Carcar mayors, 2: Let us now praise famous indios

Carcar mayors, 2

Let us now praise famous indios

*Carcar mayors, (1) appears in the Carcaranons page.

The arrival of the mestizos Sangleys from Parian in Carcar after the 1820s immediately changed the political landscape (and, I suppose, political life) of the town. Their heft and wealth and influence simply shoved aside the native-borns.

The first of these was Roman Sarmiento (formerly known as Roman Protacio, he who built the Tisa house). After him was Domingo Gemperoso (formerly Domingo Agustin/Guzman). The third was Narciso Barcenilla (formerly Narciso de Jesus).

In-between Sarmiento and Gemperoso were still a smattering of native gobernadorcillos, Pedro Barcenas and Doroteo Alcordo. And between Gemperoso and Barcenilla served Pedro Barcenas and Doroteo Alcordo again (the former, his third term, the latter his second) and Gregorio Silva, a mestizo-Español said to have been born in Carcar already. After Barcenilla was Doroteo Alcordo for his third term and Gregorio Silva, again.

But from 1867, the deluge: Andres Ximena (name later changed to Andres Avila), Timoteo Barcenilla, Leocadio Jaen, Florencio Noel, Nicolas Flores, Francisco Velez, Vicente Noel, Mariano Noel, Maximino Noel, Mariano Mercado — with most of them becoming gobernadorcillo more than once.

Note well. We can only stick to the record books and those are short-lived and are politically informative only when the politician was himself involved in the particular church rite as, say, the father of either the baptized or a marrying party or of a person being buried, or one being buried himself. On the other hand, cabezas de barangay received mention in every record.

Whatever — so who were the natives who had been the most influential in the town before the carpetbaggers came? All of these natives served 1865 or earlier:

Francisco Laurencio (Alcover?). Died 1832 whose burial record described him as “capitan passado [sic] de 70 años, viudo”. In that record as Francisco Laurencio with wife Ma. Luisa, but I strongly suspect they are the same couple in my Alcover file identified only as Lorenzo and Luisa.

Francisco Valentin (Navarro). Died 1832 and the marriage record for his son the following year also called him as difunto capitan D. Francisco Valentin. Since he died before the Claveria decree was able to grant him a surname, only his family will but he will not be called Navarro.

Clemente Albarado. The 1837 burial record for his wife, Ma. Lorenza, called him capitan Clemente Albarado.

Apolonio Cuison (previously known as Apolonio Francisco).

Donato Alcos (previously known as Donato Francisco).

Patricio Alcoy (previously known as Patricio Narciso). Unfortunately, I however have failed to link any descendant of his.

Policarpio Barcenas (previous Policarpio Santiago).

Francisco Canencia (previous Francisco Ygnacio).

Juan Ybañez. In Vicente Noel’s list as Juan Vidal Ybañez but in baptisms of his children he was simply Juan Ybañez (Ybañis even).

Pedro Barcenas (previous Pedro Santiago). But, except for a daughter born 1824, I also have failed to take down his direct descendants and, more importantly, how he was related to the other gobernadorcillo, Policarpio Barcenas.

Maximiliano Alcorisa (previous Francisco Maximiliano/Maximo). Noel listed him as Maximiliano Antonio.

Ramon Alcorisa (previous Ramon Santiago). I have not been able to determine the relation of Maximiliano and Ramon.

Vito Barcenas (previous Vito Modesto). Son of Policarpio. The third capitan  out of the Barcenas family. Mother an Alcorisa. Son-in-law of Donato Alcos.

Mariano Dayondon (previous Mariano Patrocinio). The Dayondon family, like a number of others with surnames starting with “Day-“ came from Boljoon. Small wonder his pre-Claveria second name, the patroness of Boljoon is the Señora del Patrocinio.

Doroteo Alcordo (previous (in Baptism) Doroteo Ybañez).  Mother an Alcorisa.

The next indio to come up was Simeon Paraz, teniente sindico who took over the reins from a capitan charged with a removable offense. Paraz finished the two years and was replaced by another Sangley, Florencio Noel, on his fourth term, who on the same day as capitan welcomed Leon Quilat to Carcar.

And then back to the Sangleys, but after a couple of decades saw Epifanio Alfafara but who died prematurely. And the Sangleys again until the Second World War.

Post-World War II saw the native families back to power—along with Abundio Aldemita and Severino Escobido Jr. from the Boholano families — until it augured nice for another of Cebu City origin to become Carcar mayor again.