The Ties That Bind by: Teresita Ang-See (Mini-book review)

   Last week my order of the mini-book, "The Ties That Bind" (The Saga of the Sultan of Sulu in China). This is the 2nd edition, written by well-known, and respected Filipino-Chinese writer, and academian. Known in the Philippine media press, as an anti-crime crusader. She is also also one of the founders (along with her late husband Prof.Chinben See) of Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran, and Kaisa Heritage Center.

From tulay.ph: 

"The Ties that Bind – the Saga of the Sultan of Sulu in China (Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, 2017, 109 pp.) uses references and resources from China and the Philippines – including valuable photographs – to document the historic visit of the Sultan of Sulu to pay tribute to the imperial court of Ming Emperor Yong Le in 1417. The booklet is published in commemoration of this most significant event which highlights the enduring friendship between the Philippines and China."

You can order online, and have it shipped to your place. Just follow the instructions of their staff. I also contacted them through their Facebook account, and Ms. Meah See, director now of Kaisa, and the daughter of the author was really accomodating. You can finish the book in one-sitting. The book is printed in glossy pages, and the photos are rich, with colorful pictures. As a supporter of the Philippines and China's positive and harmonious relationship,  and as a member of the Philippines - China friendship club. This mini-booklet is full of interesting facts, and details about the long-standing relationship, and friendship of the two countries. Did you know that the Sultan Padaka has living descendants up to now? They have also visited the Philippines.

The story of the Sultan of Sulu, and the Emperor of China was made into a movie wayback. The title was 'Hari sa hari, Lahi sa lahi,' the international English title was 'King and Emperor.'

If you are a Chinese culture enthusiast like me, or if you are interested in culture and history, you should definitely grab a copy of this book. I got my 2 copies for P140.00, plus additional shipping fee. I also requested for the book to be signed by the author. I have not met the author personally, but I'm looking forward for a chance in the near future.

Or you can visit Kaisa, located in Intramuros, Manila. They have a gift shop there when I visited them wayback. They sell t-shirts, and various educational books about Filipino-Chinese culture and history. You should also check out their museum also located in the same building. It is a museum of the Chinese in the Philippine life. It is a definitely must-see. I really enjoyed touring the museum before.

(Fast forward to year 2026, I finally met Ma'am Teresita Ang-See through my new doctor who is her sister.)

For orders and inquiries: 
You can contact them through their facebook page Kaisa Para sa Kaunlaran or you may email them at info@kaisa.org.ph 

KAISA Heritage Center (Bahay Tsinoy)

           The Philippines is our country. it is the land of our birth. the home of our people.

      Our blood may be Chinese, but our roots grow deep in Filipino soil.

  Our bonds are with the Filipino people.

      We are proud of the many cultures, which have made us what we are. 

       it is our desire, our hope, and aspiration -- that with the rest of our people, we shall find

        our rightful place in the Philippine soil 

                  ~ Kaisa Credo ~

    We cannot deny that our country has not only a rich history, but also a cultural melting pot. (colonized by Spaniards, Japanese and Americans.) We are not colonized by the Chinese, but we can see that their culture and tradition have assimilated and became our own, through the Filipino-Chinese. Our society is imbued by these distinct group of Filipinos, known to us as the Filipino-Chinese. In my previous article before, (pls. see The Filipino-Chinese Surname blog post), I have defined who are the Filipino-Chinese, When we say Filipino-Chinese it can either mean of Chinese descent;mixed blood, of Chinese and Filipino descent, that is, the mother or the father is Chinese, or their ancestors (grandparents are Chinese). We say Chinese Mestizos, if the father is a Chinese and the mother is a Filipina. As I've mentioned before in one of my articles, the Germans (Goethe), and the French (Alliance Francaise) has their own cultural centers here. While the Spanish mestizos, like the Ayalas, have their museums. Now, the Filipino-Chinese also have their own. It is located in Intramuros. I have been in this museum thrice, and I really feel at home here. I guess I'm among the few who really enjoys going to the museum, and I really never get bored. During my college days wayback, we had a tour here as part of the requirements for our foreign language class which is Basic Mandarin II. I haven't visited the museum for more than 10 years now. I still remember I got some good books there, a Mandarin language book that includes a cd, and a shirt from their gift shop located at the ground floor. I still have in my possession a postcard from Kaisa, 10 years ago. I even urged my former Mandarin teacher,(who's a mainland Chinese) He Zhuo, to visit the museum while he's still here in the Philippines. 

     The museum was a brainchild of the late Prof. Chinben See, the husband of Mrs. Teresita Ang-See, the founding president, and one of the spokesperson of Citizens Action Against Crime. KAISA's aim is to bridge the two cultures. The museum has beautiful life-sized dioramas that depicts the way of life of Chinese in the Philippines, and also the Filipino-Chinese (Tsinoys) back then. This is really my favorite part of the museum. There is also a library that specialized in the ethnic Chinese in the Philippines and abroad. The former president of KAISA Sir Joaquin Sy (multi-awarded Filipino-Chinese translator, speaker, writer, consultant of a Filipino-Chinese magazine Nin Hao), told me that  I can research about the origin of surnames at Kaisa. Also, there were  displays of old ceramics, collections of ancient coins, a hall dedicated to prominent Filipino-Chinese (now and then), who made incomparable contributions to the Philippine society. 

     You will really learn a lot when you visit Bahay Tsinoy. I remember I also enjoy getting the back issues of Tulay fortnightly (sort of a Filipino-Chinese culture digest) which is free. I am just not sure if they still give these away for free now. I also suggest that you get a copy of the coffee-table book entitled, Tsinoy, The Story of the Chinese in the Philippine Life (P2,500.00). It's really a collector's item, and a wealth of information about the Chinese in the Philippine life, then and now. I got mine from Fully Booked bookstore. If you've enjoyed the museum tour, I'm also sure you'll enjoy reading this book. From the beginning until now, truly, the tie that binds.

--

KAISA Heritage Center (Bahay Tsinoy)

32 Anda St, Intramuros, Manila, Metro Manila

(02)527-6083

The Filipino-Chinese Surname

Surname is an important part of one's personal identity. Through an individual's surname, one is able to identify the ancestors and the family clan to which a person belongs.

In Asia, Chinese immigrants (from China) from various Asian countries who have assimilated with other Asians have created a unique fusion of Malay-Intones-Chinese people. 

The Peranakans, Baba-Nyonya (Baba refers to men and Nyonya for women) they are of mixed blood, ancestry. They carry both the culture and tradition of Chinese and Malay. The Filipino-Chinese also has a unique identity like the Malay-Chinese and the Indonesian-Chinese.

                                 

Who are the Filipino-Chinese? When we say Filipino-Chinese it can either mean of Chinese descent; mixed blood, meaning of Chinese and Filipino descent, that is, the mother or the father is Chinese and of Chinese lineage. Chinese Mestizos, the father is a Chinese and the mother is a Filipina.

One way of identifying Filipinos of Chinese descent is through their surname. During the Spanish colonization our forefathers were forced to acquire and adopt a Spanish derived surname. Those who were of Chinese lineage often adopt the surname of their father.

Most Common Filipino-Chinese surnames are Ang, Co, Chan, Chua, Ho, Tan, and Sy etc. Another way is to combine the name of their Chinese parents and add the suffix "ko" at the end of each surname. The "ko" is a Hokkien polite word, signifying respect and it may also mean as "elder brother". Think of the Filipino word "kuya", it may have sprung out of this word as the Chinese are always fond of adding "ah" in everything. 

For example, the surname Gotiaoco by syllabication, Go-Tiao-Co we can surmise that the Go is the family name. Tiao is the parents name and of course the Co as a polite word, although in some cases it can also be a part of the parent's name. (Other examples: Co-Si-"Co", Go-Chang-Co, Co-To-Co, etc.) A Chinese name consists usually of three characters: The first is the family name - Tee or Ty, the second and third are the give name like - Han Kee. Thus, they joined the three characters together.

Lastly, not all Filipinos of Chinese descent use this system. Others, they've removed the Chinese portion of their surname and use the Spanish surname given in baptism. (For ex. Eugenio Ignacio Limcauco, may just be known as Eugenio Ignacio. A classic example is the late Carlos Palanca, founder of the La Tondena Empire, who adopted the surname of his Spanish ninong. Originally, his family name is Tan.

Other ways of recognizing Filipino-Chinese surnames, the use of "Son" and "Zon". (For ex. Bengzon, Tuason,) some claimed that the word "son or zon" is a derivative of the Chinese word "sun or soon" meaning grandchild.

 In the '60s and '70s, owing to the nationalization sentiment, many naturalized Chinese changed their surname thus after a few generations, the descendants have only a vague notion of their original family names. There are many mestizos during the same period, adopted their Filipino mother' surname and there were many marriages that were not formalized due to the stringent nationalization laws such as the retail trade nationalization law, etc. This group forms a substantial (maybe around 20%) of the Chinese Mestizos during that period. The irony of life, this trend is now reversed as a Chinese surname sounds better in the passport when traveling to or working in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. 

According to Dr. H. Otley Beyer, noted American anthropologist, the racial ancestry of Filipinos is as follows: Malay - 40%; Indonesian - 30%; Chinese - 10%, Indian (Hindu) - 5%, European & American - 3%, and Arab - 2%. Filipinos of today aren't really what you can call pure Filipinos in terms of racial ancestry.

Just like a famous saying, "Everyone will return to their roots." The Filipino-Chinese of today knows the significance of their roots. We can never really reach our destination if we don't look back from where we came from.

Note: I would like to thank Mr.Ricardo Liong (aka Uncle Dick) for the additional information that he gave regarding the Filipino-Chinese surname.

This article was published online in Tsinoy.com in their Roots section (sadly the website was dissolved). 

sources:  

The Chinese Mestizo in Philippine History - author: Edgar Wickberg

The Chinese in Philippine Life (1850-1898) - author: Edgar Wickberg

The Ethnic-Chinese as Filipinos (part II) - edited by Teresita Ang See

Philippine History book, local newspapers and the internet 

Images used: from Google Images