Friday, April 20, 2007 Genealogical researchers bare Lopez Jaena descendants in Negros By Rolly Espina
TWO genealogical tree researchers bared yesterday the first generation descendants of Placido and Ma. Jacobe Jaena and Fermin Lopez and Fernanda Regina Hechanova.
Both Placido and Fermin were sons of Maximo Lopez and Juliana Hilaria. Placido was the father of Graciano.
The confusion over who are the descendants of Graciano Lopez Jaena precisely stems from the fact that he was the only Lopez Jaena.
This was because he adopted a new family name - Lopez Jaena after sometime in Spain, apparently to distinguish himself from the many Lopezes there.
But because of the May 26 clan reunion in Silay City, both Ramon Conlu and Jose B. Lopez Jr. came out Thursday with the sons of Placido and Fermin, the two main branches of the Lopez family that will participate in the reunion.
Junior Lopez said the sons of Placido and Ma. Jacobe Jaena were Domingo Lopez, Pedro Lopez, Graciano Candelaria, Ramon and Doroteo. They were all Lopezes.
Only Graciano sported the shortened Lopez Jaena as family name. Normally in Spanish, there is a "y" before the maternal surname. But in Graciano's case, he simply went ahead and appended Jaena to Lopez.
Less known were the descendants of Fermin, the other son of Maximo and Juana Hilaria Lopez.
The reason-they had settled in Silay City and were not as involved in the life of Graciano, although later, they were just drawn into the circle of his fight against Spanish colonial policies.
Fermin's children included Eustaquio, Protacio, Marcelina, Vicenta and Cirillo.
The others were Pablo, Teopista, Mercedes, Agustin, Laurente, Agapito and Nicanor.
This became an urgent need when Edna Pamine of Victorias City showed up in Saturday's meeting of the clan leaders involved in the planning for the May 26 reunion at the Sta. Teresita Academy in Silay city.
Mrs. Pamine stressed that she had shrugged off invitations to join the clean meetings until she finally got hold of the court of appeals decision on a land case that showed that she was descanded from Agustin Lopez.
"First, we really need to help the descendants a chance to trace back their links to as far back as Placido and Fermin," stressed Conlu.
The reason-the clan reunion is principally sponsored by the progency of Fermin, especially Eustaquio. "We just want to put on record straight. Eustaquio, especially had helped Lolo Ciano.
That included helping finance his trip to Spain when Graciano went into self-exile," pointed out Jess Lopez of Silay who returned from the United States recently to help supervise plans for the reunion.
Virgilio Lopez also stressed the importance of the genealogical tree to make clan descendants more comfortable when they meet in what Conlu had dubbed as one family, one legacy.
Humbert Espina, former president of the Bacolod Capitol Lions Club now back in Seattle, Washington, said the reunion was long overdue and hailed the May 26 oplan as something that is worth supporting.
That was the same view from Mrs. Yolanda Espina-Llavore of San Diego California. Although she may not be able to attend the reunion, Inday also called on Lopez descendants all over to join the May 26 reunion.
