Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Cebuano Families: The Herreras

Uy Herrera descendants: Bohol Vice-Governor Julius Ceasar F. Herrera
and former Senator Ernesto "Boy" F. Herrera.
Since it is Labor Day in the Philippines I could not think of anything better to write than the ancestry of former Senator Ernesto F. Herrera, a champion of labor law.

The surname Herrera is a feminine version of the Spanish male noun herrero, which means “blacksmith”.

The Herrera family of Bohol and Cebu are relatively new comers to the Philippines, having arrived in the islands in the late nineteenth century.  However, after only less than two centuries’ stay in the Philippines, they have already established themselves to be a respectable and hard-working family.  The family is Chinese-Filipino in origin, and the first Herrera in Cebu was a pure Chineseman.  Records show that the Herreras arrived from the town of Leonque in the Fujian Province of China in the 1870’s.  

The leader of this family was the famed Uy Mayan, or Uy Maguan, who is now known as the first Chinese consul in Cebu City.  After being baptized into the Catholic faith, he took the additional surname HERRERA in honor of his baptismal sponsor, who was an alcalde-mayor of Surigao.  Thus, after becoming Christianized he became Lucio Uy Herrera.  His brother, Julian, and cousin, Uy Tua, also took the surname Uy Herrera, which was later simplified into Herrera during the American period. Despite this he was invariably listed in records as Lucio Uy, Lucio Herrera, Lucio Herrera Uy Mayan, and Lucio Herrera Uy Singchiong.

Don Lucio Uy Herrera distinguished himself as one of the prominent Chinese in Cebu City.  He was one of the three (the other two being Don Julian Paulin and Don Nicasio Chiong-Veloso) Chinese Dons who parlayed their local commercial success into social and political prestige within Filipino society.  He and his family were big property owners and had haciendas in Cebu City and in the town of Medellin, Cebu. In the 1891 Guia official of importers and exporters he was listed as having 45 employees, quite a large number at that time. After Jose Rizal was executed the Katipuneros in Cebu City intensified their preparations for the planned revolution. The revolutionaries' headquarters was at the house of Don Lucio Uy Herrera himself. 

One of Don Lucio Uy Herrera's great-grandsons, Constantino H. Navarro, served as a mayor of Surigao City. Meanwhile, Don Lucio Uy Herrera’s cousin, Uy Tua, has produced many prominent and upstanding descendants, including his grandsons, Ernesto “Boy” Herrera and Julius Caesar Herrera, respectively a former Philippine Senator and present Bohol Vice-Governor, and a great-grandson, Ernesto Herrera II, the current Mayor Calape, Bohol.

A Partial Uy Herrera Family Tree

? Uy. 
Spouse:  [--?--]
├─? Uy 
Spouse:  [--?--]
├─Lucio Uy Herrera 
Spouse:  Carlota Jabonero
└─Jose Uy Herrera 
┐┐┐Wife:  Patrocinio Reynes Borromeo
┐┐┐├─Caridad Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐├─Rodolfo Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐├─Lisinio Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐├─Eterio Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐├─Jesus Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐├─Milagros Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐└─Helene Borromeo Herrera 
┐┐┐┐┐Husband:  Constantino C. Navarro, Sr.
┐┐┐┐┐└─Constantino Navarro 
┐┐┐┐┐┐┐Wife:  Guia Antionette Legaspi
└─Julian Uy Herrera 
└─?? Uy 
┐┐Spouse:  [--?--]
┐┐└─Uy Tua Herrera 
┐┐┐┐Wife:  [--?--]
┐┐┐┐└─Sofio Herrera 
┐┐┐┐┐┐Spouse:  Narcisa Falar
┐┐┐┐┐┐├─Ernesto Herrera 
┐┐┐┐┐┐Wife:  Nena Cuico
┐┐┐┐┐┐└─Ernesto Herrera, Jr. 
┐┐┐┐┐┐├─Julius Ceasar Herrera 
┐┐┐┐┐┐Wife:  Florenda Leyson
┐┐┐┐┐┐└─Emma Herrera 
┐┐┐┐┐┐┐┐Husband:  Alvin Baldado

_______________________________
Sources:
1. Uy Herrera blog (http://bright4us.blog.com/?p=9)
2. Gavin Sanson Bagares notes on the Uy Herreras
3. Borromeo family tree
4. Edgar Wickberg. The Chinese in Philippine Life, 1850-1898.
5. Rafael A. Bautista. The Bloody Palm Sunday of April 3, 1898. (accessed via the UMICH collection).
6. Cubillo-Gaudioso family tree

6 comments:

  1. I came across your Blog and this blog entry about the Herreras of Cebu intrigued me. I suggest you dig deeper as you know Ernesto F. Herrera (yes the former senator) have another son named Ernesto V. Herrera, Jr. and is currently residing in Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Herrera family of Bohol and Cebu are relatively new comers to the Philippines, having arrived in the islands in the late nineteenth century. However, after only less than two centuries’ stay in the Philippines, they have already established themselves to be a respectable and hard-working family. The family is Chinese-Filipino in origin, and the first Herrera in Cebu was a pure Chineseman. Records show that the Herreras arrived from the town of Leonque in the Fujian Province of China in the 1870’s.




    The leader of this family was the famed Uy Mayan, or Uy Maguan, who is now known as the first Chinese consul in Cebu City. After being baptized into the Catholic faith, he took the additional surname HERRERA in honor of his baptismal sponsor, who was an alcalde-mayor of Surigao. Thus, after becoming Christianized he became Lucio Uy Herrera. His brother, Julian, and cousin, Uy Tua, also took the surname Uy Herrera, which was later simplified into Herrera during the American period. Despite this he was invariably listed in records as Lucio Uy, Lucio Herrera, Lucio Herrera Uy Mayan, and Lucio Herrera Uy Singchiong.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know this is an old post. But I was wondering what the name of Lucio Uy's Chinese daughter was? I've seen the GenMap but can't seem to recall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. her name is Andrea who is married to Governor Roa, and her daughter is married to Governor Duterte of danao in Cebu.

      Delete
  4. Who is the sister of Sofio Herrera?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sofio Herrera has a first born son from other woman named Arturo Herrera

    ReplyDelete