Blended Heritage and Cultures: My Appointment with Destiny from Natividad to Dover

By Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza

Beginning with a letter to his oldest grandchild, Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza reveals how their family is a nice blend of Filipino, Spanish, Italian, German, and Polish heritage. He himself is Filipino while his wife, Claire, is of Italian and German heritage. What follows is a rich memoir of the authors home country, the Philippines, including a brief preface of the countys earlier years, the Spanish colonization, the Philippine revolution, the countrys beautiful islands, its culture, and traditions.

The book details the bumpy trails to happy and successful careers, tragedies in the familydeaths at an early age of some members, the ravages and dangers encountered during World War II with destruction of family properties, and close encounters with the invading Japanese Imperial Army.

The author reveals that his own blending of heritage and cultures has given him a better perspective on how people of different backgrounds should learn to coexist and be willing to respect and accept other peoples right to coexist making the world a better place to live.

An interesting read through history and memoir, migr physician Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza details his experiences from World War II to the present day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477112335

Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza

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Book preview

Blended Heritage

and Cultures

My Appointment with Destiny

from Natividad to Dover

Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza

Copyright © 2012 by Dr. Rafael A. Zaragoza.

Library of Congress Control Number:                     2012908664

ISBN:                Hardcover                            978-1-4771-1232-8

                        Softcover                               978-1-4771-1231-1

                              Ebook                              978-1-4771-1233-5

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Contents

Preface

Brief History of the Philippines

Spanish Colonization

The Philippine Revolution

The Islands

The Culture and Traditions

American Colonization

The Family

Natividad

The Winds of War

The Invasion

The Fall of Bataan

After Bataan the Japanese Occupation

The Henrys

Nora’s wedding

High School in Calasciao

The Scent of Liberation

The Liberation

Japan Surrenders

Premed and Medical School

Benny’s Murder Case

Departure for the United States

Warren, Ohio

Divorce

Fellowship in New York City

Move to Dover

Fort Sam Houston

Tacoma, Washington

The Cuban Crisis

After the Army, Back to Dover

Medical Politics Involvement

Medical Missions

VASAP and the HOPE Clinic

Retirement

Philippine Trips with Kids

Preface

As the author of this book, I was inspired by my personal experiences having and raising a family of blended heritage and cultures, relating the challenges I encountered in attaining my appointment with destiny. It is also how my mother brought the family together after my father died at a young age of fifty-nine years, when I was at a tender age of nine years, being the youngest of a family of eight.

This book is dedicated to my wife, Claire, and our family, children and grandchildren, and the generations to come, to trace their roots as the resultant of offspring of blended heritage and cultures. My wife, Claire, is also of blended heritage—her father of Italian and her mother of German heritage.

The journey to my appointment with destiny relates to the bumpy trails along the way to happy and successful careers and family, tragedies in the family—deaths at an early age of some members, the sacrifices and endurance of the ravages and dangers encountered during World War II with destruction of family properties, and close encounters with invading and eventual occupation by the Japanese Imperial Army—are all true personal experience. All these recollections are based on my remembrances. It describes how my widowed mother, a strong-willed and very determined woman, who was very wise and shrewd businessperson who worked hard and sacrificed a lot in order to put all her children through college and postgraduate schools to obtain professional degrees.

This book starts a letter to my oldest grandchild, Brian, not only about my family history but also about my hometown and a brief history of my country of origin.

As part of the plan to trace my children’s roots on my family’s side, Claire and I are committed to take each of our children and their family to the Philippines, particularly to my birthplace and hometown where I grew up. We started with Michael’s family in 2010 and Nancy’s family in 2011. Next will be Sandy’s and then Bobby’s, the following year.

The blending of heritage and cultures had given me a better perspective on how people of different backgrounds should learn to coexist and be willing to respect and accept other people’s right to coexist making this world we are in a better place to live.

Rafael A. Zaragoza, MD

My dear Brian,

I am writing to you as the oldest of our grandchildren, for I know your cousins will look up to you as a leader, an adviser, and a friend. I am writing a book to let you and your cousins learn about your roots, on your father’s side and your cousins on the Zaragoza side of their families. As you are probably aware by now, you are a mixture of blood of different roots, cultures, and nationalities. I hope this will make you understand why there are differences between me and your other grandparents, and one way to learn about them is for me to go from the very beginning that I can remember, while I am still able to do so. Your heritage is a nice blend of Filipino, Spanish, Italian, German, and Polish.

You and your cousins are fortunate that your grandparents are still alive to tell you firsthand about our heritage. I myself was not as lucky, for my father died when I was just nine years old, and I barely got to know him. I was never so devastated in my life. That was the time I felt that God was so cruel to snatch a little boy’s father at that tender age, at the time when he was just getting to know what having a father meant. To live through the rest of your life without a father is like living with a part of your body missing.

Every time I saw my friends with their dads, I began to hate whoever took my father away and deprived me of the joy of having one. That vacuum left in me has never been replaced, but somehow I managed. I enjoy being a father, and most of all, I cherish being a grandfather to all of you grandchildren.

My mother, who is your great-grandmother, was very good to me and my brothers and sisters. She managed to put all of us through college all by herself after my father died, and all of us had good educations and careers.

I don’t remember much of my father, but I know he was a kind and loving and caring person. Even though he was known to be a strict disciplinarian, I will never forget the times when my mother scolded or spanked me because I misbehaved, and then my father would put me on his lap, rub, and soothe the place where my mom spanked me and say kind words to me until I stop crying. Then he gave me a couple of pennies to buy ice cream. He knew that ice cream was my favorite. My older brothers and sisters treated and cared for my very well-being as I was baby of the family.

I hope that someday when you are old enough to understand and appreciate the nature of the Philippines, your dad and mom will take you and Justin there. If I am still around and be able to, I and your grammy would love to take you and your cousins ourselves. I am sure you will enjoy and appreciate the country of your roots.

History will show that the Philippines went through several conquests and dominations by foreign explorers and invaders resulting in abuses, discriminations, injustices, and sufferings of its people, the destruction of properties, and human casualties of the different battles and wars.

The colonization by the Spaniards, Americans, and Japanese also exposed its people to different cultures. The early settlers brought to the Philippines Arabic, Muslim, Chinese, and Indian (from India) influences that are still visible in the lives of many Filipinos.

Your loving grandfather,

Lolo

Brief History

of the Philippines

Prior to the coming of the Spaniards during the tenth to twelfth centuries, the early Filipinos had trade relations with China. The Chinese had trading posts along the coast of the Philippines.

In the fourteenth century, Arabic traders spread Islam, Malaysian, and Arabian influences when they arrived on the Malay Peninsula, which spread to the Sulu Archipelago in the southern islands of the Philippines. The cultural influence of these countries enriched the Asian heritage.

Traces of Indian (from India), Chinese, and Arabic cultural influences can be seen in many Filipinos at present. About 10 percent of Filipinos are of Chinese descent.

Spain and Portugal were keen rivals in colonizing new lands. The Treaty of Tordesillas was promulgated by Pope Alexander in 1494 that virtually divided the world between Spain and Portugal; that east of the demarcation line would belong to Portugal and all lands west of it to Spain.

Later there was a dispute between Portugal and Spain over the Mollucas, both claiming ownership of the island. This was settled by the Treaty of Zaragoza on April 22, 1529, when the Spanish king sold his rights on Mollucas to Portugal for 350,000 gold ducats.

In 1521, the Philippines was discovered by a Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, who was commissioned by King Charles of Spain to explore the world in search for spices. He stumbled on the Philippines in the small islet of Homonhon at the mouth of the Gulf of Leyte, in the Visayan Islands.

A boatload of friendly natives came to welcome Magellan and his men. They brought a cargo of bananas, coconuts, chickens, and wine. There he established Christianity and held the first mass, which was officiated by Fr. Pedro Valderama, the fleet chaplain.

The chieftain of a nearby island, King Lapu-Lapu of Mactan, however, was suspicious of Magellan and his men. He mistrusted and defied the white men.

Annoyed by the defiance, Magellan made preparations to crush Lapu-Lapu. Underestimating the courage and determination of this fearless leader, Magellan and his men were outnumbered and outmaneuvered, leading to the defeat and eventual death of Magellan.

The surviving members of his armada returned to Spain. The king of Spain sent another explorer, Roy de Villalobos, back from Mexico to the Philippines in 1524, where he made the conquest of the islands and named it Philippines, in honor of Crown Prince Philip of Spain.

For the three centuries that the Philippines was under Spanish rule, the country suffered much from neglect and tyranny from its rulers, who demanded total obedience to the absolute authority to protect their own interests.

During the Spanish rule of the Philippines, British, Dutch, and Portuguese marauders tried to invade the Philippines, raiding the coastal villages in 1574 and challenging the Spanish authority. A Chinese pirate also attacked Manila.

When England and France fought the Seven Years’ War in 1756-1763, Spain became involved. The British Expeditionary Forces composed of British and Indian soldiers from British India entered Manila Bay on September 22, 1762. Manila was defended by Spanish, mostly Mexican and Filipino soldiers. Manila capitulated and the Spanish governor surrendered Manila to the British. The British ruled Manila from 1762 to 1764.

The British rule of the Philippines ended after the signing of the Treaty of Paris that concluded the Seven Years’ War and restored the rule of the Philippines to Spain.

Spanish Colonization

With the introduction of Christianity by Magellan, the propagation of faith spread rapidly among Filipinos. One American missionary described the Christianization of the people as the most wonderful missionary effort in all the history of the Far East.

The Philippines became the only Christian nation in Asia. Most people discarded their pagan practices and beliefs. There was improvement in the way people dressed, and their dietary habits also improved. Men who wore the primitive clothes of short-sleeved jackets and loincloths called bahag or G-strings changed to jackets called Americana and trousers called the pantalones. Women discarded their sarongs and wore a camisa or blouse instead and skirts in place of the saya.

Maria Clara dresses were worn on formal occasions. They also started wearing jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Christian Filipinos adopted Spanish surnames usually after Christian saints.

The Spanish friars studied the native languages and used them in their propagation of faith and Christianity. They believed that the use of the native language was easier in the propagation of Christianity and thus preserved the Filipino native languages.

It was believed by some, however, that limiting the knowledge and ability to speak the Spanish language was one way to limit and control the advancement in the education of the natives by the Spanish rulers who feared the rise of Filipino intellectuals.

It was quite different from the Spanish colonies in South America or Latin America where Spanish was taught as the national language. In the Philippines, the Spanish language was taught only in schools, and every region or province had its own dialect that is different from every other. However, most words of the Filipino dialects were derived from the Spanish language as were the names of persons. Spanish dishes were introduced to the country.

Most of the Spaniards who were sent to the Philippines came from Mexico which was under Spanish rule. Due to the distance to the Philippines, Spain ruled the Philippines through a viceroy in Mexico. Filipinos were oppressed by their Spanish rulers. Filipinos expressed their sentiments in sad songs, called Kundiman, reflecting their treatment and sufferings from the tyranny of their colonizers. Although they converted the Filipinos to Christianity, the Filipinos were deprived of certain rights and their freedom by their colonizers resulting in demands by the Filipino intellectuals for equality commensurate with education and wealth. This contributed to the development of a revolutionary recruitment by the Filipinos, craving for and later launching a war for independence from Spain.

For two and a half centuries the Philippines had close relations with Mexico. Mexican influence was very strong and is still evident to the present. Spanish-Mexican music, songs, and dances have dominated the Philippines for so long. Songs like La Cucuracha, La Paloma, El Rancho Grande, and Tango, Rumba, and Samba are just a few of the many Spanish-Mexican songs and dances that are popular in the Philippines. Many Spanish-Mexicans came to the Philippines as missionaries, soldiers, sailors, government officials, and traders.

The galleon trade was established between Manila and Acapulco that existed for two and a half centuries. It was a government monopoly established by the king of Spain. It carried cargoes of silk, textiles, porcelain wares, Philippine woven cotton clothes, wood carvings, hemp, and other Philippine products. In return, the ships carried back to the Philippines Mexican products, silver pesos, Mexican wine, Spanish brandies, sardines, and woolen materials. They also brought plants such as tobacco, calabasa, camote, corn, wheat, and varieties of flowering plants.

There were many Spanish-Mexicans who married Filipino women and stayed in the Philippines, with their offspring who had Spanish-Mexican-Filipino blood and were called mestizos. Most of those with Spanish blood had special privileges and learned the aristocratic social life. They owned most of the large farmlands called haciendas. These lands were tilled by the poor Filipino farmer tenants in a landlord/tenant system, called the kasama system. The landlord got half the products of the land, and the tenants got the other half. Sometimes the tenants’ share was not enough to sustain their family the rest of the year until the next harvest time, and the landlords or hacienderos would lend them rice or money for their subsistence until the next harvest. This would go on and on, and the tenants would be indebted for life, with the children inheriting their parents’ debt to the hacienderos.

Sometimes when the landlord wanted something done in his home that needed five or more people, the tenants did the job, usually a whole day’s work. The tenants were fed but were not paid for the labor. This was called tagnawa, and it amounted to forced labor which was very unfair.

The Philippine Revolution

There were several revolts by Filipinos against the Spaniards, no less than a dozen, during the Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines. The abuses of Spanish officials and the failure of Spain to grant the reforms asked by the Filipino people, the persecution of leaders who defended the cause of the oppressed people, and racial prejudice and discrimination against the people and their desire to regain their independence were the compelling reasons for the revolution.

The tyranny of one of the Spanish governors of the Philippines aroused the anger of Filipino soldiers and workers in the town of Cavite on a night in January 1872. They rose in mutiny, killing Spanish officers and seizing the arsenal. The mutineers, however, were subdued by the government troops and taken prisoners and brought to Manila. After the mutiny, many Filipino priests and patriots were arrested, tried for treason, and executed.

The Spanish oppression and abuses were relentless. Patriotic intellectuals who dared to express their feelings, sentiments, and sympathy for the people were harassed and persecuted. They were denied individual human rights and liberties. There were rampant corruption and inefficiencies in the government. People were also denied representation to the Spanish Cortes, the Spanish governing body.

The Filipinos were obligated to pay tributes (taxes) to Spain. Men ages sixteen to sixty years were taken for forced labor, called polo, which initially lasted for forty days but was reduced to fifteen days. They worked in building and repairing bridges, construction of public buildings, churches, ship building, timber cutting in the forests, and served as sailors and soldiers in the Spanish military expeditions. They were called polista, and one could be exempted by paying a sum of money to the government. Filipinos hated polo because it was discriminatory. They were compelled to do forced labor, while white Spaniards, mestizos, and Chinese were exempted, especially from the abuses connected with it.

The Philippines was closed from the outside world until the nineteenth century when more liberal Spanish kings opened the islands to foreign trade. Desirous for recognition of their intelligence and wealth, Filipinos initiated movements to defy their imperial Spanish masters even before other European possessions in Asia challenged their colonizing masters.

With the opening of the Philippines to world trade, liberal ideas of modern times entered the country. This provided a chance for the Filipinos, oppressed by their rulers, to formulate ways to correct the deplorable conditions to which they were being subjected. More Filipinos were able to travel abroad to further their studies, mostly to Europe. Young Filipino intellectuals were sent by their affluent families to Europe mainly to Madrid, Paris, and Berlin for their studies. They came back with enlightened ideas which were considered subversive by the Spanish authorities in Manila.

Among them was Dr. Jose Rizal, who would become a national patriot. He was a physician-novelist and ophthalmologist. He and other bright lawyers, pharmacists, poets, painters and historians, engineers, linguists and political writers, and a group of Filipino intellectuals and some Spanish friends sympathetic to the cause formed the Associacion Hispano-Filipina to formulate ways of expressing the sentiments of people of the Philippines suffering under their Spanish masters. These were dynamic patriots of high intelligence who belonged to cultured and patriotic families.

They were the propagandists. The movement was through propaganda in the form of a periodical, La Solidaridad. The objective of this propaganda was to work peacefully for political and social reforms; to portray the sad conditions of the Philippines so that Spain could correct them; to oppose the evil influences of reactionism and medievalism; to advocate liberal ideas and progress, and to champion the legitimate aspirations of the Filipinos to life, democracy, and happiness.

There were other propaganda publications. While in Europe, Rizal wrote his first novel entitled Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not). This was about a young Filipino who returned home from Europe to be killed after inciting the wrath of a Spanish friar. The story depicted the conditions in the Philippines at the time with unsparing truth. The Spanish characters were venal priests and public officials and were characterized as ignorant, servile, and corrupt. Rizal felt that without reform, revolution would erupt, and the defenseless and innocents would suffer the most. Another publication, the El Filibusterismo (The Subversive) was a portrayal of the friars and their sympathizers who were more scandalous. This again emphasized that to prevent disaster, reforms should be done. This publication was banned by the Spanish government.

When Jose Rizal left Madrid, he stopped at Hong Kong, and there he conceived the idea of forming a civic association called the Liga Filipina (Philippine League) and wrote its constitution, mainly about reforms and defense against violence and injustice. He was aware of the risk to his life when he returned to the Philippines. He wrote two letters and entrusted them for safekeeping to one of his loyal friends.

Upon his return to Philippines, he was arrested and jailed in Fort Santiago and subsequently exiled in Dapitan, Mindanao. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896. That day, December 30, is Rizal day in the Philippines, and is commemorated every year. Every town in the country has a monument of Dr. Jose Rizal, our national patriot.

The propaganda movement succeeded in not only exposing the oppression suffered by the Filipinos, it also paved the way for the Philippine revolution. On July 7, 1892, Andres Bonifacio and his friends formed the KKK, Kataastaasan Kagalang-galangan Katipunan (Highest and Most Respectable Society of the Sons of the People), whose goal was to unite Filipinos into one solid nation, and to obtain Philippine Independence.

Emilio Aguinaldo from Kawit, Cavite, attended the College of San Juan de Letran. He was elected capitan municipal (town executive). On August 31, 1896, one day after Bonifacio’s attack in San Juan del Monte, General Aguinaldo led the Kawit uprising against the Spaniards and defeated the Spanish Guardia Civil. Aguinaldo won several battles. In spite of early victories, the Filipinos were overrun by the superior arms and reinforcements of the Spanish Army. The Filipinos were scattered and ran to the mountains. They then fought the Spaniards by guerilla tactics. There was a rivalry and rift between Bonifacio and Aguinaldo, and soon, a split in the ranks between the two occurred.

A revolutionary government was formed, and Aguinaldo was elected president. As Bonifacio defied the government, he was arrested tried, convicted, and executed by the revolutionary government. Fighting continued between the Spanish troops and General Aguinaldo’s army. The Spanish governor Primo de Rivera, realizing that he could not crush Aguinaldo’s army, offered a peace negotiation. This was the so-called Pact of Biak-na-Bato (Broken Rock), wherein the revolutionary leaders were to stop the revolution and to live in exile in Hong Kong. It offered general amnesty to those who lay down their arms and