The Mabulay Clan in the Philippines and in the World
Originally written by: Atty. Roberto Yanez Mabulay
Edited by: Neil Urian Secretaria Mabulay
Foreword
This brief narrative was originally intended for the information of the four sons and only daughter of this presumptuous author and his late wife, Dr. Jovita Tapan Mercado, particularly his youngest son who repeatedly asked the question about the beginning of the Mabulay Clan. But then, during his travels all over Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon occassioned by his duties as vice president and as senior vice president of a government corporation, he saw, heard, gathered, and received many information about the Mabulay Clan. All those information fascinated him to no end that he started to develop an unusual feeling gnawing somewhere in the corners of his subconscious that disturbed him during his moment of aloneness.
Then it dawned to him that perhaps he was precisely made to occupy that position so that he can be an instrument to put together into print bits and pieces of information gathered from all over the country pertinent to the beginnings of the Mabulay Clan.
Then it dawned to him that perhaps he was precisely made to occupy that position so that he can be an instrument to put together into print bits and pieces of information gathered from all over the country pertinent to the beginnings of the Mabulay Clan.
All Mabulays Originated from One Father
It is a historical fact that long before Spain colonized the Philippines; Chinese merchants were already engaged in free trade with natives trading chinese articles with locally made products and crops by way of barter. At the time, there was no legal tender other than exchange of products and negotiation was mostly done by sign language.
Isidro "Doy" Mabulay, had the opportunity to stay longer in the Panay region as Manager of a progressive government development bank where he and his wife Elizabeth were invited to a welcome gathering of the Mabulay Clan in Aklan. During that occasion, the most senior member of the clan related openly that, as told to him by his elders, the first Mabulay in the country was a Chinese merchant.
That this Chinese merchant named Ma Bu Lai was with a Chinese merchant boat -- a junket, traded with the natives of the Philippine islands during the late Ming Dynasty of China in the 16th Century, and that a notorious Chinese pirate named Li Ma Hong ruled the sea lanes between China, the Philippines, and the neighboring islands causing fear and havoc on helpless Chinese traders.
This particular Chinese trader who may have been attracted and fascinated with the islands and the people he saw in the process of trading from island to island and the enormous potentials for a better quality of life and adventures in a totally strange country, under the cover of the darkness of the night, jumped from his merchant vessel and escaped with his boat somewhere in Aklan shores then sought cover and help, then ingratiated himself with the friendly natives in nearby settlements. He transferred from one settlement to another until he found a more friendly settlement that tolerated his presence and accepted him. He was then simply addressed as "singkit" or "intsek". There he worked for the natives of the locality in exchange for food, shelter, and protection. His working habits, his simple and down to earth ways, and his introduction of new methods of crop planting and fishing all the more endeared him to the native Aklanons until he finally got married to a local maiden.
Eventually, during the Spanish era when Filipinos were introduced to the use of a Christian name and a family name, he simply combined his three-word name Ma Bu Lai to come up with a family name spelled as Mabulay and the first name was Pedro -- then and now a common Filipino name in honor of the great apostle of Jesus Christ, St. Peter.
The most senior member of the clan also said that, as related by his elders, the escaped merchant which was the first Mabulay and his immediate offsprings had the habit of growing their hair long and uncut that reached the ground and that they had to sleep on highly elevated wooden beds so that their hair could freely hung whenever they go to sleep.
Note: In Chinese tradition, your hair along with your body and skin were considered a gift from your parents, and damaging them was considered unfilial.
Isidro "Doy" Mabulay, had the opportunity to stay longer in the Panay region as Manager of a progressive government development bank where he and his wife Elizabeth were invited to a welcome gathering of the Mabulay Clan in Aklan. During that occasion, the most senior member of the clan related openly that, as told to him by his elders, the first Mabulay in the country was a Chinese merchant.
That this Chinese merchant named Ma Bu Lai was with a Chinese merchant boat -- a junket, traded with the natives of the Philippine islands during the late Ming Dynasty of China in the 16th Century, and that a notorious Chinese pirate named Li Ma Hong ruled the sea lanes between China, the Philippines, and the neighboring islands causing fear and havoc on helpless Chinese traders.
This particular Chinese trader who may have been attracted and fascinated with the islands and the people he saw in the process of trading from island to island and the enormous potentials for a better quality of life and adventures in a totally strange country, under the cover of the darkness of the night, jumped from his merchant vessel and escaped with his boat somewhere in Aklan shores then sought cover and help, then ingratiated himself with the friendly natives in nearby settlements. He transferred from one settlement to another until he found a more friendly settlement that tolerated his presence and accepted him. He was then simply addressed as "singkit" or "intsek". There he worked for the natives of the locality in exchange for food, shelter, and protection. His working habits, his simple and down to earth ways, and his introduction of new methods of crop planting and fishing all the more endeared him to the native Aklanons until he finally got married to a local maiden.
Eventually, during the Spanish era when Filipinos were introduced to the use of a Christian name and a family name, he simply combined his three-word name Ma Bu Lai to come up with a family name spelled as Mabulay and the first name was Pedro -- then and now a common Filipino name in honor of the great apostle of Jesus Christ, St. Peter.
The most senior member of the clan also said that, as related by his elders, the escaped merchant which was the first Mabulay and his immediate offsprings had the habit of growing their hair long and uncut that reached the ground and that they had to sleep on highly elevated wooden beds so that their hair could freely hung whenever they go to sleep.
Note: In Chinese tradition, your hair along with your body and skin were considered a gift from your parents, and damaging them was considered unfilial.
The Spread of Mabulay Clan
The marriage of the first Mabulay to an Aklanon produced eight children, one girl and seven boys. The family settled in the general area of New Washington, Aklan. When the children grew up, six of the boys went off to other places outside Aklan and got married to local girls wherever they found themselves. The only boy left in Aklan got married to a local girl and had seven children, all boys. In like all manner, all seven boys left for other places outside Aklan; some to the Camotes Islands in Cebu where they got married and their offsprings went further to the other islands in Visayas.
From Cebu and other neighboring islands, later generations of Mabulays spread further and further to Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and up to the Bicol provinces to Quezon province. While others found themselves down south to Mindanao, to Cagayan de Misamis, the Zamboanga area, and Davao. Still, other Mabulay offsprings continued to spread and migrate towards other places even beyond the shores of the Philippines and can now be found in the neighboring Asian countries to other parts of the world including England, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, and to the Continental Americas which many of them in the United States.
Undisputably, without any fear of contradiction, all Mabulays in the Philippines and in the world, wherever they may be found, are related by blood with one another. Their roots can be traced to one common father -- that full blooded Chinese trader who, in the course of conducting business in the country long before it was colonized by Spain, escaped with his boat and settled somewhere in the shores of Aklan. This Chinese trader who fell in love with the country and its people that motivated his escape in the middle of the night, ingratiated himself with friendly natives, got married to a local maiden, and their offsprings moved to other islands and the rest is history.
An indomitable determination to search for a better quality of life and insatiable spirit of adventurism must be burning in the blood and fiber of every Mabulay, wherever they may be found, that lead many of their offsprings to continue to migrate further and further all over the world.
From Cebu and other neighboring islands, later generations of Mabulays spread further and further to Bohol, Leyte, Samar, and up to the Bicol provinces to Quezon province. While others found themselves down south to Mindanao, to Cagayan de Misamis, the Zamboanga area, and Davao. Still, other Mabulay offsprings continued to spread and migrate towards other places even beyond the shores of the Philippines and can now be found in the neighboring Asian countries to other parts of the world including England, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, and to the Continental Americas which many of them in the United States.
Undisputably, without any fear of contradiction, all Mabulays in the Philippines and in the world, wherever they may be found, are related by blood with one another. Their roots can be traced to one common father -- that full blooded Chinese trader who, in the course of conducting business in the country long before it was colonized by Spain, escaped with his boat and settled somewhere in the shores of Aklan. This Chinese trader who fell in love with the country and its people that motivated his escape in the middle of the night, ingratiated himself with friendly natives, got married to a local maiden, and their offsprings moved to other islands and the rest is history.
An indomitable determination to search for a better quality of life and insatiable spirit of adventurism must be burning in the blood and fiber of every Mabulay, wherever they may be found, that lead many of their offsprings to continue to migrate further and further all over the world.
Contribution of the Mabulay Clan to the Nation Building
Not all information have been gathered but with all certainty, the Mabulays have contributed to the common struggle for nation building. During the revolution against the Spanish colonization, four Mabulays have laid down their lives and sacrifices as they willingly and gallantly shed down their blood in defense of their motherland. Their names enshrined in the historical memorial slab attesting to their heroism at the Plaza de los Heroes in Pueblo de Oro for all generations to see the following Mabulay heroes.
The Mabulay Heroes of the Philippine Revolution:
(1) Agapito Mabulay
(2) Felix Mabulay
(3) Silverio Mabulay
(4) Inocencio Mabulay
Not to be outdone, later generations of Mabulay have distinguished themselves by their contribution to the development of the country. Many have figured themselves as successful government executives, bankers, high military officials, corporate managers, educators, and business executives. There are good of them already abroad in the continental America, England, Canada, Spain, France, Portugal, the Middle East countries, and Asia such as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong; many of whom are engineers, nurses, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, and scientists all of whom continuously sending dollars to their loved ones in the country are glorified as modern day heroes contributing enormously to the economy of the country.
The Mabulay Heroes of the Philippine Revolution:
(1) Agapito Mabulay
(2) Felix Mabulay
(3) Silverio Mabulay
(4) Inocencio Mabulay
Not to be outdone, later generations of Mabulay have distinguished themselves by their contribution to the development of the country. Many have figured themselves as successful government executives, bankers, high military officials, corporate managers, educators, and business executives. There are good of them already abroad in the continental America, England, Canada, Spain, France, Portugal, the Middle East countries, and Asia such as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong; many of whom are engineers, nurses, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, and scientists all of whom continuously sending dollars to their loved ones in the country are glorified as modern day heroes contributing enormously to the economy of the country.