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.
