Chapter 18 : The House of Dula of the Lakanate of Tondo Manila in the Philippines
The last king of Tondo, Lakandula, came from the House of Dula. He was the paramount ruler of Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the Philippines in the 1570s. Lakandula was a wise and just ruler, and he was respected by his people. He was also a skilled diplomat, and he was able to negotiate a peaceful surrender to the Spaniards.
The House of Dula is one of the oldest and most respected royal houses in the Philippines. It is said to have been founded by a mythical hero named Lakan Timamanukum. The House of Dula has produced many great leaders over the centuries, including Lakandula, Rajah Sulayman, and the Macapagal family.
The current head of the House of Dula is Sofronio Dulay. He is a descendant of Lakandula and a respected member of the Filipino community. He is also the founder of the United Royal Houses of the Philippines, an organization that promotes the preservation of Philippine culture and heritage. (Source: Bard AI. Google. Retrieved September 21, 2023)
The artificial intelligence of Google called Bard, has the following accounts of the ancestors and descendants of Lakan Dula:
"The ancestors of Lakan Dula are not well-documented. However, it is believed that he was of mixed Tagalog and Kapampangan ancestry. He was said to be a descendant of King Balagtas, a pre-colonial ruler of Pampanga.
Lakan Dula was the last lakan or paramount ruler of pre-colonial Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the Philippines in the 1570s. He is a revered figure in Philippine history and culture, and his descendants continue to play an important role in Philippine society.
Some of the known descendants of Lakan Dula include:
The Macapagal family, who produced two Philippine presidents: Diosdado Macapagal and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Salonga family, who produced Jovito Salonga, a former Philippine Senate president.
The Puyat family, who produced Gonzalo Puyat, a pioneer Filipino industrialist.
The Dulay family, who are the current custodians of the Lakan Dula ancestral home in Marikina City.
It is likely that there are many other descendants of Lakan Dula who are not as well-known. However, all of them can be proud of their heritage and the legacy of their ancestor, who played a significant role in the history of the Philippines."
Lakan Bunao Dula, the Paramount Ruler of the Lakanate of Tondo
Sulaiman I (Sulayman) is the Kingdom of Manila's second to the last indigenous leader-- Lakan Bunao Dula (Lakan Dula) is the last, as the state was absorbed into the Spanish Empire. His eldest son, Lakan Bunao Dula was crowned Lakan (King) when Sulaiman I was too sick to function as a monarch. Sulaiman I is the grandson of Abdul Bolkiah and the son of Sulaiman Bolkiah. Sulaiman I however, did not use the surname Bolkiah but instead used the official title "Soliman Dula I" to mark the new lineage of Maynila aristocracy. The regnal surname "Dulay", later spelled as "Dula" came from the native Baybayin direct translation of "Doylly", the surname of the royal - blooded British wife of Rajah Sulaiman I named "Ysmeria Doylly", mother of Lakan Dula and Rajah Sulaiman II. In the ancient Baybayin alphabet, there is no letter "Y" so, the Baybayin translation of Doylly becomes a native sounding surname Dulay, and later written in official documents as Dula losing the Y, the current surname of Lakan Dula of Kingdom of Maynila (Talastas, 2019). Lakan Bunao Dula was the regnal name of the last Lakan (paramount ruler or paramount datu) of pre-colonial Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the Philippines in the 1570s.[2]The firsthand account of Spanish Royal Notary Hernando Riquel[1]:13 says that he introduced himself to the Spanish as "Lakan Bunao Dula", indicating that his given name was "Bunao".[3] However, the word Lakan which in current Tagalog form means gentleman, was a title equivalent to King, meaning he was King Bunao Dula. He later converted to Christianity and was baptised Lakan Carlos Dula.[4] Another common variation of the name is Gat Dula (alternatively spelled as a single word, Gatdula).[5] He is sometimes erroneously referred to as Rajah Lakan Dula, but the terms "Rajah" and "Lakan" have the same meaning, and in this domain the native Lakan title was used, making the use of both "Rajah" and "Lakan" at the same time redundant and erroneous.[2] (Lakandula - Wikipedia, 2020). Historian Nick Joaquin and the people of Tondo calls him Lakan Dula (title and surname) .. not lacandola, lakandola nor lakandula. One can visit Lakan Dula High School in Tondo to see proper way of addressing Lakan Bunao Dula of the Lakanate of Tondo Manila.
The Seven Children of Lakan Dula
Lakan Dula was the most prolific of Luzon's ancient rulers. His descendants are spread out all across the Kapampangan Region during the Spanish colonial era.[3] He fathered at least seven children, namely, the eldest son Batang Dula; the brave Magat Salamat, the Datu of Tondo; the priest Martin Lakan Dula; the childless Don Dionisio Capulong, the Datu of Candaba; Don Phelipe Salonga, the Datu of Pulu; the pretty Maria Poloin, and the mysterious Luis Taclocmao . Batang Dula has three children: David, Daba and Dola. They were hidden in different places within sea routes and given vast tract of lands, farm workers, and armed followers. The plantation given to David was named Kandawid, the one given to Daba was now known as Kandaba and that of Dola is known as Kandola in San Luis Pampanga.Kan is an ancient tagalog word for owned. The well-known descendants of Dola are the Macapagal of Lubao through Carlos Lacandola. The descendants of Daba are the Capulong of Candaba and their relatives are the Gatbontons. The descendants of David Dula y Goiti are the Dulay of Candawid, Isla de Batang, Laoang, Northern Samar, and in Samara, Aringay in La Union. There are other descendants of Lakan Dula such as those who descended from his other children. It is still a historical mystery why only the eldest son, and another child carried the regnal royal surname Dula. The rest adopted a different native sounding surnames (Carating, 2014, p.36). There are now questions on whether Dionisio Capulong is a son or a grandson of Lakan Bunao Dula because in the history about Juan Macapagal written by the Macapagal family, the birth date of Dionisio Capulong was dated several years after the death of Lakan Dula. Also, In the history of Juan Macapagal, Dionisio has no children with surname Capulong. It was a certain Daba Capulong, apparently from where Candaba was named, where all the Capulong originated since Dionisio Capulong was, on historical accounts, childless. There are also questions why only the eldest son and heir apparent, Batang Dula, and the youngest son Martin Lakan Dula used the regnal surname of Lakan Bunao Dula. Why were the others used completely different surnames from their father.. is this because of Spanish persecution on the native aristocracy that is why they were forced to change identity?
The House of Dula
The ancient house of Lakan Bunao Dula in Tondo is now gone, it is now the site of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Sto. Niño de Tondo. But the present descendants of the eldest son of Lakan Dula, Batang Dula, have the House of Dulay Mendoza of the Lakanate of Tondo in Marikina Valley. The house can be found in the poblacion of Marikina and is the official residence of the hereditary leader and heir of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley, a cadet line of the Lakanate of Tondo from the branch of the eldest son of the last Lakan of Kaharian ng Tondo, Bunao Dula. His eldest son is known throughout history as Batang Dula. The secretive royal house is also the corporate office of the Ceferino Dulay Memorial Foundation, Inc (CDM Foundation). Ceferino Dulay is the 4th generation eldest son and hereditary leader of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley. The CDM Foundation is traditionally headed by the eldest son and hereditary leader of the House of Dulay Mendoza, the cadet line of the House of Dula.
The CDM Foundation of the House of Dula has been doing several projects and advocacies as follows:
1. Animal Shelter,
2. Marikina News,
3. Pro - Poor Projects (Feeding Program, Outreach, and Gift - Giving),
4. Baybayin, Arnis and Kundiman Revival,
5. Rajahnate of Tondo and Manila Research,
6. Descendants of Lakan Dula Research and Organizing,
7. Sumpa ni Lakan Dula Monitoring and Coordination,
8. Globalist Manifesto Advocacy, House of Dula awarded the Lakan Dula Medallion to international arnis masters
9. Advocacy of the Descendancy Teachings , 10. Ethical Leadership Seminar,
11. Management Concepts Applied to Personal Life Seminar,
12. Indigenous tribal groups in the Philippines
13. Reclaim back Philippine territories,
14. Royal Houses and Principalia Families Advocacy
15. Doctrina Cristiana Recovery
16. Dine with the Ancestors Ritual, and
17. House of Dulay Mendoza Clan Maintenance
As part of the foundation’s effort to help revive and propagate the ancient Arnis worldwide, Prof. Sofronio Dulay, as the head of the House of Dula, was invited to Award the Lakan Dula Medallion to the international masters of Arnis held recently at the Luneta Hotel. He was also invited to deliver a talk at the recent Baybayin Festival at the Folk Arts Theater of the Philippines. Just recently, the team behind the YouTube Solomon’s Gold,God’s Culture and Rise Philippines visited the House of Dula in Marikina and participated in the Dine with the Ancestors Ritual.
The "Dine with the Ancestors Havilah Rites of the Lakanate of Tondo". As suggested by Pastor Paul Medrano, this special rite is a variation of the classic Dine with the Ancestors Ritual but this is done when the participants talks about the Lakanate of Tondo; and the Hebrew, Ophir, and the Lakanate of Lawan connections of the ancient Philippine civilization. This rite happened on May 12, 2019: the Dine with the Ancestors Havilah Rites started with the arrival welcome through a ringing of a bell in the House of Dulay Mendoza of the Lakanate of Tondo in Marikina Valley
Then the guests talked freely while partaking grapes kept in the ancient plates that came from the Lakan Dula household and red wine on top of an antique table, and beside an antique lamp and the bayonet of Ceferino Dulay, the 4th hereditary leader of the Dulay Clan of Marikina Valley when he was a guerilla leader during WW ll and the guests also played with friendly poodles surnamed by the Philippine Canine Club as Dulay. Then they proceeded to the House of Kapitan Moy, the founder of Marikina shoe industry, Marikina being the Shoe Capital of the Philippines, then walked across the Miraculous Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, one of the ten prettiest churches in Metro Manila and host of the third longest Holy Week procession in the Philippines. Then, the guests proceeded to the secret cemetery of the church to visit the tomb of the Hebrew - blooded Juana Mendoza Cerbito and Ceferino Rivas Dulay, a descendant of Lakan Dula. Then the guests went to the Shoe Museum, an old Spanish Jail where Macario Sakay of Tondo was jailed and presently keeps the famous shoes of Imelda Marcos of Samar Leyte, and, finally back to the House of the Dulay Mendoza for a Marikina dinner of local dishes of waknatoy, everlasting, locally grown fruits, as well as prunes and nuts from the middle eastern countries -- to have the taste of Havilah. Timothy, the author of the famous Solomon's Gold, the God Culture in the You Tube announced a change of his name into Pedro. This rite is only done for Top Leaders of an organization .
Some of the talks during the visit was that Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is from Allen, a part of Northern Samar, which according to Australian studies, a part of the Philippines which is the homeland of the Polynesians. Otley Bayer said that there are already people in the Philippines 250,000 years ago and this was confirmed by a French study which says that the Philippines has been populated by men as early as 700,000 years ago. Some old Filipino historians still have the mindset of "Filipinos are savage and it has to be discovered and cultured by anything foreign". These local historians refuse to mention that there is a civilization of Viking – like people based in the Lakanate of Lawan in Northern Samar (Samar was derived from Samaria). The Samar civilization was once headed by Datu Iberein as written by historian Henry Scott, and take note of the name -- very Jewish -- and consistent with Jewish Samar from Samaria. These people have siday (native epic) in which one of them is Bingi of Lawan, as mentioned by historian Alcina. They have the Almuraya which is an ancient ruin and they have royal burial jars -- all evidences would point that this civilization could be the biblical Ophir, the homeland of the Polynesians and Viking – like people who sent people to Tondo and different parts of the Philippines. and islands in the Pacific Ocean, including the people of Taiwan
The House of Dulay Mendoza in Marikina is the actual House of Dula
The House of Dulay Mendoza of the Lakanate of Tondo in Marikina Valley is the official residence of the hereditary leader of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley -- the eldest son of the eldest son dating back from the great great grandfather Petre Dulay, who himself is the eldest son. The house is found in the poblacion of Marikina near the old municipal hall and the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned, also known as Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados or Ina ng mga Walang Mag-Ampon, Marikina City, a Roman Catholic church and the home of an image of the Virgin Mary venerated locally, which has received Papal recognition. Poblacion is a Spanish word which means the center of civilization. In Spain, a poblacion is composed of an old Church, a plaza, a municipio and the ilustrado families around the church. This is the same pattern the Spaniards did in the in the Philippines. The ilustrados (konyo in today’s term) are usually the descendants of the prayle, guardia civil, native nobility, gobernadorcillos, principalia and the kabise or chinese businessmen. They are usually good looking, rich, politically connected, educated and cultured.
The exact location of the house is in Isabelo Mendoza St., San Roque, Marikina City in the barangay where the house of the second owner of Hacienda Marquina, the Tuason family, exists even today (the first owner of Hacienda Marikina was Don Santiago Sauza y De los Rios (1777-1880) and his wife Dona Ysabel Berenguer de Marquina y Sumulong (1790-1900); and the street where one can also find the Shoe Museum, the old municipal hall (now occupied by the Red Cross), the Butiki Park, the Rustic Morning (Isabelo's Secret), and the Teatro Marikina; and where you can hear the church bells of the nearby Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados Church. The old house is an "Bahay na Bato" structure. A son of Kapitan Celso Mendoza, in which one of the streets of Sta. Elena (the capital of Marikina) was named, used to reside in this house. The ownership of the house went into Benny Mendoza through a "sangla" arrangement. Then, the family of Juana Cerbito y Mendoza paid off Benny Mendoza to take control of the ancestral house out of Gary Mendoza, the son of Kapitan Celso Mendoza. Juana is married to former guerilla leader Ceferino Dulay, the 4th patriarch of the Dulay Clan of Marikina Valley. Eventually, the house was inherited by Prof. Sofronio Dulay who is the 5th patriarch of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina and is now to be inherited by Atty. Sofronio Dulay ll, a Senior Associate of a Makati - based law firm and will be the 6th patriarch of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley. The Dulay are from Tondo who moved some of his clan members to Marikina Valley. Despite growing up in Marikina, Prof. Sofronio Dulay maintained his link with Tondo by working as an executive of Alhambra Industries in Pritil Tondo, and marrying in Tondo. He is a management professor of a university which is also near Tondo.
The Rituals and Traditions of the House of Dula. The clan house is the place where the “Dine with the Ancestors Ritual” are being held among the descendants of Lakan Dula. The "Dine with the Ancestor" ritual is a tradition exclusively among the descendants of Lakan Dula from all over the archipelago whenever they visit the clan house of Lakan Dula descendants in Marikina Valley. It is done with grapes, red wine served in the 16th century plate passed over from Lakan Dula household to David Dula y de Goiti, to Petre Dulay, to Ceferino Dulay and now to Sofronio Dulay , and in the future to Sofronio Dulay ll -- the bloodline of the eldest sons of Lakan Dula descendants. The ritual start with grapes and red wine on top of an antique baul and an antique bayonet used by Ceferino Rivas Dulay when he was still in the guerilla movement led by Gen Kangleon against the Japanese army. Informal talks with clan leader Sofronio Dulay will happen while consuming the grapes and wine. In the clan house, visitors can also find what the folks are calling the "ANG ALAMAT NG MESA NG MGA ALKALDE" because the last Four Elected Mayors of Marikina has dined in that table: Bayani Flores Fernando, Marides Reyes Carlos, Del Reyes de Guzman and Marcy Reyes Teodoro. The clan house has been a favorite shooting venues for indie films, tv drama series, documentaries mostly about Lakan Dula and the Kingdom of Tondo, commercials and student projects on Noli Me Tangere and El Felibusterismo. Some folks in the neighborhood fondly call the house as "bahay ni Rizal or bahay ni Lakan Dula" because of its antique ambiance. It is also the corporate office of the CDM Foundation which main concern is to consolidate the descendants of Lakan Dula scattered in the whole Philippine archipelago and in other countries, and to do further research on the Kingdom of Tondo Manila. It is also the office of Marikina News Facebook Group with 310,000 members and the Ceferino and Juana Dulay Children, Grandchildren and In - Laws (Dulay Mendoza), the main Facebook Group exclusively of the reigning family. It also customary to rank the direct lineage of the 4th hereditary leader Ceferino Rivas Dulay based on their educational attainment. They have Annual Educational Ranking. The clan has also a set of beliefs which they call: The 25 Teachings of the Descendancy. It is also a tradition of the house to maintain good relationship with the Kingdom of Spain and the Sto. Nino de Tondo Church. Part of the traditional beliefs of the clan is that every Filipino with Dulay surnames are blood relatives and call each other insan (cousin). Every visitor of the house with a Lakan Dula lineage can request for a book about Lakan Dula. Every piece of furniture in the house are antique and have a piece of clan story -- like the office table of the reigning hereditary leader was the table of the previous one. The old plates from a household of Lakan Dula are in the house used in the rituals together with the bayonet of Ceferino. The house is to be inherited by the eldest son, and not to be sold to the government, national museum or any private individuals. The clan believes that kinship is in the feeling, although it believes that Filipinos with native sounding surnames are descendants of native nobilities and are always welcome in the House. When then Philippine Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a descendant of Lakan Dula, was leading to depose President Erap Estrada because of corruption, her confidential staff Yoko Ramos, on one of the darkest hour of the struggle to deposed President Estrada, got in touch with the House of Dula saying that Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would like to visit patriarch Sofronio Dulay of the House of Dula. The word got around among the Lakan Dula descendants and eventually, President Erap Estrada was deposed, maybe a manifestation of "Sumpa ni Lakan Dula" on him, and Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was installed as the new President. The term of President Arroyo was eventually finished without visiting the House of Dula. Eventually, she would also be convicted of corruption and be jailed (hospital arrest). Some Filipinos are saying that this could be another manifestation of the mysterious "Sumpa ni Lakan Dula" that might have also affected the lonely and short lived life of President Noynoy Aquino because of anti poor K-12, Napoles cases and others. Some people are saying that former President Rodrigo Duterte could also suffer from the "Sumpa ni Lakan Dula". Or can he be like President Fidel Ramos or President Corry Aquino, the who Presidents who did not suffer the "Sumpa ni Lakan Dula"?
The House of Dula and the Oligarchs: Tuazon, Cacho, Montinola, Macapagal and Recto The recent list of influential and enduring families in the Philippines shows the following surnames: Montinola, Aboitiz, Laurel, Ayala, Lopez, Tuason, Cojuangco, Araneta, Padilla, Elizalde, Ongpin, Ortigas, Madrigal, Romualdez and Zobel. The 4th hereditary leader of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley is Ceferino Rivas Dulay , a WW ll guerilla leader who helped Diosdado Macapagal won the Presidency by running a campaign in Tondo and in Laoang, Northern Samar. President Macapagal, a fellow Lakan Dula descendant, assigned him at the Manila City Hall . Ceferino later helped the Tuasons (in - laws of the Macapagal)/Cacho family in developing Marikina. From Tondo, he moved most members of his clan to Marikina. He was married to a sephardi Jewish Mendoza lady, a descendant of Don Benito Mendoza, the first gobernadorcillo of Marikina. Using his connections with the Tuasons and Cachos, he helped provide jobs and settlements for the descendants of Lakan Dula in Marikina. His eldest son, Prof. Sofronio Dulay , the 5th hereditary leader of the clan is married to a Chinese mestiza from the "Jaucian - Li - Palanca - Uy" clan of Daraga, Albay where Dona Demetria Sumulong y Lindo hails. Dona Demetria was the original owner of the Hacienda Marquina before it went to the Tuazons. Prof. Sofronio helped Sergio Montinola on his shipping concerns in Iloilo. As a product of La Salle, UP and Asian Institute of Management; an Opus Dei cooperator, and former Executive of Alhamba Industries in Tondo, he eventually focused on his vocation as a Management Professor/Coordinator and Faculty Club President of the Far Eastern University owned by the Montinola, who also owns the Roosevelt College in Marikina. Prof. Sofronio concentrated in leading the descendants of Lakan Dula in Marikina in education. As of now, a lot of descendants in Marikina are in the education sector. He is connected with 10,000 international royal relatives who all descended from around 1500 common international royal ancestors, according to DNA - based ancestry site Geni.Com. The future 6th hereditary leader of the clan is a young bachelor Atty. Sofronio Dulay ll, the only son of Prof. Sofronio Dulay, who will consolidate the properties and business interests of the clan. As a child, he was a sacristan in Our Lady of the Abandoned and a varsity player of Marist School and San Roque inter barangay basketball team. He was also elected as a Councilor of the Sangguniang Kabataan. In UP, he was elected as Councilor of the NCPAG Student Council, twice vice chairman of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity, captain ball of the UP College of Law Basketball Team, and a member of the UP College of Law Debating Team that won the national inter law school debate and represented the Philippines in the international debate competitions. He is a Senior Associate at the Andres Padernal Paras Law Firm based in Makati. By tradition, he is also expected to marry a lady from another principalia family who will be an asset to the historical clan, just like what the earlier clan patriarchs did. He is a fraternity brother of Speaker Martin Romualdez. Written on the history of the Romualdez Clan that during the Sumuroy Revolt, David Dula y Goiti (David Dulay) saved the great great maternal grandfather of the Romualdez clan from Spanish execution. Atty. Sofronio ll's youngest sister, Katreena Dulay, is s student of Ateneo Law School, which is her high school dream way back in St. Scholastica Marikina. The Dulay Clan has already produced three provincial Governors: Madeilene Mendoza Ong of Northern Samar, Robert Dulay of La Union, and Orlando Dulay of Quirino. The clan also have Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Atty. Billy Dulay and Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Atty. Dodo Dulay..with several generals, bishops and priests.
The Recto and Dulay in History. In a rare book entitled “Our Delegates to the Constitutional Assembly: English-Spanish” published by Benipayo Press and a copy is at the University of Michigan, Sen. Claro M. Recto, together with the delegates of the 1935 Constitutional Convention where Recto was the President was discovered. Near the end of the book, mysterious names entitled Prominent Citizens were listed. The book did not explain the role of the Prominent Citizens in the Philippines history nor its connection with the Constitutional Convention led by Recto. Four members of the Dulay Family were in the list of Prominent Citizens, namely: Hilario Dula Dulay of Laoang, Northern Samar; Enrique Dulay of Aringay, La Union; Calixto Dulay of Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya and Agustin Dulay of Sto. Tomas, La Union. In recent years, it was known that Atty. Sofronio Dulay ll was the lawyer of a Grandchild of Sen. Claro M. Recto by the name of Batangas Provincial Vice Governor Ricky Recto. It seems that the Dulay and the Recto families have always been together in important milestones of history. At the House of Dula, the original table marker of Sen. Claro M. Recto is at the study table of the Patriarch of the clan Prof. Sofronio Dulay. The marker was given by Vice Governor Ricky Recto as a birthday gift to Atty. Sofronio Dulay ll.
The unity of Dulay and Mendoza families in Marikina Valley was mentioned partly by J.Antonio Mendoza y González, in Daluyan : A Historical Dictionary of the Streets of Manila, Printed by NHI, as follows:
“The Tioco family was a very rich and generous family from Old Tondo. They owned numerous fishing boats in Tondo and Malabon. Siblings Balbino Tioco and Romana Tioco were illustrious citizens and famous Tondo benefactors of the 19th century.Balbino’s son Maximiano was kidnapped in the late 19th century and ransomed for 3 “kaings” of gold. Maximiano was married to a spanish mestiza Marciana Félix (same Félix family as Joji Félix Velarde and Conchita Félix wife of Felipe Calderón of the Malolos Constitution). Maximiano married Teodorica Ylo (The Cabangis family are also descended from the Ylo’s) They bore 5 children, Nemesio, Salvador, “Beot”, Guadalupe (married to Don Eduardo Barretto), Consuelo (married to Dr Rufino Mendoza, son of Don Isabelo Mendoza de Villablanca, a direct descendant of the spaniard Don Benito Mendoza, first gobernadorcillo of Mariquina in 1787. Benito’s (daughter?) Juana Mendoza Cerbito married Ceferino Dulay, a patriarch of the Rajah Lakandula/Dulay clan. Long after the family had left Old Tondo for the plush villages of Makati and other parts of Manila, there remains Calle Romana* in honor of Romana Tioco, and Calle Tioco* in honor of Balbino and Romana, two personages of the same family in gratitude for their inexhaustible generosity to Tondo. (J.Antonio Mendoza y González)". ."
Sen. Claro M. Recto Taking his Oath as the President of the 1935 Constitutional Convention
The Descendants of Lakan Dula of Tondo are secretly united
Their unassuming secretive patriarch of the modern times does not rule, he reigns privately with circle of personal advisers, the personal leadership style he inherited from the earlier traditional leaders of the descendancy, a reaction from the centuries of Spanish persecutions. He might even deny his hereditary and historical role and designation; or he might point to somebody else when talking to a non descendant. Descendants who are close to the patriarch will not point directly to him as their patriarch but if needed, they will only indirectly identify him as the one who has been very active in coordinating the present Lakanate of Tondo. He refuses to be under the control of the Philippine President because the principalia council thinks that the president as a person is only temporary but the Lakanate is historical, hereditary and permanent. This is maybe the reason why he hardly attends any activities of the Office of the President from Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Arroyo, Noynoy Aquino and Rodriqo Duterte. He also considers the fact that the Principalia Council usually do post term evaluation of the Presidents entitled "Sumpa ni Lakan Dula". His allegiance is with the Sto. Nino de Tondo, the seat of the ancient palace of Lakan Dula and directly to the residents of Tondo, some of them are his close relatives. However, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, with its historians and access to historical manuscripts, seem to be aware of the hidden current in the aristocratic history and sentiments of the Filipino people. In one of their letters to the secretive Lakan of the Kingdom of Tondo, the Commission said that: "please be informed that our technical team will conduct an ocular visit at Plaza Lakan Dula and the Amado V. Hernandez Mural for assessment and further research... the installation of a historical marker of Lakan Dula was endorsed to our Research, Publication and Heraldry Division, for proper action." The copy of that letter was shown below.
Juancho Bong Sempio wrote this article on the KAANAK NG MGA BAYANI, KATIPUNERO AT REBOLUSYONARYO last March 13, 2016"Our new member bro Toti Dulay is a descendant of Lakan Dula or Lakandula to some...
Lakan Dula was a native muslim king of Tundun (a large area covering most of what is now present-day Metro Manila), when the Spanish colonization of the Philippine Islands had begun. He ruled a community of Muslim people who lived north of the Pasig River.Lakan Dula was one of three Muslim chieftains in the Manila during the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors led by Martín de Goiti, and Juan de Salcedo in 1570. Lakan is his official title meaning King and later baptized Lakan Carlos Dula (it was found later by the National Historical Commission that he was not actually baptized and did not changed his name), was the Lakan paramount ruler of the pre-colonial Philippine Kingdom of Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the 1570's. His father is Rajah Salalila (Sulayman I) and his mother is Ysmeria. His beloved wife is Mutya and they are blessed with several children. His grandparents are Dayang (Lady) Kalangitan and Gat (Lord) Lontok and his brother is Rajah Matanda (Sulayman II). Rajah Mura or Muda (Sulayman III) and Lakan Banao Dula led a revolt known as the Sulayman Revolt of 1574 in the villages of Navotas, taking advantage of the confusion brought about by the attacks of Chinese pirate Limahong. This is also often referred to as the "Manila revolt" but is sometimes referred to as the "Sulayman Revolt" and the "Lakan Dula Revolt."
PinoyInEurope says:
https://joeam.com/2015/03/11/bbl-yes-but-peace-in-mindanao-will-be-won-or-lost-in-the-mosques/
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajah_Sulayman – the ruler of Manila and Tondo, was a Muslim and a scion of the Bolkiah family that ruled Brunei then and rules it to this day. The grandson of Lakandula, another of the three rulers of Manila, was David Dula y Goiti, also known as David Dulay and had a Spanish mother. He was the first mestizo to revolt against the Spanish."
A UP Professor Jaime Caro, the historian of the Mendoza Clan of Marikina has this conversation with Toti Dulay:
TRIVIA: Did you know that a professor in FEU is a descendant of Lakan Dula?
His name is Prof. Sofronio "Toti" Dulay.
He is also the current Grand Patriarch of the Lakan Dula Clan. One of the
best professors not only in IABF but in FEU as a whole.
More info about Prof. Toti Dulay, read
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Delmar Topinio Taclibon says:"My deepest gratitude to Hrh Prince Omar Kiram and His Majesty Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah for this conferment as one of the Datu(k) of the Royal Dominion."
Message of Hrh Prince Omar Kiram:
"The Hon. Datuk Sir Delmar Topinio Taclibon, KRSS, we wish you and your family and all our beloved members a blessed and prosperous joyful new year. Let us continue our resolve, commitment, dedication, true faith and allegiance to our beloved anointed Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I, to realize our advocacy of Sabah and Spratlys against Malaysia's land grabbing for the benefits of the Tausugs and the Filipinos. God Defend the Right!"
Toti Dulay : "congrats insan Delmar Topinio Taclibon and mabuhay ang Magat Salamat lineage ni Lakan Dula ng Tondo..."
Delmar Topinio Taclibon : "Thank you too Modern Day Grand Patriarch of the Lakan Dula Clan Sir Toti Dulay!"
Delmar Topinio Taclibon: Okay, I will do that Grand Patriarch Toti Dulay
Hester Cheng As the finance officer of the CDM foundation i am very happy of this development, ill be getting in touch with you,,
Roderick Alain Alvarez says:
9th cousin's husband's 9th great uncle's wife's 6th great aunt's husband's 16th great grandson we're that related, insan Toti, pero hindi pa tapos ang Lakan Dula genealogy: please add as many relatives coz, as head of the Royal
House, you know them better :)
Toti Dulay: today at 2:36 AM
Thank you insan Roderick, in the Geni. Com genealogy, we saw na lumabas na yung name nung Juan Reyes Macapagal..ang main concern na lang natin is paano na connect si Diosdado Macapagal kay Juan Macapagal?
Suijul Tasorre says : Dear Sir Toti, I am very happy to know that you were able to protect the continuity of the Dula lineage....... how I wish na makilala ko kayo....... I'm a fan royalties specially ancient filipino royalty.... the missing link of our history as a nation.......
Sam Jezrel Moran kamahalan.. pinag mamalaki ko po na akoy pilipino.. kau po pala ang prinsipe ng tondo si Prince. Sofronio Cerbito Dulay I.
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Purmana Wati, whose grandmother is a dayang (princess) in the lineage of Sultan Abdul Kahar, the sixth Sultan of Brunei who ruled Negara Brunei Darussalam in 1524. Purmana resides in their ancestral homeland in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Below is a conversation between Purmana of Sarawak, and Toti Dulay:
Happy birthday po Lakan Toti Dulay!
What a happy coincidence my reaching out to you was!
I drink to your name and to this movement to revitalize, preserve and protect the true identity of the Filipino people!
Nag bibigay pugay,
Rocky Andal Brito-Contreras Ng Bulalacao
In this Facebook Group, they discuss different projects or programs or moves which they are advocating, assisting or implementing such as: the “Sumpa ni Lakan Dula” and “Dine with the Ancestors Ritual” being championed and administered by Lakan Sofronio Dulay l, the Baybayin being championed by Rajah Jay Enage, the arnis being advocated by Arnis Grandmaster Bambit Dulay, the indigenous tribes nationwide being managed by Sultan Julian Canonoy and Sultan Miguel Moldero, the Sultanate of Sulu represented by Princess Jacel Kiram, the tinalak by the children of the late national artist Lang Dulay, the Lakanate of Lawan by former Northern Samar Governor Madeilene Mendoza Ong, Tribal Speaker Rjhay Laurea for the kalinangan of the Filipinos, Dr. Delmar Topinio Taclibon for patriotic interpretation of Philippine history, and JJ Macam of the Gatbonton Clan of Pampanga.
The Pre Hispanic Native Royal Houses and Principalia Families of the Republic of the Philippines
The Principalia families of the Philippines are the descendants of the pre Hispanic lakan, sultan, datu, rajah, hadi of the different ancient prosperous native settlements all over the country that were eventually recognized by the Kingdom of Spain as part of the their royal administration in the country.
This could be a result of the informal alliance between Lakan Bunao Dula of the Lakanate of Tondo with the Kingdom of Spain. Among the agreement of the Lakanate of Tondo and the Kingdom of Spain are : there will be no more armed conflict between the two kingdoms, the native hereditary leaders will be allowed to use their ancient surnames, they will be free from paying taxes, and they will be appointed as gobernadorcillos of their own settlements. As a gesture of this diplomatic alliance between the Kingdom of Spain and the Lakanate of Tondo, Batang Dula, the eldest son and heir apparent of Lakan Bunao Dula and Senorita Goiti were betrothed and the palace of Lakan Bunao Dula, will be under the protection and maintenance of the Kingdom of Spain. Later, the palace was converted into a dormitory and eventually, a church was built on it. At present, the Kingdom of Spain and Prof. Sofronio Dulay of the House of Dula are still communicating.
It is now known as the Sto. Nino Church of Tondo. According Rev. Fr. Lito Villegas of the Church of Sto. Nino de Tondo, with the death of Lakan Bunao Dula, the Sto. Nino became the "Lakan of the Kingdom Tondo with children of Lakan Bunao led by his eldest son and heir apparent Batang Dula acting as the regents of the native kingdom. In the later part of the nation’s history, the Philippine Revolution against the Kingdom of Spain will eventually be led by natives of Tondo, Andres Bonifacio and Macario Sakay. When the Philippine Revolutionary Government was hoodwinked by both the Americans and the Kingdom of Spain through the Treaty of Paris, the revolutionary government led by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo filed a formal protest against the treaty and in their protest letter, they mentioned that the sovereignty and mandate of the revolutionary government was derived from the Lakanate of Tondo's mandate of Lakan Bunao Dula.
The recognition of the rights and privileges of the Filipino Principalía as equivalent to those of the Hidalgos of Castile appears to facilitate entrance of Filipino nobles into institutions under the Spanish Crown, either civil or religious, which required proofs of nobility. However, such approximation may not be entirely correct since in reality, although the principales were vassals of the Spanish Crown, their rights as sovereign in their former dominions were guaranteed by the Laws of the Indies, more particularly the Royal Decree of Philip II of 11 June 1594, which Charles II confirmed for the purpose stated above, in order to satisfy the requirements of the existing laws in the Peninsula.
The descendants of Lakan Dula has been spearheaded by the lineage of Batang Dula, through the cadet line of David Dula y Goiti where the Dulay Tribe all over the country emerged. They are recognized by the organizations of indigenous Filipinos headed by Rajah Julian Canonoy and other datu as well as principalia families, royal families from Sarawak, articles, blogs, heritage websites, and historians - - as the cadet line of the Lakanate of Tondo. The descendants of Lakan Dula which is headed by the 5th hereditary leader of the Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina, through their foundation, Ceferino Dulay Memorial Foundation, Inc. (CDM Foundation) has been doing advocacies and projects such as 1. Animal Shelter, 2. Marikina News, 3. Pro - Poor Projects (Feeding Program, Outreach, and Gift Giving), 4. Baybayin, Arnis and Kundiman Revival, 5. Lakanate of Tondo, Royal Houses and Principalia Families, 6. Descendants of Lakan Dula, 7. Sumpa ni Lakan Dula, 8. Indigenous tribal groups in the Philippines and 9. Dine with the Ancestors. The CDM Foundation was organized by the elders of the Dulay Tribe among them was Simon Dulay Sr. of Laoang, Northern Samar in honor of the lineage of the eldest son Ceferino Rivas Dulay, the 4th hereditary leader of Dulay Mendoza Clan of Marikina Valley. The Presidency of the foundation is now with the eldest son and legal heir of Ceferino who is known as the 5th hereditary leader of the clan.
In keeping with the historical meaning of the title Lakan, the head of the Kingdom of Tondo, which is according to well – known historian Henry Scott, means: “paramount ruler”, or the titular head of so many rulers --the secretive and very private historical head of the descendants of Lakan Dula of today was anointed as the Rajah by several indigenous leaders all over the country. Some people however addressed him as Lakan, some call him Patriarch, while a member of a royal family of Sarawak calls him the title of Awang or a Prince in EnglisBecause the Kaharian ng Tondo covers the regional capital of the Philippines, by natural geography and pure political and administrative rationale, it plays as the de facto center of the united royal houses of the Philippines. The de facto FB group of the cooperating royal houses is also the FB group of The Rajahnate of Metro Manila (Kaharian ng Tondo) with the browser address at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ceferinodulay/?epa=SEARCH_BOX.
A circle of advocates on specialized fields were involved in the projects: Pastor Jay Enage, founder of Baybayin Buhayin, Inc., Samuel Bambit Dulay for arnis, Arjhay Laurea for Kundiman and the family of the late national artist Lang Dulay for tinalak. The leader of the descendants of Lakan Dula had been interviewed by bloggers, I - Juander of GMA, different students and I -Witness of GMA; and the House of Dulay Mendoza has been a favorite venue for films and documentaries.The Principalia Hereditary Council of the Philippines embarked on a US Mission to Recover Doctrina Cristiana now kept by the US Library of Congress which was coordinated with the Office of the President, National Historical Commission and the Department of Foreign Affairs. The people behind the God's Culture in YouTube visited the House of Dula for a Dine with the Ancestors Ritual Havilah Version. A principalia who is a high ranking Filipino priest and papal official based in Vatican City in Rome later participated in the visioning of an organization of the principalia families in the Philippines which in essence became the foundation of the council. In a meeting between the patriarch of the House of Dula and the parish priest of the Sto. Nino de Tondo, a pilgrimage of Lakan Dula descendants to Tondo was discussed and the necessity of formalizing the Principalia Council was deemed as historical priority.
Sources:
Ka Totoy Talastas Philippines & World History. https://www.facebook.com/katotoytalastas/?tn-str=k*F retrieved May 30, 2019
Lakandula - Wikipedia, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakandula. Retrieved May 23, 2020
Carating, R. R., Galanta, R.G., Bacatio, C.D.(2014). The Soils of the Philippines. New York City: Springer Science and Business