the 1970s when it was allegedly stolen by the goons of Imelda Marcos. Another story states that before the Argawanon natives were allowed to hear mass, they first had to present a block of coral stone to be used as a building material for the church.

It is not known when Fr. Olalde died, but his term of office was listed as having ended on June 22, 1737, barely four years after he was assigned to Argao. As most parish priests in those times served for life, it is very possible that he died in the town of Argao.

Death of a Principalia

2010-03-28T22:34:00.004+08:00

En veinti ocho de Marzo de dos mil dies años: fue sepultado en el cementerio de esta parroquia el cadaver de Teodoro Gumila Villarimo mestizo Español, soltero, hijo de Primitivo Villarimo, natural del pueblo de Carcar vecino de este pueblo y Felisa Lucero Gumila mestizo Española de este pueblo de Argao, ambos ya difuntos. Abuelos paternos nombres cuyos ignorantes. Abuelos maternos Don Teodoro Gumila Cabrera mestizo Español y Doña Trinidad Lucero Vismanos india natural de este pueblo ambos ya difuntos. Fallecio de muerte natural (asmatico).

The above narrative would be more or less how the burial of one of my closest friends and relatives, Theodore Gumila Villarimo, would appear had he died in the Spanish period Philippines. Kuya Ted, or to his very close friends in Argao Tudengga Virus, or Myrna, or Denggay, was a proud aristocrat. It was only fitting that his wake and funeral was very historic and dramatic. The family came in almost full attendance: descendants of Don Cayetano Gumila Santana, an Inspector de Obras in the south of Cebu during the Spanish period and Doña Maria Cabrera Lucero. Luceros and Kintanars, both families very close friends and relatives of Ted, came in full force. Escarios from Bantayan, Solons from Cebu, a Reynes of the Reyneses of San Fernando, and an Estrada of Barili, were some of the people who showed up for Teddy's memorial and funeral, all of whom, Ted would have been happy to know, would have been listed in the Spanish period as "todos los principales de este pueblos de Argao, Bantayan, Cebu, San Fernando y Barili".

His wake was held at the more than 250-year old capilla mortuario, whose centermost relief, a skull perched atop a globe with an hourglass above it, is a constant reminder that death comes to all at any time. The effect of his wake being held there, with candles and white flowers around, was pure drama.

On the day of interment, his body was paraded around the walled complex of Argao, past the Casa Real where many of Ted's ancestors served as gobernadorcillo and other members of the ayutamiento. Then the hearse passed by the Hall of Justice, where many of Ted's male ancestors were educated during the Spanish period when it was still the Colegio de los Niños, or the school for boys. Slowly, the hearse passed through the street where Ted used toi walk by everyday until it passed by his office, the place he spent more waking hours than his own home and where he spent his weekends in without any overtime pay. Finally, the hearse and those following it entered the walled complex again through the Puerta del Sur or the South Gate, and then finally came to a stop at the entrance of the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel Church where many of Ted's ancestors and relatives were baptized, confirmed, wedded, and received their last rites.

As the casket was being carried out of the hearse, dozens of angel relief gazed down on the body. Carvings of Pelicans, symbols of self-sacrifice, adorn the church that Ted was so proud of. Finally, it made a slow procession into the vast church, 28 cherubs lined above and gazing down on the slow movement of the casket. Then, the melodic voice of Dwight Chavez, a descendant of the principalia Chavezes of Argao, broke through the silence as he sang Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up".

The last rites were exactly what Ted would have wanted. The murals of Canuto Avila and Raymundo Francia above his casket, with all 42 cherubs of the church looking down from their perch. The church choir, led by Baby Calledo Sarchez, also a member of principalia families, conducted the singing of various English, Cebuano, and most especially Latin songs which surely made Ted smile.

Then, after the ceremony, Ted his final journey. The funeral cortege passed by Rizal street, perhaps the second oldest street in Argao, passing by many old houses of de la Peñas, Luceros, Kintanars, and many more, until finally entering the church cemetery. Surrounded by his Lola Eding, Lola Sabel, and many more relations, Ted was finally interred together with his father's remains.

Truly, Ted's life, though cut tragically short, was how he would have lived it again if he were given a chance to live once more. He lived an unabashed, almost shameless, life of an aristocrat, a real mestizo Español who was proud to call himself a principalia. All the time we spent together I would always cringe when he would declare proudly that he was a real principalia in Argao even when there were many people around us.

But yesterday, and forevermore, he was and will always be a principalia. With that note, I now bid my prima, my amiga, adios! Vaya con Dios, mi prima principalia!

Argao's Baucis and Philemon

2010-03-15T12:49:00.000+08:00

The town of Argao was shocked to discover Friday that two of its residents had perished in a fire in Lucero Street, barangay Langtad, Argao, Cebu. The charred remains of lolo Alberto “Berting” Albarracin Alcazaren and lola Lydia Pelegrin Alcazaren were all that was left of the old couple, known in town for both their eccentric behavior as well as their enduring love for each other. There have been speculations as to why they constantly lit fires inside there house. Some say they did so to ward off mosquitoes, while others say they had the habit of not washing their clothes. Instead, they supposedly wore a few pairs every month and then burn these at the end of the month.

Whatever the case, Lolo Berting and Lola Lydia were very much in love. A cousin of my grandfather, Berting always called his wife “hija”, while Lydia called her husband “partner”. Lola Lydia was a Pelegrin, a Spanish family from Manila. However, for most of her life, she remained a faithful and devoted wife to Lolo Berting Alcazaren.

Alberto A. Alcazaren, an engineer, was one of the sons of Juan Fuentes Alcazaren, the first Argao-born representative of Argao, being a representative of the fourth district of Cebu (inclusive of Sibonga, Argao, and Dalaguete) from the 7th to the 9th legislatures (1925-1934). Alberto’s mother, Corazon Ma. Delos Nieves Albarracin, was the daughter of Don Lorenzo M. Albarracin, a former Presidente Municipal of Argao, and Doña Candelaria Lucero.

In life, people always admired Lolo Berto and Lola Lydia for their sweetness. Even in their old age, Argawanons were used to seeing them holding hands while walking to the church everyday. Their love story reminds me of the story of Baucis and Philemon from the Greek mythology. The story goes that when given a wish by the great god Zeus, the old couple asked that when the time came for them to die, they would like to die together. And so die together did Philemon and Baucis, parting only upon their last breaths.

Vaya con Dios, Lolo Berting and Lola Lydia!

The Pelicans of Argao

2010-03-15T12:38:00.002+08:00

(The pelicans of Argao: Top, drawing at the Casa Real. Below, coral stone carving at the church)

Like most of the town’s heritage structures, the church and the old municipal building, better known as the Casa Real, are filled with artistic symbolisms that mean so much if only one takes the time to reflect on what they stand for.

A very interesting drawing on the Casa Real, which is duplicated as coral stone carvings on the lower portion of the church’s exterior portion of the archway of its main door, is that of a bird, which, according to most experts, is that of a pelican.

The pelican, throughout history, has been always associated with self-sacrifice, an allusion to the fact that the mother would sometimes feed its babies with its own blood if food is nowhere to be found. Because of this action, the pelican became a symbol of Jesus Christ’s passion as well as of the Eucharist. The pelican also was believed to kill its young, only to resurrect them using its own blood, another analogy of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

The depiction of pelicans in the Casa Real and the St. Michael Church of Argao are very clear reminders to the leaders of Argao, both in the church and the government that they should act like the pelicans: sacrifice their self-interests for the good of the people.

ELEKSYON 2010: Illusions of Philippine Democracy, Part 2

2010-02-25T11:16:00.005+08:00

Party System in the Philippines

Every election season, we get the chance to reflect on the many flaws in our democratic system. In a previous article, I discussed the need to look closely at the shameless monopoly of power of certain families in the Philippines. In this article, let us see where we are in terms of our country’s maturity in political parties.

The Philippines currently has a multiparty system. This means that the system is open to more than two political parties that compete among each other in putting candidates into office. Theoretically, a multiparty system is believed to achieve proportional representation. Since each party is thought to possess certain ideologies and interests that are not given attention by other parties, we are almost assured that each sector of the society is represented in the legislative and/or in the executive branches thereby creating a government that addresses to the particular needs of every represented individual.

The advantage of a multi-party system is that it allows everyone with the proper organizational set-up and resources and proper intentions to form a party that will carry its members beliefs and aspirations as well as draft programs of action that will be beneficial to all concerned. A look at the party system of other countries would reveal a high number of nations also having the same feature as ours. Even America and England, which many people mistake as countries with a two-party system, are actually practicing a unique feature of a multi-party system. Both countries stated above have what we call a multi-party, two-party dominant system. (But for simplicity’s sake we shall continue referring to this as a two-party system) This means, that while these countries laws allow its citizens to form as many sound political parties as possible, there are only two dominant parties for both, the Democratic and the Republican parties for the United States, and the Labour and Conservative parties for the England. Although lesser known parties, like the Reform Party for the US and the Liberal Democratic Party for England, also field in candidates for president or prime minister during national elections, only the two dominant parties can actually win. Not once in the history of both countries have smaller parties won elections.

The 1987 freedom constitution was drafted to ensure that no repeat of Ferdinand Marcos one-party system (i.e. the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan), and thus one-man show, would occur. Thus, at the moment, our constitution allows as many political parties and party-lists to exist and most of all field candidates for elective posts. Since the 1992 national elections, we have seen many political parties coming out and fielding candidates for different positions, all created for the purpose of representation and ideological reasons. After almost 2 decades of practicing a multi-party system, can we truly say that our political system has indeed improved? Or is a return to a two-party system better and more sensible?

Our political parties, however, are far from reaching this theoretical purpose. Many political analysts criticize our political parties as being homogenous, ephemeral, and lacking in political discipline. Our parties are observed to be extensions of political leaders and loyalties are attributed to these politicians rather than to the institutions. These explain why many of our politicians get out of their party cocoons and start to flutter with butterfly wings from one party to another during election seasons.

It has been said time and again that Philippine political parties are essentially non-ideological vehicles for personal and factional political ambition. Many of our current political parties lack coherent political programs, and they generally champion conservative social positions and avoided taking stands that might divide the electorate. Each party attempts to appeal to all regions, ethnic groups, and social classes, and foster national unity by never championing one sector or group. Most of all, politicians switch capriciously back and forth from one party to another, usually switching when their party is losing power. These parties exist only to satisfy particular demands, not to promote general programs.

Two party systems, like that of UK, CANADA, and US, tend to eliminate such problems. In such a system, there exist two major parties that share the votes of the electorate. The party that possesses most seats in the legislative could easily produce a majority vote to create its policies. Although a two-party system is not bereft of any other parties, minor parties rarely prevent the two major parties from gaining most seats in the congress. Thus, a vote for a third party is usually a lost vote. The Philippines, which adopts a single ballot system, is more conducive for a two-party system because balloting only happens once and the party who receives the greatest number of votes win. Hence, it is logical that each party tries to acquire the greatest number of supporters it could have and the best way to do that is to form a coalition with other parties.

Let us take for an example a district that has 100,000 conservative voters and 60,000 radical voters. If these conservative voters are divided into 4 conservative parties, each party would only get approximately 25,000 votes thereby enabling the candidate of the radical party, with his 60,000 votes, of winning. A two-party system is also beneficial in creating stability in the government. It prevents the occurrence of deadlocks and ensures the passing of urgent bills because it is easy for the majority party to get a majority vote in Congress. Deadlocks often occur when politicians from different parties prevent the advancement of a bill sponsored by an opponent party.

A two party system is also a better way of increasing the funds of each party. Contributions made by organizations and businessmen are concentrated on two major parties only. Candidates, in turn, would utilize party funds and spend less of their personal wealth for campaigns. This would tend to diminish corruption in the government because the amount of money which a candidate has to get from the government in replacement of the money he spent for campaigning would be lessened as well.

Public focus is narrowed when there are only two major contending parties. This means each party would then become conscious of its reputation, in fear that a misconduct made by one candidate would create a big impact on the perception of the voters and affect the party image as a whole. This would result to a decrease in political turn-coatism and increase in party discipline. Lastly, a two-party system provides effective integration of the different interests of the different sectors. Because the two parties would be subject to tough competition, it would articulate the sheets of interests among sectors into one umbrella, ensuring that the interests of these sectors are represented. Uncommon ideas are integrated thereby making it more common and in line with the thrust of each party. Proportional representation is an illusion in the multiparty system because losing parties with unique interests are not really represented in the government.

While other nations make real issues the main point of contention in the electoral fight, our candidates are still in the process of mudslinging and bragging who is more sincere and apt for the job of running the country. Almost two decades ago, the framers of our constitution decided to allow as many political parties to participate in the political exercise to ensure that every citizen’s interests are well represented. But, far from achieving the good of a multi-party system, our country’s political system has been plunged into a circus every electoral season, making politics even more incoherent to the average voters.

ADDENDUM. Below are the histories of the party affiliations of the major Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates for the 2010 elections. Notice that among the candidates, only Noynoy and MAR have remained consistent in their party affiliations.

Party Affiliation of Presidential Candidates:

Party Affiliation of Vice-Presidential Candidates:

ELEKSYON 2010: Illusions of Philippine Democracy, Part 1

2010-02-09T11:26:00.003+08:00

We live in a society that prides itself as one of the champions of democracy. Influenced and fired by the ideals of Uncle Sam, the self-proclaimed greatest exporter of democracy, the Filipino people are always ready and proud to recite the popular uprisings of 1986 and 2001 as the greatest manifestations of the country’s love for democracy and its ideals. It is necessary to point here that most political theorists would define the word democracy as the practice or spirit of social equality, a condition of equality, and the common people.

How much of a democracy are we, really? We constantly boast that we have achieved an almost utopian level of democracy, thanks mainly, many would say, to our amazing display of people power in ‘86 and ‘01. But looking at some aspects of our political system and the way politics play in our society, it is interesting to note that the most basic, the most fundamental aspect of the word democracy simply does not apply to us. This article will discuss and tackle issues on democracy that will illustrate that we as a people have always been living in an illusion when it comes to the subject of democracy.

Political Dynasties and Social Status as Basis for Power

Enshrined in Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution is a provision meant to ensure the equality in access to public office. To quote: The State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.

While the constitution of the land prohibits explicitly the perpetuation of political dynasties, it is interesting to note that any ordinary Filipino can recite as many political dynasties that do exist in their municipalities or cities. This is because the law has not clearly stipulated what can be classified as a political dynasty, and who are those who fall under this definition. It has been fourteen years since the 1987 constitution was ratified, but it was only in 1998 and 1999 that some legislators have actually attempted to define political dynasty in a bill. However, sad to note, not one of the 3 1998 bills or the 1999 bill Prohibiting the Establishment of Political Dynasties has ever been passed in Congress. Thus, without a clear definition, dynasties still exist.

To cite some important provisions of the 1998-99 bills banning political dynasties, a political dynasty is defined as the concentration, consolidation, or perpetuation of public office and political power by persons related to one another. By persons related to one another we mean people related up to the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, and these include an official’s parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, uncles and aunts, cousins whether full or half blood, and all their spouses. A cursory glance at the list of candidates for various public offices would reveal an astounding number of people who are related to one another, some many times over!

An interesting case study is the province of Cebu. The incumbent governor, Gwendolyn “Gwen” Fiel Garcia, is running for a third term as Cebu’s governor. Her father, incumbent Cebu second district representative and Deputy House Speaker Pablo “Pabling” Paras Garcia, is also seeking reelection. Pabling Garcia was Cebu’s former governor and upon completion of his three terms gave the reigns of power to his daughter Gwen in 2004. A brother of Gwen Garcia, Pablo John, is the incumbent 3rd district representative. It goes without saying that he, too, is seeking reelection. Two more Garcia brothers, Nelson and Marlon, are vying for Mayor of Dumanjug, Cebu and Vice-Mayor of Barili, Cebu respectively. A nephew of Gwen, Alvin Raymond Garcia, is vying for Councilor in Cebu City, while Duke Frasco, incumbent mayor of Lilo-an, Cebu, is Gwen Garcia’s son-in-law (him being married to Gwen's daughter Kristina). While other families like the Osmeña and Duranos are fielding various family members for different elective posts, none are as blatantly dynastic as the Garcias.

If truth be told, none of Cebu's electoral candidates, whether in the provincial, city, or municipal level, could actually qualify for public office, had the 1998-1999 bills on Political Dynasties been made into law. Not only are these public officials very closely related, as already opposed to the definition of related in the proposed bills, majority of these also own the major industries and businesses in their localities, thus making sure that the clout of their families would be perpetuated.

Although it has been clearly stated in our freedom constitution that everyone should have equal access to public office and that political dynasties should be discouraged, a look at our incumbent officials and election hopefuls would tell us otherwise. Thus, in the Philippines, equality to access of power is indeed an illusion.

ELEKSYON 2010: The Davide Family

2010-02-05T14:39:00.005+08:00

The Davide family rose from being a poor farming family from the mountainous barangay of Argao, Cebu to become one of the most prominent families in the Philippines when one of its members, Hilario G. Davide, Jr., was sworn in as the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines in 1998. Hilario G. Davide, Jr. is now the permanent representative of the Philippines to the United Nations. His son, Hilario “Jun-Jun” Perez Davide III, a former first councilor of the City of Cebu, is the Liberal Party’s candidate for governor of the province of Cebu.

In this article, I will discuss briefly the history of the family of the Liberal Party’s candidate for Cebu’s governor.

The Davide family, as most Filipinos know, started in the mountain barangay of Colawin, Argao, a coastal municipality in the province of Cebu. Yet the family name Davide has traveled farther than just the Visayas. In fact, unlike most Filipino family names, the surname is not Filipino or even Spanish in origin or form. Family historians are unanimous in saying that the family name DAVIDE is an Italian version of the Jewish name David. Later, the surname was adopted as a Spanish surname.

The Meaning of Davide

The name David is possibly derived from Hebrew dod, which means “beloved”, perhaps the word dawid, which means “loved”, or “darling or beloved of God”, in turn derived from Dodavehu. It later became a common first name among the many Jewish communities scattered throughout Europe, until it was adopted by other nationalities especially in Russia, France, England, the Czechs, and Italy. The name took on the forms of Davyd (Russian, Ukrainian), Dawid (Polish and Yiddish), Dewey and Dovydas (Lithuanian), and Taavetti (Finnish).

The Davides of Argao

Like most Filipino family histories, the scarcity of resources on genealogical interest hinders modern researchers from digging deep into the recesses of time in order to discover a clearer picture of a family’s history. But the family of Jun-Jun Davide is lucky in terms of safe-keeping their family heritage for two reasons: one, the town from which they hail, Argao, is one of the few towns in the Philippines that has meticulously preserved its church records that go as far as 1842, and two, the patriarch of the Davide clan, Mr. Hilario Panerio Davide, Sr., compiled in the early 80’s a family history book of his family. His reason for making the “Family Record of Hilario Panerio Davide and Josefa Gelbolingo Davide and their Children” was, in his own words, “to memorialize the roots of their family and to have something that the future Davides will cherish for all eternity.”

The Davide family of Argao traces its roots to Esteban Davide and Nepomucena Ortega, both Argawanon natives who married during the middle of the nineteenth century, in the mountain barangay of Colawin. Esteban, as the records of the elder Davide show, was the son of Miguel Davide and Hilaria Carillo.

A cursory study of the records of the town of Argao would reveal that the Davide family could trace the family to as far as the beginning of the 18th century, to Pablo Alverto and Maria Landayanan. As was common before 1849, native Filipinos did not have a family name and instead used a second Christian name as a sort of surname for most of their lives. This couple gave birth to Francisco Modesto, who married Maria Susana. It was this ancestor who adopted the surname Davide in 1849 by virtue of the decree of the Governor-General Narciso Z. Claveria. All Davides of Argao can be traced to these two. One of their children was Benito Davide, who died in 1864 at the age of 84. He married Maria Norverta Cambare and had at least four children. One of these was Miguel, who was the father of Esteban Davide.

One of the children of Esteban Davide and Nepomucena Ortega was Pablo O. Davide, born on June 26, 1875. This man is considered by the family of Jun-Jun Davide as the founder of the present Davide line in Colawin. He was said to have been a humble but industrious farmer who was well known in their barrio. His humility and good nature earned him the respect of his neighbors, which ultimately led to his being elected as a cabeza de barangay of Colawin in 1877, a position that is roughly equal to that of barangay captain today. He served in this capacity until 1884. In the same year that Pablo Davide served as cabeza, Julian Lopez, another direct ancestor of Jun-Jun Davide who came from Cebu City but later settled in Argao when he married an Argawanon, was also elected to the same position.

Pablo Davide later married another Argwanon by the name of Teodora Panerio. The couple, known as “Tatay Amboy” and “Nanang Doray” by their grandchildren, lived a simple life with strict working codes. Pablo Davide worked on the farm helped by his sons, while his wife and daughters assisted in the preparations for planting and harvesting. Pablo, who many grandchildren remember fondly as being somewhat of a comedian, later on served briefly as municipal councilor of the town of Argao from 1924 to 1928. He died in 1946 in Argao, Cebu.

Pablo Davide and his wife had ten children. One of these is Hilario, the father of the former chief justice. It was Hilario’s sacrifice and exemplary life which prodded his children to succeed in their chosen endeavors. Raised also in the mountain barangay of Colawin, Hilario saw the hardship that one goes through when living in an area as far flung as their hometown. He made a resolve to make his children’s lives better, so early on in life he did well in school in order to chart a better future for himself and his future family. It was also while in school where he strengthened his resolve to improve his family’s lot. During a graduation ball, he was repeatedly turned down by girls when he asked them to dance with him. He overheard one lady telling her friend that the only reason why she didn’t agree to dance with him was because Hilario was “taga-bukid” (from the mountains). This haughty attitude by the “taga-lungsod” (city folks) towards Hilario and his barriomates made him even more determined to succeed.

After graduating from high school he was assigned as a teacher in another barrio in Argao. It was in the barrio of Talaga where Hilario met his future wife Josefa Gelbolingo, who was also a teacher. Both were ambitious and driven to succeed, and soon, in December of 1925, they decided to tie the knot. Their eldest son, Jose, was born in 1926. When their second child, Jorge, was born in 1928, Hilario decided that his wife better stop from teaching so she could take care of the kids. Pretty soon, five more children followed. The former Chief Justice, the sixth in the family, is the youngest son.

Like his father before him, Hilario Davide raised his family strictly. They had a saying that “each member of the family has a job”. And so, early on, the Davide children helped their parents in tending their farm. The sons helped in weeding the fields, in planting, in rearing the chickens and the other livestock, while the daughters helped in housekeeping chores. The sons also helped in gathering tubo (sugarcane), and Jose Davide, the eldest child, fondly recalls that his younger brother Dodong Jun loved to ride on the sledge with the carabao pulling it whenever they gathered tubo. No one was allowed to play until all schoolwork and housework were completed. If one made a mistake, both Hilario and his wife spanked their kids to discipline them.

Hilario Davide was later appointed as District School Supervisor, and one of his first contributions to Colawin was the building of an elementary school in the area. Indeed, before this, his own children had to walk several miles everyday just to get to their school. He never forgot his resolve to improve his children’s future, and so all his kids were able to finish their college education, a very big feat considering that the family was not well off and they came from a very far flung area. Indeed, sending all kids to school is perhaps the greatest legacy that Hilario Davide Sr. has given his family. Hilario Davide, Sr. was also a prominent figure during World War II. He was considered the civilian head of the guerillas in Argao while the Japanese occupied the entire country.

It is interesting to point out here that all the Davide children were able to finish school, and become the best in their chosen field. Thus, many of them worked for the government or government institutions, where their skills were honed and their name established. Aside from Hilario Jr., his older brother, Jose, was a councilor of the municipality of Argao while another brother, Dr. Romulo, initiated the Farmer Scientist Training Program, which allows farmers to make use of science and technology to increase their yields. Since the early part of the twentieth century, the Davide family has not only tried to improve their lot, but also the lives of the people of Colawin. Todate, they have been instrumental in many improvements in the area, including the building of a school, the Colawin Basin Health Service Center, irrigation facilities that other barangays, too, have benefited from, the building ofa chapel and a public library. Through the lands that they donated, the money they solicited from patrons, and their continued support and encouragement to the people of Colawin, the once ridiculed people of Colawin, the “taga-bukids”, can now proudly call their barrio as their own. Because of these, the family was awarded the ABS-CBN Bayaning Pamilyang Pilipino of the Year in 1997, in honor of their exemplary lives and dedication to the community. In that same year, they were also honored by the Province of Cebu as one of the awardees for Outstanding Individuals and Institutions. Argao also named them as one of the Outstanding Argawanon Families in 2009.

Indeed the Davide family has had a long ride in history. One couldn’t even help but relate the history of the family to the history of their family name. Their namesake, David, came from a poor shepherding family who later on became one of the greatest leaders of the Israelites. The Davides, too, originally from a poor farming family from Colawin, have become one of the prime movers for the advancement and improvement of their town. And, in many Argawanon’s belief, just as the little poor boy David, the youngest son in family, successfully defeated the giant Goliath, so too will Hilario “Jun-Jun” Davide III, the eldest son of the youngest son of Hilario Davide Sr., eventually put down the humongous task of battling with an overexposed incumbent governor. As long as the rest of Argao rallies behind him, Cebu will soon have its first Argawanon provincial governor by June 2010.

NOTE: I know the article is very pro-Davide, which I am. I am giving my all out support for Jun-Jun Davide, even though I also like what Gwen Garcia has done to the province, at least culturally speaking. In a future article, I will also discuss Gwen Garcia’s lineage, even though I am not supporting her. (Todd Lucero Sales)

ELEKSYON 2010: For Richer or for Poorer

2010-02-03T09:51:00.003+08:00

One thing I have learned in my political science subjects in college was that politics is never about black and white. It is never true that just because a leader is vilified by the west does not mean that his or her own people also hate him or her. Take for instance the many monarchies in the world. Outsiders and leftists criticize monarchies as obsolete and a useless expense on the people, but surveys done among the subjects of monarchs have shown year after year that their people do want them as their head of state.

It is more or less the same in the Philippines. The upcoming election in the Philippines is becoming more and more confusing, with real issues being shoved aside (as usual) and nonsense things like who has actually spent his Christmas on the road (literally) or who is not a magnanakaw (thief). In the first place, wealth or experience of poverty is not an assurance of a good leader. Neither is work experience. We’ve had people in the past claiming to be poor or pro-poor (ERAP para sa mahirap, which is ironic as he came from a wealthy family and his pro-poor image came from, surprise, surprise, his acting roles), or people who’ve had tons of experience (GMA, Marcos, etc.). We’ve even had a former leader who claimed to be a plain housewife (Cory. But, take note; she was no plain, simple housewife. She was a multimillion heiress who could speak French fluently). All our former leaders promised to be a breath of fresh air from their predecessors, and all they did was get impeached (ERAP, again), or forcibly removed from office (Marcos). In other words, rich, poor, smart or not, none of these traits actually made our presidents (whether current or previous) what they did while in office.

In terms of wealth, true, Manny Villar is the richest with billions of pesos in assets, but Noynoy Aquino, Erap Estrada, Jamby Madrigal, Gibo Teodoro, and Dick Gordon are no paupers either. Even evangelist Eddie Villanueva is no beggar. It takes millions to actually run a national, presidential campaign and thus it should not be taken against Villar if he is richer than all his other opponents. As to source of his wealth, we can only surmise for the moment. Did he steal money? Did he use his powers to divert roads to increase his landholdings’ selling price? We truly do not know. It is too presumptuous of us to accuse him of these things while he is still, legally, innocent. I hate to wait for our delayed and oftentimes ineffective justice system to take its course, but there we have it. We cannot hang a man for being rich if we still have not proven in a court of law that his wealth is ill-gotten. I’d still choose being a Filipino any day and wait for a long overdue sentence than be one of those blood thirsty nations that hang or execute their leaders even before a verdict has been passed. While we are on the subject of wealth, why have we not raised the issue on the haciendas of the Cojuangcos? Surely, the issues regarding these vast landholdings vis-à-vis the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program have not been settled, coupled with the issues surrounding hacienda Luicita from two years ago, I think. Why have we not vilified the Conjuangcos (yes, Noynoy AND Gibo) for their wealth, and simply stuck to Villar regarding this issue?

Experience wise I’d say Dick Gordon has the best resume. Noynoy’s stints in the House and later in the Senate have been dismal, unfortunately. Gibo’s only a little better, but not stellar. Villar’s political career has always seemed muddy to me, and experience teaches me that he is nothing but a balimbing and an opportunist.

In the end, I’d still go for breeding. Not the breeding of wealth, but breeding of good values and genes. For instance, we all croon about what saints President Cory Aquino and Senator Ninoy Aquino were, but they are hardly the only people who have helped shape Ninoy’s political heritage. Ninoy’s political lineage, in his father’s side, can be traced as far back to the late 1700s, when pioneering couples Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda and Doña Rosalia de Jesus and Don Severino Henson and Doña Placida Paras first cleared and settled what was then the barrio of Culiat, the northernmost outpost of San Fernando. Later they created new towns from this and held political positions. A direct descendant of these people, Servillano, fought against the Spaniards during the revolution. A little known story about the Aquinos is this: in 1898, the Guardias (a radical peasant movement) killed his father-in-law, who was the town president of Murcia, as well as his wife, who was staying with her father. She was pregnant at the time, but she fought and killed seven of the Guardias before she was overwhelmed. And of course, Ninoy’s Cojuangco side is also riddled with many public servants (see my former discussions on the Conjuangcos in Noynoy & Gibo: Presidential Aspirants, Second Cousins).

In doing this article, I also dug deep into whatever resources I could search online and in some of the available books on Filipino politics. I discovered that, in terms of pedigree, Noynoy does not have a monopoly on good genes. For instance, Jamby Madrigal is not only a member of the rich and powerful Madrigal family, but she is also the granddaughter of the former Supreme Court Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos. Pre-Commonwealth period Assemblyman Pedro Abad Santos, her grand-uncle, founded the Socialist Party of the Philippines. Her paternal grandfather was Senator Vicente Madrigal while her aunt, Senator Pacita Madrigal-Gonzalez was a senator during the Quezon and Magsaysay administrations and was the first administrator of the Social Welfare Administration, what is now the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Senator Richard Gordon, who was able to transform Olongapo from what was considered a “sin city” to “model city” with innovations in local governance, namely: color coding of the transport system, expansion of its public markets, integrated solid waste management program, vendors’ cooperatives, community organizations and many other public and community development programs, was the son of James Leonard Tagle Gordon and Amelia Juico Gordon, who both served as mayors of Olongapo. Like Noynoy Aquino, Gordon’s father was also assassinated. James Leonard Gordon, the son of an American father and a Filipino mother, decided to remain in the Philippines unlike his four brothers who chose to elect American citizenship to enjoy the comforts of a well developed country. James Leonard's maternal grandfather, Jose Tagle, is best remembered for his exploits in leading a raiding team against friars and Civil Guards in the Battle of Imus and then against a strong Spanish force in Bacoor, Cavite. He was victorious in both instances and was praised by Aguilnaldo. In recognition of his leadership he was appointed as Municipal Mayor of Imus. Because of James Leonard Gordon’s political independence and strength, three assassination attempts were made on his life until finally, in 1967, he was gunned down. Senator Jose W. Diokno succinctly but aptly summarized the greatness that was James Leonard Gordon: “He was born to an American father, chose to be a Filipino, raised his children as Filipinos, served his country as a Filipino and died a Filipino hero.”

Gibo Teodoro, like Noynoy, derives his political pedigree from both sides of his family. Aside from his illustrious Cojuangco line, his father, the senior Gilberto, was a longtime and effective administrator of the Social Security Services (SSS) who implemented many improvements in this agency, such as the Educational Loan, Calamity Loan, Investment Incentive Loan Program, Small-and Medium Scale Industries Loan Program, Study-Now-Pay-Later Plan and the three-month salary loan program. Gibo’s paternal grandfather, meanwhile, was a judge.

Finally, Manny Villar, though from a poor family, himself married a woman who came from a rags-to-riches family. Villar’s wife, Cynthia Aguilar, is the daughter of former Rep. Filemon Aguilar, who was first a doctor, then a businessman, then finally a congressional representative. In is interesting to note that Cynthia’s grandmother, Manuela Aguilar Riguera, sold beetle nuts in the public market of Las Pinas. Interesting that both the Aguilar and Villar families, while coming from poor families, rose to become multimillionaires in just a span of two generations (for the Aguilar’s case) or one generation (for Villar’s case). Truly, a lot of creativity and gumption went into work for these two families to become what they are now.

Wealth and experiences all these candidates have. If I were to choose the candidate with the least assets I’d say that would be Perlas (if we count him, delos Reyes, and Villanueva). Among the strong five contenders, I’d say it’s Gordon. Experience wise, I would like to think Gordon made the most out of his career in public service. Ultimately, based on their pedigrees, I’d say Gordon’s and Noynoy’s families have made the most impact in Philippine history. If only Noynoy had Gordon’s strength and experience, he would definitely be the best candidate.

CERGE M. REMONDE: Beloved Son of Argao

2010-01-26T15:44:00.004+08:00

(The only time I met Cerge Remonde, when he launched my book Argao: 400 Years in Legend and History)

It has taken me a few days to finish this tribute to one of the two greatest Argawanon men in recent times (one of them being Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr.), mainly because I never knew Secretary Cerge M. Remonde personally. But hearing from those who did know him, I felt that as Culture and Heritage Officer of the Municipality of Argao I ought to pay my respect to this amazing man in the usual way that I know: a genealogical discussion.

Unfortunately, I do not have much information yet on Cerge Remonde's family tree. However, I still have a few things that may clarify some of the confusing details that people knew about Cerge Remonde.

Cerge was born Glecerio Mamites Remonde (he later had his name legally changed to Cerge when he became famous) on December 21, 1958, to Teofilo A. Remonde and Florentina S. Mamites in barangay Lamacan, Argao, Cebu. Some people have said that Cerge was an illegitimate child, however, the truth is, it was his father, Teofilo, who was an illegitimate child. Teofilo Remonde, a bus driver, was the son of Flaviana Remonde. He married Florentina Mamites, daughter of Roman Mamites and Marta Sanchez, on June 25, 1958. Cerge was their one and only child, born six months after their marriage. Teofilo, however, died when Cerge was not yet one year old.

After Cerge's father died, his mother remarried to Andres Alburo and from that marriage he had eight siblings: Asterio, Virgilio, Andres Jr., Antonieta, Hemres, Serina, Vicente and Sincero.

Like his mother, Cerge married twice. His second wife, Marit Stinus, is from Denmark.

The Remonde surname may be a derivation of the Spanish word remonte, which means repairing, recounting, or soaring. It may also be from the word remonda, which means the end. The family Remonde is an old Argawanon family that has been in public service since the early 1800s, being one of the ruling families of Argao in the Spanish period. All Remondes of Argao, whether those from the mountain barangays (like Cerge Remonde) or those from the coastal barangays, can trace their family tree to Calisto Remonde and Martina Remonerar, who both lived in Argao, Cebu in the middle 1700s. The Remonde family produced six cabezas de barangay from the early 1800s (Don Francisco Remonde) until the end of Spanish rule (Don Luis Remonde). The same Don Luis Remonde later became a municipal councilor from 1913 until 1919. One member went on to become a vice-mayor of Argao during the martial law years, from 1972 until 1986.

As the official genealogist and historian of the town of Argao let me correct my previous write-up in my book Argao: 400 Years in Legend and History. Cerge M. Remonde was the first Argawanon to become a senior Cabinet Member. Juan Alcazaren and Narciso Albarracin were both only Undersecretaries, thus making Cerge M. Remonde the only Argawanon to ever hold the post of a Cabinet member.

ELEKSYON 2010: The Presidential Name Game

2010-01-01T14:23:00.005+08:00

Every election season, especially a presidential one, I always try to find another way to look at the candidates’ chances of winning the race. While the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia try their best to scientifically measure the chances of winning of presidential aspirants, here, in this first installment of the Genealogy of the 2010 Presidential Candidates series, I would try to expound on the various meanings and symbolisms of the family names of the presidential (and vice-presidential) candidates.

NOTE: Family names in the past were given to people as a form of description of one thing or another; patronymics were names that tell who the bearer’s father was, toponyms indicated the place of origin of a person, and descriptive surnames describe a striking feature or characteristic of a person. While many of the surnames borne by Filipinos are not really original (as majority of Filipino last names were adopted due to the 1849 Claveria decree) family names, I have found over the years that despite this many people’s names have been influential in shaping events and circumstances in various points of their lives. Below are the etymologies and other possible connotations of the names of the top 4 for both the 2010 Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections based on the BusinessWorld-SWS December 5-10, 2009 Pre-Election Survey:

AQUINO

The Aquino surname is an Italian/Spanish geographical surname and designates the bearer as “one coming from Aquino”, a locality in the province of Frosinone, region of Lazio, Italy. It is derived from the Latin name Aquinum, a place-name derived possibly from the personal names Acuvius and Akviiai. Aquinum is reconstructed from the Greek word achuros, meaning 'chaff', the Latin acus, meaning 'needle', and the Low High German achel, which means 'spike'.

VILLAR

Villar is a Spanish geographical name that is derived from any of the places called Villar in the Spanish peninsula. It is a Castilianized spelling of the Catalan and Galician cognates Vilar, which means ‘village’ or ‘(outlying) farmstead’. It is a derivative of vila, meaning ‘(outlying) farmstead’ or ‘(dependent) settlement’.

EJERCITO / ESTRADA

The real surname of ERAP, Ejercito, is a Spanish word for ‘’army”. Estrada, on the other hand, may refer to a military term for a pathway or covered walk.

TEODORO

The only patronymic among the presidential candidates’ surnames, Teodoro is a Spanish form of the Greek name Theodoros, which means “gift of God”.

ROXAS

Ordinarily, Spaniards use the version ROJAS as a family name and the one with an “x”is a Filipino version of the surname. It is derived from the Spanish word rojo, which means red.

LEGARDA

Loren’s last name is a possible Hispanization of the French Le Garde, which literally means “warden or guard”.

BINAY

No known definition.

MANZANO

The surname Manzano is another name with a geographical root. It is a topographic name for someone who lived by an apple tree or orchard, derived from the Spanish manzano, which means ‘apple tree’, in turn derived from the Old Spanish maçano, from maçana, meaning ‘apple’. Maçana is further derived from the Late Latin (mala) Mattiana, an apple named in honor of the horticultural writer Gaius Matius.

It is interesting already to discuss the many personalities and possibilities of these candidates’ chances of winning based on what their names suggest. For instance, Noynoy Aquino certainly has a lot to live up, not just because of the famous parents he has, but because his name is associated with the most important church doctor known in the Catholic world, Saint Thomas de Aquino (or Aquinas). Villar, on the other hand, has a last name that is apt for his business, considering he has a multi-million real estate company. Erap’s names, either his real or screen name, both have connections to the military, and it is ironic that he was removed due to a coup. Gibo, though certainly far from being a “gift of God”, has a surname that has religious connotations, thus putting him side-by-side with his cousin Noynoy.

On the Vice-Presidential front, MAR’s name is somewhat particularly interesting. In human color psychology, and even to the ancient Greeks and Hebrews, red is associated with many emotions that "stir the blood", including anger, passion, love, pain, and sacrifice. His stepping down from the presidential race in order to make way for Noynoy was certainly a very big sacrifice on his part. Loren’s name has a double meaning: perhaps it is telling the voters to be on guard so that she won’t be cheated on again, or perhaps it is warning the voters to be on guard from her possible victory. Oh well, who knows? This article is simply a starting point for my blog’s Eleksyon 2010 Series.

Next article: Family Politics, Then and Now.

NOYNOY & GIBO: PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS, SECOND COUSINS

2009-10-23T23:06:00.015+08:00

In a dramatic press conference last September 2009 Senator Manuel Araneta “MAR” Roxas II, grandson of President Manuel A. Roxas, declared that he was letting go of his political aspirations to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and endorsed Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Cojuangco Aquino III as his party’s presidential candidate. Weeks later, Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr., together with several lawmakers and governors from all over the Philippines, was endorsed as the standard bearer of the ruling LAKAS-Kampi party. Ironically, both Senator Noynoy Aquino and Secretary Gibo Teodoro are second cousins. Senator MAR Roxas, too, is a distant relative of both aspirants (click here to see connections among the three aspirants).

In fact, in a complicated and Byzantine manner, almost all of our former leaders, and many of our current, were and are related to one another, in one way or the other, other many times over. Most of all, these political leaders have paved the way for the perpetuation of kinship-based politics. Politics in the Philippines was, is, and has always been, like the interrelated Rajahs and Datus and Sultans of pre-Hispanic Philippines, a birthright.

To start off, one of President Emilio Famy Aguinaldo’s granddaughters, Ameurfina Melencio Herrera, served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court and was the second Filipina elevated to the high court. Two grandsons, Reynaldo Aguinaldo and Federico Aguinaldo Poblete, served as Mayors of Kawit, Cavite while two great-grandsons, Joseph Emilio Abaya and Emilio Aguinaldo IV served, respectively, as Cavite first district congressional representative and Kawit, Cavite councilor. President Aguinaldo's first cousin’s, General Baldomero Aguinaldo, great-grandson was Cesar E.A. Virata, a Prime Minster of the Philippines under President Marcos (click here to see Aguinaldo Family Tree).

The Virata family, through marriage, is connected with the Acuña family. One Acuña member married into the prominent and rich Roxas family of Capiz, which is a branch of the Roxas famly of Manila. The product of this marriage was former President Manuel A. Roxas, whose son Gerardo “Gerry” Roxas was a former Senator and whose grandson, MAR Roxas II is a Senator of the Republic. Also, due to his dalliance with Juanita McIlvain, former Miss Universe Margarita "Margie" Moran Floirendo just happens to be President Roxas' granddaughter. Margie Moran is also married to Representative Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo. President Manuel Roxas' wife, Trinidad de Leon, was the daughter of former Senator Ceferino de Leon. Senator de Leon's brother, Jose, married Doña Narcisa "Sisang" Buencamino, who became one of the most successful movie magnates of her time when she chartered her family-owned LVN Pictures into a dominant position in post-World War II Philippine cinema.. Narcisa's first cousin’s son was Philip Buencamino, who married Nene Quezon, daughter of President Manuel Luis Quezon.

Further, another scion of the Roxas family was Margarita Roxas, who was the first cousin of President Roxas’s great-great-grandfather and whose marriage to Antonio de Ayala produced Trinidad de Ayala. Trinidad later married Jacobo Zobel and started the legendary Zobel De Ayala family.

Some of the minor branches of the ROXAS family married into the other aristocratic families of Manila: the Aranetas (Senator Gerry Roxas married Judy Araneta y Araneta), Ayalas, Elizaldes, Prietos, and more. One Roxas descendant is Enrique Zobel, head of the Ayala Group of companies; two others are the brothers Jose and Andres Soriano, current heads of San Miguel Corporation which their father started. Through the Roxas family's connection with the Aranetas, former Tourism Secretary and first Filipina Miss International titleholder Gemma Teressa Cruz-Araneta is also related by marriage to Pres. Roxas (click here to see the Roxas-Zobel-Soriano Family Tree) Gemma Cruz-Araneta’s husband’s cousin, Jorge Araneta, married the first Miss International, Maria Stella Marquez, who now runs the Binibining Pilipinas Pageant. It must also be remembered that Gemma Cruz's paternal great-grandmother was Doña Maria Rizal, the sister of Philippine national hero, Jose P. Rizal. Furthermore, Gemma Cruz's mother, Carmen, married twice. Her second husband was Angel Nakpil, the nephew of Julio Nakpil, composer of a second version of the Philippine National Anthem, who in turn was the second husband of Gregoria De Jesus, the “Muse of the Katipunan”. Gregoria de Jesus was also the widow of Katipunan founder Andres Bonifacio, who, some historians claim, was murdered upon the orders of Emilio Aguinaldo. Similarly, two of Gemma's first cousins, Paz and Maria Cruz Banaad, married Bienvenido and Roberto Laurel, respectively, relatives of President Jose P. Laurel. President Laurel’s own father, Sotero Laurel, was a member of the Malolos Congress of 1898 and his pedigree claims descent from Gat Masungit, allegedly a son of a Sultan of Brunei in the 1500s. Several of President Laurel's children became famous politicians in their own right. His eldest son, Jose Bayani, Jr., became Speaker of the House of Representatives and a candidate for vice-president in 1957 (Jose Macario Laurel, the eldest son of Jose B. Laurel, was a former Batangas Representative). His younger son, Salvador Roman "Doy" Laurel, was Vice-President from 1986 to 1992. Three other of Laurel's children also became prominent in politics and business. Sotero Cosme was elected to the Senate from 1987 to 1992; Jose Sotero Laurel III became Ambassador to Japan; and Mariano H. Laurel became president of the Philippine Banking Corporation (click here to see the Laurel-Rizal-Bonifacio connection).

Further into the Araneta family, two more of its members married presidential daughters; the first one being Jose Miguel Arroyo (of Binalbagan, Negros Occidental and a great-grandson of Negros Island Revolutionary leader Gen. Aniceto Ledesma Lacson and Rosario Emilia Araneta). He married then Ms. Gloria M. Macapagal, daughter of President Diosdado Macapagal. Of course, GMA is now the country's Chief Executive. First Gentleman Mike Arroyo’s grandfather, Senator Jose Maria Pidal Arroyo, married a Lacson, thus lining him to Senator Panfilo Lacson. Also, because the Macapagals have always maintained that they are direct descendants of Lakandula, the last King of Tondo, they can also claim to be related, albeit very distantly, from the royal family of Brunei. Thus, not only are GMA and President Laurel related many times over by marriage, they are also blood relatives because of their claimed descent from the royal house of Brunei.

The second Araneta to marry a presidential daughter was Gregorio Maria "Greggy" Araneta, who married Irene Romualdez Marcos, the youngest child of Ferdinand Edralin Marcos and Imelda Romualdez. Another Araneta, Atty. Louise Cacho Araneta, a distant relative of Greggy Araneta, married Irene’s brother, Governor Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (click here to see the Araneta connections). This Araneta-Marcos marriage further stretches these already complicated family connections.

Ferdinand Marcos' grandfather's sister, Crispina Marcos, married Hilario Valdez. Their daughter, Angela Marcos Valdez, married Ambassador Narciso Ramos, who was also a district representative of Pangasinan from 1934 to 1946 and was the father of Fidel V. Ramos, also a President of the Republic, and Leticia Ramos-Shahani, a former Senator. Two nephews of President Ramos, Ranjit R. Shahani and Hernani Braganza, served as Governor of Pangasinan and Mayor of Alaminos City, Pangasinan, respectively. Narciso Ramos, after becoming a widower, married Alfonsita Lucero, whose father's maternal family, the Birondos of Argao, Cebu, married into the Almendras family of Cebu and Davao.

One of Alfonsita's cousins, William Birondo, married Kukit Tecala, whose uncle, Pedro Tecala Sr., married Sofronia Almendras. Two of Sofronia's siblings married into political families. Her brother, Paulo Almendras, married Elisea Durano, the daughter of Demetrio Durano and progenitor of the Durano family that has ruled Danao and Sogod, Cebu for many years. Its most popular member is Ace Durano, the present Tourism Secretary.

A son of Paulo Almendras was Senator Alejandro Almendras, whose marriage to a Bendigo of Davao City connected them to the ruling families of Davao: the Banggoys, Palma Gils, Lizadas, Nograleses, and many others. The current Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives is Davao City congressman Prospero “Boy” Nograles. The current mayor of Davao, Rodrigo Duterte, is also of the Duterte family of Danao, a rival political clan of the Duranos but one allied to them maritally, many times over. Senator Almendras' brother, Josefino, married Rosita Dimataga, the sister of Leonila Dimataga, who in turn was the wife of President Carlos P. Garcia. President Garcia’s father, Policronio, served as a mayor of Talibon, Bohol (click here to see the Ramos-Garcia-Durano connections).

Several other cousins of Narciso Ramos’s second wife Alfonsita, married into other political families or were themselves personalities in the Philippines: one cousin is Hilario G. Davide, Jr., former Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court and now the country’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations; another, Simeon L. Kintanar, served as Cebu’s second district representative to Congress; still another, James Lucero, married Nazarena Soon, whose sister, Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, is currently a member of the House of Representatives; still another cousin, Procopio C. Lucero, Jr. married Gliseria Gullas, the daughter Paulino Gullas and sister of Eduardo and Jose Gullas, all of whom served as members of the House of Representatives; still another cousin was Januaria Taguenca Cabrera, who married Don Victoriano Osmeña, an uncle of President Sergio Osmeña. Among all the Philippine presidential families, the Osmeñas of Cebu have had the most number of members who served in the government to date. Excluding Sergio Sr., the family has had four senators and four members of the House of Representatives. The clan has also produced a governor, a vice governor, a provincial board member, mayors, vice mayor, and several councilors. The Osmeña family remains the premier political dynasty of Cebu, and one of the most enduring dynasties in the country (click here to see the Ramos-Osmena-Cebu Reps. connections).

President Osmeña's half-sister was Doña Modesto Singson-Gaisano, the matriarch of the affluent Gaisano family of Cebu City. Modesta was a progeny of Don Pedro Gotiaoco, whose other descendants include Atty. Agusto Go, President of the University of Cebu and Honorary South Korean Consul; 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 the FILINVEST Group and the East West Bank (click here to see the tycoons of Cebu).

Imelda Romualdez's marriage to Marcos also brought in many famous personalities. Imelda’s son, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., has served as Governor of Batac, Ilocos Norte while a daughter, Imee, currently a member of the House of Representatives, married Tommy Manotoc, whose mother was related to the wife of Eugenio “Genny” Lopez, whose family owns ABS-CBN, MERALCO, Sky Cable, and other major corporations in the country. A son of Imee Marcos and Tommy Manotoc is Borgie Manotoc, a model.

Aside from being a capitalist clan, the Lopezes are also into politics: one member, Fernando Lopez, was a former senator and served as Vice-President under President Elpidio Quirino and Ferdinand Marcos; all in all, six members of the Lopez clan have served as Vice-President, Senator, and House Representatives. A great-nephew, Manuel “Beaver” Lopez, Jr., married Jacqueline “Jackie” Estrada, daughter of President Joseph Ejercito “Erap” Estrada, whose own wife, Dr. Loi P. Estrada, and son, Jinggoy, have served as Senators of the Philippines.

Imelda’s own niece, Marean Romualdez, daughter of her brother Leyte Governor Alfredo Romualdez, married Thomas Pompidou, the grandson of former French President Georges Pompidou (click here to see the Ramos-Marcos-Estrada connections).

Imelda's first cousin, Senator Danieling Romualdez, married Pacita Gueco of Tarlac. In an ironic twist of fate, Pacita Gueco happened to be the first cousin of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. Of course, the Aquinos themselves are one of the premier political clans of the country and a scion of the Aquino clan was Senator Eva Estrada Kalaw, one of the Philippines' very first female senators. Ninoy Aquino’s own grandfather, Don Servillano Aquino, was a member of the Malolos Congress while his father, Benigno Aquino, Sr., also served as Philippine Senator. A sister of Ninoy, Tessie A. Oreta, also became senator of the Philippines while uncles Agapito and Herminio and nephew Jesli A. Lapus, served as members of the House of Representatives. Ninoy’s own son, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, currently sits as a Philippine Senator and, as already mentioned, is a presidential hopeful for the 2010 elections.

Ninoy's marriage to the heiress Corazon Cojuanco also allied his family to another political dynasty. Corazon Aquino, after her husband's heroic death in 1983, later became the country's first female Chief Executive. Her maternal family, the Sumulongs, have also produced several lawmakers: her grandfather, Juan Marquez Sumulong, was a three-term senator while an unlce, Lorenzo Sumulong, and cousins, Victor Sumulong and Emigdio S. Tanjuanco, Jr., served as members of the House of Representatives. The Cojuangco family, on the other hand, owns one of the oldest-existing haciendas in the country today, and the Cojuangcos control many of the country's business enterprises. They have also done very well in politics: Cory’s own grandfather, Melecio, was a member of the HOR. Her brother Jose “Peping” Jr., cousins Eduardo “Danding” Jr., Mercedes, Carlos, and Marcos, and nephew Gilbert C. Teodoro, have all served as representatives to congress. Gilbert C. Teodoro, as mentioned above, is another 2010 elections presidential hopeful.

Further, two Cojuangcos, sons of Cory's cousins Ramon and Eduardo, respectively, married Rio Diaz (Charlie Cojuangco), sister of former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz and Gretchen Baretto (Tony Boy Cojuangco). Gretchen's sisters are Claudine and Marjorie, themselves married to actors. Cory's niece, equestrienne Mikee Cojuangco, married Dodot Jaworski, son of basketball legend and Sen. Robert Jaworski. Senator Jaworski, on the other hand, married Susan Bautista Revilla, daughter of Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., whose son Bong Revilla was a former governor and Senator. This connection, no doubt, extends this family tree to most of the country's movie personalities (click here to see the Aquino-Cojuangco connections).

Clearly, this Byzantine illustration of family connections is proof of the intricacies of Philippine politics. In this short presentation, we have already linked no less than 12 of our 14 Presidents (click here to view diagram), one Prime Minister, two former Ms. Universe and two Ms. International titleholders (click here to view diagram), several senators, and many other personalities, political or otherwise. We have even connected our "Philippine Family Tree" to a former French President and the Royal family of Brunei! Imagine what further research into the other family trees could reveal?

Philippine politics, undoubtedly, is still a family affair.
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Author’s note: (1) The original title of this article was RP Politics: Family Affair. I have, since then, made a lot of improvements to the original article and now have actual charts to show how these people are related. (2) All the abovementioned facts can be checked. To give the readers an idea of where these information came from, I have collated genealogical data from several internet sites (GMA7’s research during the SONA2007 really helped a lot), from books such as the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism’s “The Rulemakers”, and Alfred C. McCoy’s “An Anarchy of Families”. Many of the information here were collected over many years of research, and, just like an actual tree, this article will continue to expand as more genealogical data will come to light. Of course, corrections or additions to this article will be appreciated! Thanks also to ROLAND OSCAR ARANETA for sharing the Araneta Family website and for the many information I got that helped connect many personalities here. (Todd Lucero Sales).

Author’s request: The writing of this article was a laborious process. While I am not asking for any payment for every reposting of this article, I would like to request all those who wish to cite or repost this article to please, please cite my name as a source. Thanks!

The Strong and The Mighty

2009-10-14T20:07:00.003+08:00

I was walking by the highway in Argao one night and I saw this old woman getting ready to display her fish by the side of the rode. By tradition, many people in the countryside do this: they farm and then go down to the lungsod to sell their farm produce; similarly, fisherfolks catch fish then sell their bounty at the market.

The old woman had the look of someone who has been fishing and selling for as long as she could remember. And, without a doubt, she was obviously also someone whose family has been involved in this practice for many generations.

That night, as I passed her, I saw several municipal law enforcement people talking to her. It turned out that she was being asked to leave because she had not secured a mayor's permit and other permits needed for her to sell in the streets.
While I applaud the town of Argao for being strong and vigilant in matters of taxation, I believe, idealistic as I still am, that people like this old woman should not be made to pay for permits. She and her family, I am sure, make barely enough to eat three meals the following day. And yet here is the government, trying to get its claw into whatever measly amount people like the old woman make.

And yet there are people like the Sesaldos who own a huge store near the market who scatter their garbage and other foul dirt all around town. And what is being done? Nothing. Nothing is done because, according to the official line in the local government, they had tried to get near the store of this Sesaldo guy but the men from the LGU were met with hired goons with shotguns. And the people from the government? Well, they simply backed away.

People get poorer sometimes because the government simply does not care. And people like the Sesaldos simply get away with making the town dirty because the political leadership in Argao is weak.

So where is justice here?

SENSATIONALIZING AN ALLEGED SCANDAL

2008-07-23T14:05:00.005+08:00

I was surprised to read in a local daily about an alleged "sex scandal" in Argao involving a number of high school students. It saddened me to hear that such an incident would add negativity to my town especially in a time when everyone has had nothing but praises for Argao because of the many projects and activities it has done and accomplished.

But I was even more appalled at the fact that various newpapers in the city have splashed the so-called scandal in their pages just like they would any scandal involving politicians and movie stars. Upon comparing the write ups of various local dailies and tabloids, I saw very obvious glaring differences in the reportage. I am bothered by the fact that these reporters have immediately sensationalized this incident without actually verifying their sources. By all means the incident could be true or not, but the way the newspapers have carried the story already points the finger at these students as being guilty as charged.

THE FREEMAN and its tabloid BANAT reported six (6) students, 3 boys and 3 girls, who were involved in the scandal. They reported that an SPO2 Manny Flores chanced upon the students when he heard the phrase "atong videohan" at past 2 in the afternoon.

SUNSTAR and its tabloid SUPER BALITA reported that there were eight (8) students, 4 boys and 4 girls, involved in the incident. They reported that the policeman who chanced upon the students, Manny Flores, heard the word "sex" , prompting him to investigate what was going on. They also reported that Flores is an SPO1. The incident allegedly took place at 4 in the afternoon.

In the same article, a mention was made about the radio station DYLA reporting that 10 students were involved in the alleged scandal. DYLA also reportedly made mention that SPO1 Flores found used condoms in the building.

I am not so naive to think that our youth now are all virginal, innocent kids who know nothing about the birds and the bees. But when I read about an alleged sex scandal from various newspapers involving the youth from my hometown that don't even give me the exact number of kids involved, the exact title of the police officer who apprehended them, and the exact time the alleged scandal occured, I am going to be extremely skeptical. I have no idea who started the issue, and how it became so sensationalized. I believe issues that involve the youth should be given the appropriate attention. But we cannot simply accept as gospel truth the allegations about kids barely out of their teens having an orgy from these news reporters, especially considering that their reports are conflicting and seemingly inaccurate. I therefore enjoin everyone to give these children the benefit of the doubt before we draw conclusions.

Secondly, I also hope that news reporters be more accurate in their reporting in the future. Irresponsible journalism has led to many people's reputation being ruined before, and I pray this new display of irresponsible reporting does not damage the lives of these children. Finally, I hope the Catholic church would allow the inclusion of sex education in the curriculum of all elementary and high schools so we can make sure our students are properly schooled in all aspects of human reproduction.

OF HYPOCRICY AND REPRESSION: MANILA'S FURTHER IMPERIALISM

2008-03-17T23:11:00.005+08:00

It continues to amaze me how we as a nation could boast that we love democracy and liberty and all those abstract nouns without looking long and hard at ourselves in the mirror every time we utter our adherence to democracy and its principles.

It continues to make me shake my head whenever I see the concept of democracy used by politicians who are, in reality, not after the truth, much less democracy. People who are only after their personal interests.

Why would the Black and White Movement condemn Cardinal Vidal? Why should they make such statements without any proof? When pressed for their evidence that the Cardinal instructed ALL 300 priests of Cebu not to officiate for feeble-minded-looking Jun Lozada, they would switch to moral authority and all that b*lls*it. Talk about hypocritical.

What does this imply of us Cebuanos? That not one Cebuano priest is strong enough to counter the Cardinal's command, if indeed he did stop these priests from saying mass? Is the B&W Movement suggesting that Cebuano priests, and Cebuanos by extension, are cowardly and could not think for themselves?

Who died and made Leah Navarro an expert on the workings of Church and State dynamics?

Who gave the B&W M the right to malign our Cardinal, our priests, and the Cebuano country?

Is this because the tone in Cebu is different? Is it because Cebuanos are more logical, and can think better, that now we are being accused of whatever pathetic accusation? Why should Cebu care for Jun Lozada? They want to make him a hero? Fine! Cebuanos do not consider thieves, even thieves who air out other thieves' dirty laundry, as heroes. Why should we? Jun Lozada admitted he committed graft and corruption, among other crimes. So now we are supposed to just welcome him to Cebu like a statesman? Not!!!

I am outraged at the insinuations that the Black and White Movement have made. I am ashamed to think that the people accusing Cardinal Vidal as a government puppet and alluding to the stupidity of Cebuanos are also Filipinos.

Whatever is the reality behind this controversy, I am proud to say that I am Cebuano. I am proud to say that my Governor, Gwen Garcia, and my Mayor, Tomas Osmena, and Cebu's most senior prelate, Cardinal Vidal, are willing to listen to all sides before making any stand that might ultimately be more harm than cure.

Cebu has always been a bastion of opposition. Above all, Cebu has always been a bastion of independent-thinking. Shame on Leah Navarro and her Black and White Movement for slandering the Cebuano people!

MY GENEALOGY

2008-03-14T02:50:00.003+08:00

The way I figured it, I'm truly an amalgam of different regional groups from the Philippines with spots of Chinese and Spanish colors thrown in as well. But interestingly, my Philippine roots are all Bisayan. I have one ancestor who was Manila, a Tuason (Tuazon), but he himself was a Chinese mestizo, and he himself abandoned his lovechild in Leyte, so I guess that is where my strong anti-Luzon feelings come from.

Here is a breakdown of my bloodline:

+ Filipino = 91.40625%

Cebuano - 40.02625 %
Leyteño - 18.75 %
Negrense - 17 %
Boholanon - 15.63 %

+ Chinese - 7.03125 %

+ Spanish - 1.5625 %

My family has traveled from many places, and here is a simple chart showing the genealogy of my family origins.

My pedigree chart may be seen here.

STAY AWAY FROM CEBU JUN LOZADA!

2008-03-13T01:28:00.003+08:00

I have always wondered what was wrong with the picture of Lozada's touring campuses and other institutions, helping destabilize the government in the guise of "searching for the truth". He also has a propensity to release the "truth" in installments, which is in itself suspect. Why am I the only one to see this? If he is hell bent in revealing the f***ing truth, then he should have done it in one sitting. Not this bits and pieces of half-baked truths and downright conjectures.

Another thing that bothers me: he revels in his role as a "hero" of the "Filipino people". I am posting a video clip from GMA below so you can see how ecstatic (and stupid-looking, I might add) he looks when he tours campuses. If you are a witness bent on revealing only the truth and whose life is in major peril, shouldn't you be humble and low-key? Lozada is either mentally retarded or is starting to get the star-complex, which does not win him any points in Cebu.

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To echo Cardinal Vidal in the above interview, WE DON'T WANT JUN LOZADA in Cebu! He should go back to those insipid nuns who swallow his lies hook, line, and sinker!