More historical corrections

Correcting history need not go too far back in time. For instance, in 2021, Manny Pacquiao said that he was “half Spanish”, claiming his grandfather’s supposed origins in Spain. Unfortunately for Pacquaio, records show that both his paternal and maternal ancestries are exclusively indio, or non-Spanish, non-Chinese heritage. Even his claim was incorrect; if his grandfather was Spanish (which he wasn’t), then he would have been a quarter, not half, Spanish. Another more recent historical faux pas is the misspelling of the vice president’s first name, which is mistakenly spelled as Sarah by many. While Sara and Sarah are essentially the same name, their usage varies: Sarah, the traditional form, is more common in English-speaking countries, while Sara is a widely used, more streamlined spelling found in Spanish-speaking countries like Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, and the Philippines.

On another historical matter, most people know that the descendants of Paciano Rizal, Jose Rizal’s brother, are from his daughter, Emiliana Rizal. Paciano was involved in a relationship with Severina Decena and it’s unclear whether they lived as husband and wife, though some biographies of Rizal suggest, and Emiliana’s marriage record identifies her as the daughter of Paciano Rizal and Severina Decena. However, her baptismal record states otherwise; she was baptized Emiliana Faulmino on June 29, 1888, and names her parents as Severina Decena and Faustino Faulmino, revealing a discrepancy in the accepted historical fact.

Some accounts state that Paciano and Severina left Calamba for Los Baños, but since Severina died in Calamba in 1920 and was buried with the Faulmino family, it is highly unlikely that her legal husband would have allowed her to abandon him and their children. It is therefore more probable that Paciano’s relationship with Severina ended when she married Faustino Faulmino. Regardless, Paciano, who remained unmarried, later acknowledged Emiliana as his natural daughter, and she was accepted by the family. This recognition of Emiliana as Paciano’s daughter was a common practice among Filipino families called reconocimiento de hijo/hija natural (recognition of natural son/daughter). Such legal act often answers the confusion many historians get when reading earlier records then comparing these to later documents.

A very good example for a reconocimiento was the case of Modesta Singson (later Singson-Gaisano). Everyone has always known that she was Chinese businessman Pedro Singson Gotiaoco’s daughter, but what happened was even more complicated. According to National Artist for Literature Resil Mojares, a document in June 1901 shows Pedro Gotiaoco formally acknowledging a natural daughter named Evarista, who was born of a romantic relationship with a “woman whose identity he chose not to disclose.” The child was baptized in 1887 and the Cebu newspaper El Pueblo dated June 13, 1901 reported that Gotiaoco appeared in court to legally recognizing this 12-year-old daughter. Aside from the discrepancy in the child’s name, Mojares believes that evidence strongly suggests that this child was Modesta, as both Modesta and Evarista appear to be of roughly the same age.

Another possible kind of recognition of illegitimate children was through adoption, and a good example was Gabriela Oracoy, born Gabriela Ramirez, an illegitimate daughter of Silvestra Ramirez, and the grandmother of former Cebu governor Pablo “Pabling” Paras Garcia. Documents show that a Juan Oracoy and his wife Evarista applied to adopt Gabriela Ramirez and requested for her to use their surname and to be made their heir. The legal proceedings concluded with a court decision on January 4, 1897. It has always been a mystery to the Garcia family how their ancestor Gabriela was always known as Oracoy though her marriage record listed her as Ramirez. Her adoption by Juan Oracoy finally answered this historical mystery.

History is full of unanswered questions. Sometimes, even our personal family histories are also riddled with mysteries and more uncertainties. It is always best to try to be open to new discoveries, and learn to accept new truths when presented with them.