The Divinagracias of Dumangas

THE DIVINAGRACIAS OF DUMANGAS
(By: dinggol araneta divinagracia - June 15, 2009)
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Prologue:
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This article is written as a tribute to our early ancestors for their bold decision and pioneering spirit that eventually led to the founding of the once upon a time great "Ilonggo" nation; the "Katiringban et Madya-as" or the Confederation of Madya-as.
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Likewise, this is prepared in conjunction with the sincere endeavor of my sister Ma. Lina Araneta Divinagracia. Lina actively spearheaded the celebration of the "First" Divinagracia Grand Family Reunion on April 29-30, 2010 in Iloilo, Philippines; a "Going Back to our Roots and Coming Together as One".
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The Early History * Genealogy
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The Divinagracias of Dumangas, Iloilo (Philippines) are descended from the adventurous seafaring Malays of Kinabatangan in North Borneo.
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The Maragtas legend explained and the ancient Chinese Ming Dynasty Chronicle confirmed; that sometime between the 13th and 15th century, ten (10) Shri-vijayan datus together with their families, households and subordinates fled Bornay (Borneo) in search of a new life.
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Led by the Sultanate Minister Datu Putih, they sailed their "Balanghai" unto uncertain fate and landed in Siruanga/Sirawagan (San Joaquin, Iloilo) in the island of Aninipay (Panay). They bartered their gold and jewelries with the local "Ati" Chieftain Marikudo for the lowlands, plains and valleys of the island they called "Madya-as" or paradise. The land where time began the birth of the Ilonggo Nation and the cradle of ancient Filipino civilization.
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After partitioning Madya-as into Akean (Aklan and Capiz), Irong-irong (Iloilo) and Hamtic (Antique) to be ruled by Datu Bankaya, Paiburong and Sumakwel respectively; Datu Putih and the other tribal leaders settled along the banks of the river by the sea with rich, fertile soil and abundant marine products and they called the place "Araut".
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Thereafter, the council of elders established the "Katiringban et Madya-as" or the Confederation of Madya-as headed by Datu Sumakwel. This confederated political form of governance preceded great nations in Europe and the Americas, including the USA.
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Excerpted from: Chronology of the Ancient Chinese Ming Dynasty and Islamic Influences by Ghou Zhongli.
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"...1433 AD - A Seven-Datu Council codified the Code of Kalantiaw (by Kalantiaw) and the Maragtas Code (by Sumakwel) for the people of Panay Island; Three Adatus from ther original ten who came to Panay left for Batangas and Mindoro; Datu Putih was one of them but eventually returned to North Borneo from where no trace of him was found...".
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Years later, one of his Malay grandson Raja-mun together with his family left Araut and settled in Kaputatan (Pototan-Iloilo); while his closest brother Raja-il stayed behind.
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Historians believed that when the Spaniards first came during the hot summer of 1565, they found the "noble bearing" Malay settlers in Araut to be warm hearted, friendly and hospitable. Thus, they renamed Araut "Dumangas" (naga duga ang mangas) --which means "very warm". There are other interpretations on how Dumangas got its present name.
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Excerpted from Jose Rizal's essay "The Indolence of the Filipinos" originally written in Spanish and published in La Solidaridad on September 15, 1890 (English translation by Charles Derbyshire)
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"..Part III - Wherefore, Gaspar de San Agustin says: "Although anciently there were in this town of DUMANGAS many people, in the course of time they have very greatly diminished because the natives are the best sailors and most skillful rowers on the whole coast, and so the governors in the port of Iloilo take most of the people from this town for the ships that they send abroad...."
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To facilitate governmental administrative functions; primarily the collection of taxes and because native names did not favor the ignorant ears and indolent tongues of the Spanish conquistadores, Governor General Don Narciso Claveria y Zaldua issued an Executive Edict on November 21, 1849; that forced our complacent ancestors to change their names and adopted the surname "Divinagracia"
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The first recorded Divinagracia that I know was Don Rafael Divinagracia, the third Governadorcillo "alcalde naturales" of Dumangas --who I postulated as the father of Crisostomo Divinagracia and his siblings.
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Crisostomo, popularly known as "Capitan Omong" married Lucia "Siyay" Dolar. Both belong to the landed gentry in Dumangas. They have twelve (12) children: Lino, Eulalio, Angela, Veronica, Jose, Exequiel, Tomas, Felomina, Eulalia, Felipe, Mateo and Ignacia.
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"Tan Omong" the Capitan Municipal of the Principalia and tax collector for the Spanish authorities, was well respected and loved by the town folks. So that his poor "kasimanwas" be spared from conscription or forced labor, either to work in the haciendas of encomienderos and frailes or construction of churches, he would oftentimes pay on their behalf cartloads of his own palay harvest.
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His generosity was well known and considered providential by early Dumangueños, a "Divine Grace" --that earned him the appropriate family name "DIVINAGRACIA".
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Interestingly, "Tan Omongs" sister Felipa Divinagracia was also married to Lucias brother Gabriel Dolar. They are the children of "Cabeza" Don Pedro Dolar and Ignacia Diamante of the "Cabeceria del Santa Cruz" colloquially called "Barrio Lublub" --presently named the Barangay Purificacion Dolar Monfort North". Gabriel and Felipa Divinagracia-Dolar have six (6) children: Carlota, Mariano, Urbano, Mathias, Vicenta and Brigida.
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At the turn of the 19th century, Crisostomos' brother Juan Divinagracia left Dumangas to venture in Manila. While some of his descendants came back, others spread in the CALABARZON AREA of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon(Tayabas) Province; the Bicol Region and other parts of Luzon.
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His other brother Jose Divinagracia also left Dumangas and settled permanently in Lapaz and later served as "Oficial del Municipio". The Divinagracia Street (Barangay Divinagracia) in Lapaz, Iloilo City was named after him. He has four (4) sons: Rafael, Gerardo, Jose and Francisco. Rafael joined the revolution against Spain and fought during the U.S. invasion of Iloilo but later fled to Luzon when the Federal Republic of the Visayas based in Iloilo fizzled-out due to American forces more superior weaponry. The last leader of the sovereign Visayan Republic to surrender was General Quintin Dicen Salas of Dumangas.
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During the late 1960s', I got acquainted with Gerardo "Gerry" Divinagracia from Lapaz while we were both connected with an Insurance Company. He related to me his ancestor came from Dumangas but the family consider themselves "tumandok sang Lapaz" and that they have many relatives in northern Iloilo, Capiz, Negros and Cebu. It is regretable, indeed, we never talked curiously about our common ancestry.
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According to the late Jose "Junior Bina" Divinagracia of the Iloilo Bureau of Customs, his grandfather and namesake was a soldier of fortune who eventually became Mayor in Mindanao. If senior intellectual interlude serves me right, it was in the Municipality of Marbel in the old Cotabato Province. Some of his descendants returmed to Iloilo while others transferred to Bukidnon, Davao, Zamboanga and other areas in the south.
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Francisco Divinagracia married Casimira Gumabong and settled in the Gumabong's family estate located near the present boundary of Molo and Iloilo City Proper. They have seven (7) children: Leopoldo, Pamfilo, Francisco, Daniel, Nehemias, Leoncia and Samson.
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During the early part of the 1900s, Francisco Divinagracia, dubbed as "Iloilo's Calesa King" gave-up his lucrative horse-driven transport business to enter the religious order. He actively participated in many missionary works conducted by the protestant congregation in the hinterlands of the Visayas. Francisco Divinagracia has the distinction as the first ordained Minister of the Baptist Church in the Philippines..
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(Nota bene: The subject of (early) genealogy is not an exact science. Therefore; changes and revisions may occur, as new data with concrete evidence in antiquity are discovered and formally presented hereinafter).
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Acknowledgement:--I wish to acknowledge the invaluable contributions provided directly or indirectly by Fred, Pol and Louie, all surnamed Divinagracia .........Salamat gid! ..dinggol.d~~~
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Epilogue:
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It should be noted, that Genealogical Diagram (Family Tree) of our early Divinagracia ancestors are presently being procured and up-dated. Thanks! to Emily Roldan Divinagracia-Riviere and Paolo Divinagracia-Araneta Evidente who are both enthusiastic to facilitate for posterity this noble undertaking "Gratis et Amore".
-http://groups.yahoo.com/group/divinagracias--http://groups.yahoo.com/group/divinagracia
We cordially invite all members of the Divinagracia clan to join and participate in our exclusive family Yahoo eGroup Home Page at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Divinagracias and website at www.FamiliaDivinagracia.org --so that the brotherhood of our ancestors may continue to future generations.
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Padayon! ang kaliwat Divinagracia sang Dumangas..."Magtipon kag Mag-ugyon"..PADAYON!!!
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About the Author
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Rudy "Dinggol" Araneta Divinagracia is a lover of nature and reform activist by profession; a genealogist and environmentalist by avocation. He is a Cooperative Movement advocate, history buff and an amateur "newbie" writer.
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During WW2 he was born in Barrio Cairohan, Passi-Iloilo to Atty. Jose Parcon Divinagracia (1909-1942) and Adela Locsin Araneta (1914-2008). His paternal grandparents are Lino Dolar Divinagracia of Dumangas and Teopista Junsay Parcon of Pototan, Iloilo. He has two sisters, Ma. Lina and Carmeling, and married to Lilia of Negros Oriental by whom he has four children; Jingle, Jinky, Inday La and Toto Jard. The couple is blessed with ten (10) grandkids.
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Dinggol was engaged in the insurance, real estate and housing construction industry back then and was instrumental in building communities that eventually became important landmarks in the City of Iloilo (Philippines).
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After short stints in several U.S. Firms, he ultimately retired in 2005 as Purchasing Manager of a church-affiliated large continuing care retirement community in Northern Virginia, USA.
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Presently, Dinggol is a duly registered researcher in the U.S. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. and an avid patron of the Annandale Family History Center (AFHC) in Virginia; owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with main Family History Library established in Salt Lake City, Utah-USA
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Likewise, he is actively involved in civic associations and fraternal organizations in mainland U.S.A. --Dinggol is the administrator of "Ang Pungsod Ilonggo" the eNewsletter of the Ilonggo Nation Movement (INM) that he founded on December 25, 2005 in Michigan-USA. (www.ilonggoNation.blogspot.com)
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Email: d.dinggol@yahoo.com
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[ilonggo_taton] Hiligaynon and Kapampangan team up

--- On Thu, 3/26/09, Jason Paul Laxamana wrote:

From: Jason Paul Laxamana sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph
Subject: [ilonggo_taton] Hiligaynon and Kapampangan team up
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 10:40 PM

Abangan!

Two Ilonggo-Kapampangan RnB songs (recorded separately @ iloilo city and angeles city, to produce the first regional-language- collaboration contemporary tracks in Phil Music history)... Coming soon!

JASON
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Delayed Response (June 24, 2009)

Salamat! Jason for your initiative on this worthwhile endeavor. Looking forward for this historic musical event.

More Power! to our affiliate the Ilonggo_Taton eGroup.

Good luck! ...dinggol.d~~~
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