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By Go Bon Juan
Editor’s note: The Sixth Dr. Jose P.
Rizal Awards for Excellence awarding ceremony will be held at 2
p.m., June 14, at the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center on Anda and
Cabildo streets, Intramuros, Manila.
The family of controversial former Ilocos Sur
Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson is a typical prominent Chinese
mestizo family in the Philippines. The history of the Singsons shows
how closely intertwined a Chinese mestizo family with the Philippine
life was.
Linda Limpe’s book, The 9 Lives of Luis
“Chavit” Singson, tells more about the clan.
“The Singson family started in 1760s when
Joaquin Ayco, a pure Chinese merchant from Oasay, China [this could
be Oahay county in Fujian province], married a Chinese mestiza from
Vigan named Rosa Songnio. Ayco was the patriarch of the Singson
clan.”
Limpe adds, “By the 1800s, the Singsons had
improved their financial and social positions to the extent that
they were able to hold the post of gobernadorcillo of the Gremio de
Mestizo for five terms . . . The post of gobernadorcillo was held by
Don Leon Singson in 1846, Don Estanislao Singson in 1852, Don
Domingo Singson in 1854, Don Tomas Singson in 1858 and Don Juan
Singson in 1877.
“By the 20th century, the Singsons were
considered a local political family. Both the father and elder
brother of Luis held the post mayor of Vigan. His father, Mayor Jose
S. Singson, held the post from 1968 to 1971 and his brother Evaristo
held the post from 1972 to 1986. His brother Evaristo also held the
position of governor of Ilocos Sur from June 1, 1988 until his death
on December 25, 1988.”
Chavit Singson was himself governor of Ilocos
Sur from 1972 to 2000.
“What makes the story of the Singson family of
Ilocos Sur more interesting is the prominent role of Chinese
mestizos in Vigan. Not only is there a Mestizo River in Vigan,
“the town of Vigan was divided into two sections by the boundary
of Rizal Street. All lands to the east of Rizal Street were part of
the mestizo section, while all lands to the west of Rizal Street
were part of the naturales section.”
The book adds, “There were two
gobernadorcillos in Vigan. One was for the Gremio de Mestizos [Guild
of Mestizos] and another was for the Gremio de Naturales [Guild of
the Natives].
The genealogy of Chavit Singson also illustrates
the close relationship among the Chinese mestizos in Vigan.
Ayco’s son, Antero Singson (who died in 1817)
married a Chinese mestiza, Adriana de Mesa (1781 to 1838) and
Antero’s son Mauricio (1813 to 1846) married a Chinese mestiza,
Tomasa Sebastian (1812 to 1862).
Mauricio’s son, Jose Ma. Singson (1838 to
1881) wed a Chinese mestiza, Marcelina Pablo (1844 to 1928). Jose
Ma. Singson’s son Evaristo (1874 to 1955) married Magdalena
Sebastian (1879 to 1942), presumably a mestiza although the
genealogy did not indicate so.
Jose (1915 to 1979), the son of Evaristo and the
grandfather of Chavit Singson, married Cardiad Crisologo (1915 to
1976), daughter of Don Moises Crisologo and Doña Victorina Singson,
a mestiza.
From Ayco to Chavit’s grandfather Jose, all
the six generations of Singsons married Chinese mestizas.
It is also interesting to point out that
“there was less Chinese mistrust in Vigan compared to the
anti-Sino mentality of the Spaniards in Intramuros probably because
there were so few Spaniards and the natives have been trading with
the Chinese since hundreds of years ago. Vigan was a prime example
of how Chinese assimilation into Philippine society came about.”
Unfortunately, we do not know and can’t trace
Ayco’s Chinese surname as well as how and why the surname of Ayco
was later changed to Singson.
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