Vergaras of Bicolandia

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, 1999 the copy of the much awaited Vergara Family Tree Book sent by Lily Vergara Richards of Downey, California. I had been thinking that it would be the one being kept by Mel Waje's mother in the United States showing the first Vergaras in the Philippines. It actually relates the story of the first Vergara with the unusual name of Oligario in the much typhoon-prone island of Catanduanes. The book was written and completed in 1995 by Mr. Ricardo Crisologo Vergara, retired Elementary School Principal II, of Bato, Catanduanes. It is a well-researched, scholarly genealogy project. Oligario was one of four sailor brothers from the Sorsogón. He was in a boat that was hit by a typhoon off the coast of Catanduanes. When the boat sank, Oligario made it to the island through the help of some natives. He ended up marrying Pascuala Reyes, a daughter of a wealthy chieftain. Oligario fathered a daughter and four brothers whose descendants would populate the island and spread out through the Visayas and Mindanao and even as far as the United States and other countries. The clan of the Vergaras of Virác turned out to belong to Oligario also. What is amazing is the great number of teachers and educators among his descendants.

What happened to the three brothers of Oligario? Apparently one remained in Sorsogón and another got married and settled in Bacacay, Albáy at the foot of Mayón volcano. The fourth brother could not be traced but was thought to have wandered through Laguna and perhaps even as far as the Ilocos Region and his descendants could not be identified. Because the book relates only the descendants of Oligario, it came to my mind that the folks in Magallanes, Sorsogón must be the descendants of the brother in Sorsogón, but no! They originated from the brother in Bacacay! A timely email from Fr. Arlon, the missionary priest in South Korea, and his father told the story. Arlon's parents, José Mella Vergara, Sr. and Rita Mortega are visiting their son. José Sr., a retired School Principal II, has survived four heart attacks. His parents, Victorino and Leovegilda Mella, migrated from Bacacay to Sorsogón during the 1923 eruption of the Mayón volcano. Their four sons and three daughters were born in Sorsogón. They are all descendants of Oligario's brother in Bacacay, not the brother in Sorsogón whose descendants are not yet known. Victorino's two brothers in Bacacay used to visit him in Sorsogón when he was still alive. The annual visit stopped after his death and the contact between them was severed. José Sr. related in his email that in Seoul they had met a Filipino family from Bacacay. Their father is Feliciano Vergara of Tubog, Bacacay, Albay. Feliciano has six sons, one of them is Atty. Elias Vergara, Comelec Registrar of Bacacay, Albay. Who among the six is in Korea has to be identified still.

With a little bit of computation and theorizing, I worked out how Jose Sr. and Felicano had descended from Oligario's brother in Bacacay. In the Vergara Book of Catanduanes, its author Ricardo has Oligario as his great grandfather. Assuming that Ricardo, Jose Sr of Magallanes and Feliciano of Bacacay are of contemporary age and generation, Jose Sr.'s and Feliciano's great grandfather must be Oligario's brother in Bacacay. Either Jose Sr.'s grandfather and Feliciano's grandfather are brothers or they have the same grandfather. I am inclined to hold the former.

With so much excitement happening in the span of three days since September 28 (when I had to rush to the hospital because of my very sick father in law, received the Family Book by post, stored its details in the database, converted them for publication in the Internet, etc.), another email was sent by Arlon's brother who is also a priest Fr. Manuél Vergara OSA, Principal/School Director of Colegio San Agustín, in Biñan, Laguna. Fr. Manuél is planning to see the Vergaras in Albáy who own and administer a High School in Bacacay, Albáy. With this he will probably link the history of the Vergara clan in Bicol. He also disclosed that there is another priest, Fr. Romulo Vergara, now assigned in Rome and whose family comes from Catanduanes. In the Family Tree Outline Fr. Romulo turns out be a great-great-grandson of Oligario.

So much has happened from Aug 26 when Virginia Vergara Escaño had sent her family details and disclosed the existence of the Family Book. Sonia Vergara's folks from Virác, Catanduanes, Virginia's from Barás, Catanduanes and Fr. Arlon's from Magallanes, Sorsogón have been linked. Other folks from Bacacay have also been identified. The greatest possibility of linking all the Vergaras of Bicolandia is just around the corner.

In October 20, an email from Canada paved the way for the 'official sanctioning' of the much use of the Vergara Family Blue Book published by Ricardo Crisologo Vergara, retired Elementary School Principal II, of Bato, Catanduanes. The permission did not actually come from him but from his son, Rey Vergara, who had migrated to Canada in 1997. He wrote that his father, who had declined his invitation to join him in Canada for health reasons, is now 75, still strong except for his complaints on right foot hurt in an accidental fall from a bench while working on a church project. He is otherwise healthy and has become even more closer to God. According to Rey, his father would surely be delighted to see his work and his name published in the internet.

While the excitement over the Bicol folks was happening, an email from Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Germany came in October 25. It had, however, nothing to do with any scientific achievement of mine (of which I have none). Leopold Luna Ilag, Ph.D., a scientist in that prestigious organisation, disclosed that his mother, a professor in the University of the Philippines, was a Vergara. It was the beginning of an exciting and intellectual communication, the former coming from me, the latter from him. It would also lead to the inclusion of San Esteban, Ilocos Sur, Vergara Clan, an early member of whom would find his way to Hawaii, consequently to be the ancestor of many Hawaiian Vergara folks, and another would have descendants that now occupy important positions in education, medical and scientific fields in the Philippines and overseas. We can also look forward to possible 'unifying' of the Vergara folks of Ilocandia similar to what has been happening among the Vergara folks of Bicolandia. We might even see the inclusion of a very high profiled figure in Philippine government who has the Vergara blood flowing in his veins (and arteries). More to come!

Another Exciting Discovery
Having a breather after the examination and completion of the last essay in the hectic Theology course, I decided to update the growing database. The normal entry for a name consisted of the first or Christian name and the paternal surname (or that of the husband in case of married female). The existence of common names like Juán, José, María, etc. was becoming confusing. The new entry would consist of the first name and the mother's surname together, and the paternal surname. Some patriarchal husbands would perhaps dislike the idea of their surnames being dropped from the spouses' names. My wife, busy in packing up and in preparation for the family trip to the Philippines, was certainly delighted at keeping her maiden's surname. Having laboriously completed updating the database as well as the web page, I was delighted to receive an email on December 3, from a fourth generation Vergara from Umingan, Pangasinán, JC Chong. The 'record keeper' of the clan, he generously shared the details of more than 350 descendants of his known oldest ancestor, Don Alberto Vergara Sr., born in 1884. They will be having their 55th Annual Clan Reunion at the advent of the new millennium in La Unión.

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