History of the Pinili Clan of Negros Oriental

Every  family has a place of its own .Its original roots generally spring out from a small community from which the branches spread in all directions to find greener pastures or a better way of life.

Dumaguete City ,the City of the Gentle People,which was a very small community before the Spanish times, is said to be the place which the Pinili clan can call its own.

It has never been known whether the ancestors of the ancestors of the traceable roots of the present generation migrated from the neighbouring island of the Philippines.It is a well known fact,based on tradition, that all the Pinilis in the Province of Negros Oriental come from the same roots.Rich and poor,the Pinili are closely related by kinship.They are a mixture of different social and  educational standings. Some are very rich and live the upper crust life. Others are impoverished and view their rich counter parts with embarrassment and faltering recognition.However , the majority are middle-class citizens like doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, politicians, businessmen and farmers.There are also priests and nuns.These middle –class family members link the elite and the less fortunate ones.

With the hope of bringing all the Pinilis closer to each other,to promote true Christian brotherhood and fellowship and to help the less fortunate relatives achieve a better way of life,a small group of Pinilis decided to put up an annual family reunion.

The Making of the family tree

The idea of making a family tree for the Pinili Clan was first introduced by Major Nicolas Pinili Lasola several years ago when he used to  visited the late Benecia Pinili de Mira , MA-Education on his way to Manila from Pagadian Zamboanga del Sur .He was a grandson of Mariano Pinili and his second wife Maximia Amor. Major Lasola married to Procesa “Sisay” Remoto  Manlapaz from Mindanao. His seven children were very anxious to know their relatives in Negros Oriental.Thus ,he furnished  lola Benecia a copy of the names of his children’s and  grandchildren.

It was not unitl December ,1983 that  the interest was revived when the first family reunion was held at DYRM Radio Station Compound  in Dumaguete City. Meeting long lost relatives and relatives  never knew earlier prompted me to write this book.The goals of the organizers of the first family reunion also enlightened me to trace our lineage.

I would there like to mention the organizers of the First Pinili Family reunion :

1.       Fiscal Ceferino Pinili

2.       Fiscal Cristino Pinili

3.       Atty. Arturo Valencia Umbac

4.       Mr. Alberto D. Pinili

5.       Mr. Antonio Pinili

6.       Mr. Dony P. Cornelia

7.       Mrs. Roberta P. Asono

The  Original four Brothers and  one Sister

For lack of data due to records tracing back to the Spanish time in the better part of the eighteenth century which cannot be found,the four brothers and one sister are the remotest roots that can be traced. This finding was done through the living grandchildren mostly scattered within and around the city of Dumaguete and many are presently residing in Zamboanguita, Bayawan,Dauin ,Sibulan, San Jose ,Valencia and Bais City who grandparents migrated to those places. These four  brothers were Mariano Pinili ( Capitan Anoy) whose first wife was a certain Maria Antonina Pis-an and Maximina Amor .His brother Bernando Pinili  had two wives ,names not known .Another  brother  by the name of Cornelio Pinili married to Potenciana Teves  Feriol  and Pedro Pinili married to Melitona Limpahan of the old Luzuriaga   ( presently Valencia Negros Oriental mostly the bloodline descendants of the Somoza, Flores and Arbon clan).Both migrated to Zamboanguita,Dauin and Valencia where their offsprings now live. The youngest and only sister Narcisca married Antonio Valencia from Dumaguete.

Mariano Pinili and his Descendants

Mariano Pinili better known during his time as Capitan Anoy was considered the most well to do of all the four brother and one sister.In fact he was known for his two tapestries ( Native sugar mills ran by carabaos), His several hectares of  corn fields in the barrios of  Bajonpandan,Cadaynonan ,Candao-ay and Batinguil and his hordes of carabaos that all died

After the American Occupation at the time that there was a Cholea epidemic .It is noteworthy to mention that  the natives attributed the death of cattle and carabaos as a result of poison thrown into the rivers and wells supposedly by the early Americans.

His residence consisting of three wooden big houses connected to each other with a bridge was located in now the present block bounded by Real St. on the west ,Jones St. ( present  V. LOCSIN sT.) on the north ,Maria Cristina St. on the east and Legaspi St. on the south.His three houses or residence was facing a big plaza which is the site now of the present super market. The market site then at that time was along the beach at the end of the present Colo n St.There was a well supplying the three houses with water located almost at the center of the three houses.Up to this writing   the well still exists and was made  the  source of water for a pump laid by the  late Emilio Limquiaco  whose  father Lucio Limquiaco bought a  portion of the residential  lot from Capitan’s Heirs. It is interesting to mention that Emilio Limquiaco’s first wife was Pilar Pinili Campoy,one of the grandchildren of Mariano Pinili and  his second wife Jesusa T. Pinili is the grand niece being the granddaughter of Bernardo Pinili, a brother of Mariano. Emilio Limquiaco’s elder brother Dorong Limquiaco   The then popular among the elite society and the Filipino Chinese Community at that time married the elder sister of Pilar Campoy whose name was Asuncion Pinili Campoy also a granddaughter of Mariano Pinili by his second wife Maximina Amor.

Bais City Pinili History

Mariano Pinili eldest daughter, Doña Aleja Pinili married to Don Anatalio Villamil Teves, the  builder of Bais City, produced bloodline descendants who became Senators, Board members, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors, and Sugar planters that have enriched these province into healthy and vibrant Communities.

They had three children, Anselma married to Hermenegildo Regis Villanueva Sr. produced Governors, Mayors, Congressman of the Province and a Senator. Enrique Cayetano (Mayor of Bais 1914-1916), Governor 1916-1925 and Congressman 1925-1931.Lolo Eking got married to Francisca Gomez Baena first Miss Negros Oriental Carnival Queen 1909. Hermenegildo Jr. fondly called “Bindoy” a famous Senator, Governor 1906-1910 elected again 1931-1935, Secretary of Labor and Presidential Adviser for Labor Matters during the Quezon Administration, other children Leonardo  a member of the Local Sugar Planters Association, Eligio a Political leader, Vicente the deputy Governor of Siquijor, Isidro a judge and a writer, Juan the grandfather of the former City Mayor Hector “Tata” Villanueva and  former City Mayor Karen F. Villanueva. The Damas in the family Maria, Ramona (Mrs Judge Zarcaris Alo), Filomina (married to Bais Mayor Juan Villacampa) and Josefa married to Simplicio Villegas Guihulngan’s first Town Mayor and established a Political family of Northern Negros (Teves Genealogy 1970 p1 by Rosario T. Moras and Bais Historian Penn T. Larena Narration in 2007)

After the death of Anselma, Tan Bindo married his sister in law Eulogia Pinili Teves has three children all in the local Political arena Praxedes Daniel (Governor 1946-1951, Mayor of Bais and established the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital. Praxedes grandchildren making wave in business and Politics like Francisco “Boy Villanueva (City Mayor of Bais 1992-1998 Vice Mayor 2001-2004), Ma Theresa Villanueva-Yoldi of Ana Maria Bakeshoppe and Edna Villanueva-Diago the owner of Cebuana Lhuiller group of Companies married to Philippine Ambassador to Portugal  Hon Philippe Jones Lhuiller. Gulliermo Zozimo the second son married to American Meztizo Ma Lourdes Atherton, educated in Silliman University and University of Michigan for his masters. He became a Councilor of Bais, Governor (1941-1994) and Congressman (1938-1941) two of his grandson Mayor Rodolfo Gonzales Jr. and Mayor Enrique Gonzales of the Town of Valencia, continue a legacy of honesty and Christ-centered leadership. Dolores the youngest daughter, married to the handsome Sugar Planter Antonio Gomez-Baena,  their children Dione Baena who also served as City Councilor of Bais and Delia married to Luciano Larena Alviola.

Pedro Pinili Teves only brother of Anselma and Eulogia is married to Carmen Alcon most of his descendants are in Tanjay and Bais one of those is the family of Carmen Baena Teves married to Dodong Larena (Bais Vice Mayor of the 1930’s and Mayor 1945-1949). Another descendant is the owner of the Teves Liner travel as a regular passage bus for Dumaguete to Bais vice-versa. ( Teves Clan History  by :Penn T. Larena CPS, MPA).

Dumaguete City Mariano Pinili History

Mariano Pinili married to Maria Antonina Pis-an,with his first wife he had several children but only four lived up to adult age and whose descendants are still living up to this day.Some of them have become prominent in the field of politics,others became scions thru married, others got wealthy thru’ good luck or business acumen ,while others remain poor living a hand to mouth existence.

One of his daughters Serafia Pinili married a Filipino Teacher Maestro Tomas Alonzo.Another daughter Lorenza  Pinili married Doroteo Macias Teves a son of one of the well-known families

of Dumaguete and a brother of the long time Town Mayor Pedro Macias Teves of  Dumaguete.

The most prominent Pinili- Teves these days is the  former Secretary of Finance Margarito “Gary”    B. Teves.  He is acknowledged by the clan as a financial genius as well as an upright man of unquestionable integrity.  He is a son of the formidable Herminio “Miniong” Teves by his first wife.  A brother of Lorenza Pinili Teves whose name was Eustaquio Pinili married to Simplicia Macias Teves,sister of Doroteo Teves. In other words a brother and sister of the Mariano children married a brother and sister of the popular Teves Family at the time. The youngest son Juan Pinili, a short but amiable man married a tall and beautiful lady Filomena Tenorio,whose parents migrated from Manila to live here in the island of Negros .Two of her  brothers and a sister migrated to Baliangao, Misamis Occidental where the Tenorios and the Villanuevas now live.In History Filomena Tenorio married Juan Pinili & her sister Josefa Tenorio got married to a Baisanon migrated to Baliangao Saturnino Villanueva.Edilberta Pinili and Fermin Martinez ,a half  Spaniard from Cavite.The Pinili Martinez couple was blessed with son who became Mayor of Dumaguete Jose Martinez  married to Conching Valencia Calumpang acting Mayor of Tanjay during the War .The grandchildren follow the footstep of their ancestors in Public service like Raul Martinez Mayor of Bayawan, Ismael  Martinez present Mayor of Bayawan and the grandson Melo Martinez Remollo Mayor of San Jose Negros Oriental.

Another daughter of of Juan and Filomena is Rufina  who was beautiful was designed to marry one of the Villanueva brothers Praxedes Teves Villanueva, they met in one of the parties in Hacienda Talungon with close associate with first cousins of the Pinili Villanueva  they got close and got married.