The Garcias of Cebu: dignity and defiance

Former GSIS head Winston Garcia recently paid tribute to his father, former governor and representative Pablo “Pabling” Garcia, reflecting on his humility in victory, grace in defeat, and unwavering commitment to public service. He recalled that even when his father lost in 2013, he took it all with dignity, saying that "true greatness lies not in holding power, but in letting it go with faith and humility."

The Garcias of Cebu are one of the families that can prove a Spanish lineage, pinpoint exactly their first Spanish ancestor in the country, and go up the family tree a few generations further in Spain. This Garcia family is different from the other Garcias in Cebu or even in the Philippines. As we know, Claveria's 1849 surname decree allowed thousands of people all over the Philippines to carry similar family names without the slightest bit of blood relation. As of 2015, the surname Garcia was ranked as the second most common last name in the Philippines, just a few hundred thousand carriers below the number one surname --De La Cruz.

The Garcias descend from an immigrant from Ciudad Real, Spain: Pablo Antonio Garcia Fernandez and his story has been pretty well researched by American historian Michael Cullinane. Cullinane's research has shown that Pablo Garcia was born in 1839 in Spain to Ramon Garcia and Isabel Fernandez. The parents never set foot in the Philippines and it was the son, Pablo, who first came to the country most likely towards the end of the 1860s. He was listed as a resident of Cebu between 1869 to 1870 but by the 1870s he was already living in Sibonga, Cebu, and was recorded to have made a living out of metal collection, marble cutting, drilling, and carpentry. By 1885 he was a juez de paz of Sibonga and by the late 1800s he was already known as an agricultor. He married a Filipina-Spaniard, Nieves Fortich y Gonzales.

Pablo Antonio Garcia was unyielding in his desire to remain Spanish. With the arrival of a new colonial power, people’s loyalties were suddenly put to the test. In many Latin American countries, anger and distrust toward Spaniards ran high after they gained independence. Spanish nationals in those places often had no choice but to either leave or give up their Spanish citizenship. In the Philippines, the situation was less extreme, but the Treaty of Paris --the agreement that ended Spanish rule-- still made it clear that Spaniards who wanted to stay had to make an important decision: they either had to become Filipino citizens or formally keep their Spanish nationality. Those who chose to stay loyal to Spain had to go to court and officially declare their decision. Pablo Antonio, took nearly a year to decide. He was already 61 years old when the Americans took control of the country. Although it may have seemed wiser to align with the new rulers, Pablo was a true old-world gentleman who remained faithful to his king. On March 28, 1900, he signed his declaration to stay a Spanish citizen.

This was a combination of defiance to the new world order and fierce loyalty to his motherland, but he never rocked the boat and lived quietly --some might say with old-world gentlemanly dignity. He remained in his adopted country and in 1910, at the age 71, was given the honor of being the “oldest living Spaniard” in Cebu City. He died on January 15, 1925 at the age of 86 years old. His cause of death was senility, which most likely meant old age. His final resting place was at the Roman Catholic cemetery of San Nicolas.

When the late Pablo P. Garcia lost his legislative bid in 2013, he took his defeat with great dignity. His daughter and namesake’s great-great-granddaughter, outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia, has shown more her defiance recently by questioning the electoral results.