Gacias: A Historical Background (First Part)

Before 1849, the Indios had only one name each, like Lapu-lapu and Sulayman. This is much unlike us today who have two – a first name like Juan, Pedro and Jose, and a family name like De la Cruz, Reyes and Santos. The Indios were the natives of the islands. They are distinguished from the Peninsulares, those true-bloodied Spaniards who were born in Spain and were merely visiting the Philippines; the Creoles, those true-bloodied Spaniards but considered below the Peninsulares because they were born in the Philippines; and the Mestizos, those natives with Spanish blood or those members of the aristocracy because of their family wealth and education or because of the pigmentation of their skin.

Peninsulares
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Creoles
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Mestizos
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Indios

(Social strata during the Spanish Regime)

After 285 years of missionary works since the arrival of Legazpi in Cebu, there were still many natives with single names such as Saday, Cabug, Kalaw and Puti. These names were taken from objects, color, occupation, etc. For those converts, a Christian name usually taken from Christian calendars was given upon baptism. Saday for instance would become Miguel Saday if he was born on September 29, the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel.

During Legaspi’s time, the first Indio convert Jandulaman was given a Spanish first name Isabel and she became Isabel Jandulaman. It is in this manner why we have Spanish Christian first names preceding the local single names that in turn become the surnames as in Alfonso Magsaysay, Eugenia Kalaw, Juan Pagulayan, etc.

The Peninsulares who came to the Philippines for commercial ventures, civil, military and religious assignments also sired progenies through marriage and their children carried their father’s surname.

Many of the Chinese who were already in the country long before the coming of the Spaniards preferred to retain, upon conversion to Christianity, their surnames and only their Christian first names were thus given. Thus, Jano Wan Tang for instance became Juan Lao. Usually the first names were derived from Christian calendars with the names of patron saints entered in each feast day. So if a Chinese named Tan Sing Lang was born on August 31, he would be named Ramon Tan. However, some influential Chinese families chose to retain their whole Chinese names as their surnames and only added their new Christian names to their Chinese names as in the case of the Cojuangcos, Coseteng, etc.

Finding this system confusing, and to conform with Spanish customs, Governor General Narciso Claveria passed a decree effecting the hispanization and localization of names on November 21, 1849. All the Indios and all converted members to Christianity were ordered to adopt a family name or choose one from among a long list of family names brought by the friars from Spain. Consequently, many chose to adopt family names taken from the long Spanish list. Thus, we have several Spanish names in the country today like De la Cruz, Alegre, Santos, etc. Others, however, adopted the singular names of their fathers for a family name. Thus, we hear of family names like Dilem, Macapagal, and Magsaysay. Still, others preferred some other name of an ancestor or near relative.

The implementation of the decree was by province. In the province of Albay which then included Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon, officials implemented the decree by assigning surnames to the different towns in alphabetical order. In the pueblo, the naming was further implemented by assigning surnames by family. A kin with another family might therefore get the next listed surname in the list thus making it possible for a Gabito to be closely related to a Gabitan or a Gacias to a Galias. Thus, Macias is surely not related to a Gacias unless there was typographical or clerical error upon registration much like Buensalida becoming Fuensalida or Fulo becoming Polo.

Following is a chart showing the alphabetical assignment of surnames in the towns of Albay province:

LETTER	ASSIGNED TOWN/S	EXAMPLES
A	Albay, Legaspi	Agnole, Aldana, Annonuevo
B	Lib-og, Tabaco	Balaoro, Ballalan, Beros
C	Malinao, Tiwi	Candia, Casim, Celestial
D	Manito, Bacon	Daco, Dino, Dugan
E	Gubat	Encinas, Encinares, Escano
F	Barcelona, Bulusan	Foller, Funes, Furing
G	Bulusan, Matnog, Bulan	Gabito, Gacias, Gerona
H	Juban, Casiguran	Haboc, Hael, Hitosis
I	Masbate	Imperial, Interia, Inolsella
J	Sorsogon	Jardin, Jalmasco, Jimenez
L	Castilla, Pilar	Lansio, Lloganes, Llaneta
M	Donsol, Daraga	Malejana, Manzanilla, Mendoza
N	Daraga, Camalig	Nacion, Navera, Nuyda
O	Guinobatan	Odiver, Ofracio, Oropesa
P	Ligao	Pancho, Pardo, Patanao
Q	Jovellar	Quintana, Quintanilla, Quinto
R	Oas	Rances, Redillas, Rigoroso
S	Polangui, Libon	Salalima, Sales, Simplicio
T	Bato, Baras	Teves, Traballo, Tejada
U	Virac, San Miguel	Ubalde, Untalan, Uson
V	San Andres	Vivar, Veysa, Vargas
Y	Viga	Yuson, Yasay, Yorac
Z	Panganiban	Zamora, Zela, Zare

Nevertheless, it must be noted that the facts mentioned above were the reasons why there were already surnames beginning with other letters of the alphabet other than the assigned letter in the town when Claveria’s decree of hispanization of Filipino names was implemented. Effective conversion resulted in the assigned letter being no longer dominant in the towns.

The First Ancestor

The first ancestor, the original Gacias man who reached the province of Sorsogon, will now probably remain a nameless and faceless man whose personal circumstances are now shrouded by the mist of antiquity. Today, no one could possibly say with known certitude who he was. Almost nothing is known about him. Nevertheless, it is established that he had four sons who all bore the family name Gacias. They were Octato, Cenon, Bernardino and Nicolas.

Unknown first ancestor

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Octato Gacias -- Cenon Gacias -- Bernardino Gacias -- Nicolas Gacias

One of the four, Nicolas, according to accounts given by Glicerio Gacias, died in 1912 at the age of 88. This means therefore that he was born in 1824, long before the hispanization and localization of names were declared by Governor General Narciso Claveria. Thus, he was probably 36 years old when his family was assigned the surname Gacias. In 1850, Bulusan was given surnames that begin with the letters F and G with the implementation of the decree. For purposes of posterity, we thus consider the brothers Octato, Cenon, Bernardino and Nicolas as the original Gaciases.

Gacias: Etymology and Meaning

It is infered that the name Gacias is nominally derived from and is a corruption of the Spanish word "Gracias" which is translated to mean "thank you" or "graces." It is believed that the name was originally Gracias and that in the course of time, the letter R was accidentally, or perhaps purposely dropped. Hence, the name Gracias evolved into its present form Gacias. Incidentally, and as already mentioned, the earliest known ancestors , namely Octato, Cenon, Bernardino and Nicolas have been known to have used the name Gacias.

Ernesto Gacias, however, has advanced another theory which is that the name Gacias is derived from and is a corruption of the words "Gat Hiyas." "Gat" is a Tagalog word which is synonymous to "Ginoo" and is translated to mean the English equivalent title "Sir." "Hiyas," also a Tagalog word, is translated to mean "gem" or "jewel." Ernesto Gacias infers that the first unknown ancestor, or perhaps even his immediate ascendants, were Indios who assumed the family name "Gat Hiyas" and later, Gacias, long before the decree of hispanization and localization of names were passed by Governor General Narciso Claveria.

Recent researches nevertheless indicate that the name Gacias had long been established in Spain. I have been fortunate to chat with Mr. Ceferino Gacias from Spain through the internet and he related that his family had always belong to Spanish nobility since the beginning of the Renaissance period.

It is therefore most likely that the earliest Gacias ancestor in Sorsogon province was an Indio who was given the family name Gacias from the long list of names brought by the friars from Spain as a consequence of the decree on hispanization and localization of names passed by Governor General Narciso Claveria.