Learning About Jose Rizal's Chinese Ancestry (and Blood) Back in High School (and College)

JoseRizal.com

Today is Rizal Day, and I found myself admiring him. I don't have his level of genius. Some people often joked that they practiced the Rizal hairstyle. He was only 5.28 feet, which may have been considered tall at that time compared to today's standards. This takes me back in time when my Filipino teacher (forgot her full name) asked, "Do you have to be born a Filipino to be truly Filipino. If we must accept it, Rizal's blood was Chinese." Rizal would be a Chinese mestizo. Look into his history. Rizal's great-great-grandfather was a Chinese immigrant. Those questions forever shook my mind slowly but surely. I'm Chinese by blood, but I was born in the Philippines to Filipino citizen parents, even if my great-grandparents were mostly from China. 

Concerning Rizal's ancestor, this is an interesting detail:

Domingo Lamco: A Beacon of Resilience

Domingo Lamco, also known by his Chinese name Cua Yi-Lam (“Ke Yi-Nan” in Mandarin), was a trailblazer in the face of oppressive Spanish colonial conditions. Born in the village of Zhangguo (“Siongque” in Hokkien) in Jinjiang County (now a city), Quanzhou City, Fujian province, Lamco navigated the tumultuous era of Spanish colonization. Segregated in the Parian ghetto along with other Chinese traders and artisans, Lamco overcame hardships and  persecution.

Overcoming adversity, Lamco was a “rags-to-riches” entrepreneur and later moved to Laguna province to become the founder of the high-educated, esteemed Mercado family. “Mercado” was an adopted surname by Domingo Lamco for his children and descendants. The Mercado family would later play a significant role in shaping the economic, cultural, and social fabric of the Philippines.

The Chinese and the Spanish didn't like each other. That's why the Spanish built the Intramuros Wall in Binondo. Fortunately, we no longer live in the Intramuros Days. I could already interact with Spanish people, or even marry a woman of Spanish descent. Some Chinese Filipinos have Spanish Filipino partners. The same wasn't so true back then. The Spanish looked down on the Chinese during that time. The Chinese also didn't like the Spanish. Some Chinese Filipinos also called the Spanish "huan-a" even if the term has been more commonly applied to Southeast Asian natives. The term "huan-a" has also been used in Malaysia and Indonesia. 

In college, I remember how our professor discussed Rizal's lineage. Both Rizal's parents had Chinese ancestry. It made me remember how Rizal's lineage was from both sides. My Filipino teacher even said, "Well, Rizal was really Chinese. But did Rizal have to be born Filipino to be truly Filipino?" One may even discover that several great Filipinos were actually of Chinese descent. Sure, most of them were born as Filipino citizens. However, Ignacio Paua was actually a migrant from the Fujian Province. Others who may be less than half-Chinese still look Chinese. It still reminds me of my misadventure whenever I speak Hokkien to non-Chinese Filipinos, thinking they're Chinese. That's why I seldom ask, "Are you Chinese?" before I continue the conversation, to avoid confusion.

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Here's the picture of Rizal's family tree. The photos of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso show their Chinese features. Sure, they aren't bearing Chinese surnames like most Chinese Filipinos today, who are born from third to fourth-generation migrants. However, the Chinese ancestry couldn't be denied one way or another based on the photos. 

As the teacher would say, Rizal was Chinese, but he was Filipino at heart. I'm Chinese by blood, but I'm not a Chinese citizen. Some idiots on Facebook even say that I may have gotten a fake citizenship from Davao (but couldn't provide proof) because of the recent Alice Guo controversy. Some idiot boomers even say, "Well, your surname is Chinese, so you're obviously going after Chinese interests." Never mind that the late Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III's ancestry was actually Chinese too! The late Jesse Robredo's grandfather was descended from a Chinese immigrant known as Lim Pay Co. However, nothing suggests (but I may be proven wrong) that Jesse's widow, Atty. Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona-Robredo is also of Chinese descent.

Also, the term Filipino was originally meant for Spanish residing in the Philippines. Most of the local population was called indio. The majority of Filipinos today were called indios. What's not so suprising is that the name Indonesia from the Greek word Indos, or Indian. The term Indian tends to be mistaken for native Americans. It was said Christopher Columbus thought he discovered India. Overtime, the term Filipino means anybody who is a citizen of the Philippines. It's like I can say I'm a Filipino of Chinese ethnicity. Most Filipinos can say they're Filipinos of Malay or Indonesian descent. Rizal is still considered a Filipino, despite being ethnically Chinese.