My Dumagat Ancestry

The Dumagat by Jacob Maentz

The Dumagats by Kadengat BoyM

Our Sumulong bloodline

Historically, the Spanish explorer Juan de Salcedo became the first Europena to visit the region that would be known as Aurora while he was exploring the northern coast of Luzon. He reportedly visited the towns of Casiguran, Baler and Infanta. In the early days of the Spanish colonial period, Aurora was ecclesiastically connected to Infanta which is today located further south in southern Quezon province. The earliest missionaries in the province were the Franciscans who had established missions in Baler and Casiguran back in 1609. These Franciscan friars were the ones who Christianized the Casiguran Dumagat ancestors of the Sumulong down to the Sauza clans in the Philippines. Due to lack of available personnel, the region was given to the jurisdiction of the Agustinians and Recollects in 1658, but was returned to the Francsican Friar Minors in 1703. The other early missions were Dipaculao that was established in 1719 and Casiguran that was established in 1753. Furthermore, the early history of Aurora is associated to Quezon province and Nueva Ecija where it was once governed as the District of El Principe under the Spanish colonialism.

Genealogically, one of these Christianized Dumagat-blooded couples was Simon Sumulong whose ancestry belonged to the Casiguran Dumagats tribe of Aurora Province of north eastern part of the Philippines. His original name was Sabud which meant mountain in early Tagalog dialect. Upon the arrival of the Franciscans in Casiguran, Aurora, he was baptized in the Roman Catholic rite as Simon after the Franciscan friar whose name was also Friar Simon de Medina who stood as his baptismal godfather. His Casiguran Dumagat parents were baptized as well by the Franciscan Friars in Casiguran with Roman Catholic names as Francisco Sumulong named after St. Francis of Assisi and Antonia Sumulong named after St. Anthony of Padua.

In Filipino, sumulong means moving forward. Their surname Sumulong originated from the family’s act of moving forward in welcoming the arrival of the Franciscan Friars, the first Catholic missionaries in Baler and Casiguran. Eventually, most of their clan and tribe members were baptized into Roman Catholicism by the Franciscan friars because of Francisco’s father who was the tribe leader then. Francisco’s father was baptized as Didacus after St. Didacus of Alcala. Didacus wife was baptized as Clara after St. Clare of Assisi. This is the main reason why under this chapter, the words THE HOUSE OF DIDACUS AND CLARA SUMULONG are specified ahead.

Didacus and his tribe accommodated and helped the Franciscan friars in their missions to propagate the Roman Catholic faith in Baler and Casiguran. It was not a difficult mission for these Franciscan friars who showed kindness to the ethnic group of the province.These patient and loving Franciscan friars taught the Catholic Dumagats to have birthdays aside from other Catholic prayers and traditions. Basically, our Casuguran Dumagat ancestors did not know how to have birthdays such as ours. In the family records of the Sumulongs, Didacus Sumulong and wife Clara Sumulong down to the brothers Simon and Bernardino Sumulong, they did not know their exact birthday. Thanks to their baptizing Franciscan Friars who gave them birthdays in connection to feast day of their name saints such as Didacus Sumulong (13 November), Clara Sumulong (11 August), Francisco Sumulong (04 October), Antonia Sumulong (13 June) and Bernardino Sumulong (20 May) except for Simon Sumulong whose created birthday was 18 February, the feast day of St. Simon from the Gospel of St. Matthew and the birthsaint of his godfather Friar Simon de Medina.

Our Casiguran Dumagat ancestors taught the Franciscan Friars about fishing, hunting and their traditional cultures. Because the Franciscan Friars were nature lovers, they lived a happy, peaceful, prayerful and united life with their Roman Catholic baptized Casiguran Dumagats. From our Casiguran Dumagat ancestors who lived, worked and prayed with these Franciscan Friars, you will know eventually why their descendants have strong relations with the Franciscans down to the early 20th century to the present time.

Moreover, Simon’s bachelor brother was baptized as Bernardino after St. Bernardine of Sienna. Eventually, Bernardino, who was in his adulthood, was married to a 13 year-old sangley from Binondo who was baptized as Brigida Quimpo y Bato ( 01 February 1745 – 1830) after St. Bridget of Sweden. Bernardino and Brigida’s children were Cirilia (27 June 1758), Pedro ( 29 June 1759), (Bonifacio (05 June 1761), Dario (19 December 1763 - , Dionisio (26 December 1765), Cornelio (02 February 1767), Lorenzo (10 August 1769), Exuperantia (26 April 1770), Quiteria (22 May 1772), Verano (19 October 1773, Agatha (05 February 1775 -, Zoe (05 July 1777), Edburga (12 December 1778), Aquilina (13 June 1780), Alfredo (28 October 1781 - ), Martha (29 July 1783), Primitvo (27 November 1784), Lucrecia (23 November 1785), Tigridia (22 November 1786), Demetrio (21 Novemer 1787, Emerentiana (23 January 1789), Placida (05 October 1791, Victoria ( 11 February 1793), Thecla (23 September 1794, Rufo (12 November 1795 – 17 September 1901), Porfirio (10 February 1797 – 23 April 1903), Clotilda (03 June 1799 – 03 August 1893) and the youngest Walburga (25 February 1801 – 26 December 1912).

(SOURCES: Fr. Verano Quimpo Sumulong & Fr. Alfredo Quimpo Sumulong (1865), Los Hermanos y Las Hermanas y Los Parientes de Familia Sumulong. (The writings of these priest brothers were kept by their younger sister Clotilde Quimpo Sumulong – Chavez (03 June 1799 – 03 August 1893) who eventually entrusted the writings to her great grandson Cristobal Guinto Chavez (25 July 1870 – 24 May 1943) who eventually entrusted the writings to his teacher writer relative Juan Anastacio Santiago Delos Reyes (1915 - ?) in 1936 in Manila. The original writings of these priest brothers were burned by the Japanese in 1944 in Sta. Cruz, Manila. Only the copy of the Sumulong family tree and other writings by Juan Anastacio Santiago Delos Reyes copied and taken from the writings of the priest brothers were saved. On 07 October 1999 at Adamson University in Manila, Juan Anastacio Santiago Delos Reyes entrusted the family information to the author of this book.) 

Moreover, the site of Jacob Maentz and Sibilan are highly recommended for readers like us to know more about lives of the indigenous peoples. To Jacob Maentz and Sibilan, your pictures are really awesome and meaningful. You can like Jacob Maentz in Facebook. His masterpieces are truly world class!