Chapter 40 : Lakan Dula Traditions -- Reign of the First - Born Sons
Before the Spaniards came, native Filipinos have a very prosperous Kingdom, based in Intramuros, Manila. The natives called their king Lakan and the name of their last King is Dula. Lakan Dula is the first born son. He could never have been crowned Lakan if he is not the first born son.
It was in Lakan Dula's era when Britain and Spain are fighting for world power. Britain's way is to gain the trust of native royalties all over the world by diplomacy or intermarriages and then group these royalties into federation under its leadership. Spain's way is through conquest and subjugation. Lakan Dula's tall and fair appearance came from his great grand father who has British blood, a Lord of Manor from Oxfordshire. Lakan Dula is the early attempt of the British to gain the trust of the native Manila aristocracy.
In a book written by Rowena Reyes-Boquiren, Ph.D.,from the division of Social Sciences of University of the Philippines College Baguio, entitled HISTORY OF COLONIALISM AND STRUGGLE : LOCAL STREAMS IN PHILIPPINE NATIONALISM (Prepared for the 1999 Ibon Philippine Educators Training, ) Baguio City.), she said that the first uprising in Manila against Spain happened in 1571 in Marikina Valley in what is now known as Cainta, probably in the vicinity of Balanti, near the known settlement of Lakan Dula descendants in what is now known today as Jesus de la Pena. The full blown revolt of Lakan Dula happened three years later involving 10,000 natives and its spread form Manila to Cavite, Batangas and Mindoro. Take note that during the British invasion of Manila, the first ever election happened also in Marikina Valley and the British forces and deserters, mostly Sepoys, also escaped and settled in Cainta, showing the link of Lakan Dula to the British royalty. The British also participated in Philippine history when it befriended the Sultanate of Sulu and lease Sabah and manuevere it to be joined in the Malaysian Federation, which is under its control during those times. Today, the reign of the first born sons of the descendant of the Sultanate of Sulu is still uneasy with that maneuver of the British. The bloodline of the Sultanate is still intact, thru the first born sons. HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad Abdulla Kiram I is the most capable and most suitable member of the Royal blood line as per Law of Succession of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah and is the legitimate and lawful Royal Hashemite Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. HM Sultan Muhammad Fuad A. Kiram I is the brother of the late HM Sultan Mahakuttah Abdulla Kiram (Sultan 1974-1986) and son of the late HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan 1947-1973), who gave the power of attorney to Philippine Pres. Diosdado Macapagal in 1962 then to Philippine Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1969 for the Philippine Government to recover Sabah. His grandfather was HM Sultan Mawallil Wasit Kiram, successor to his brother HM Sultan Jamalul Kiram II (Sultan 1893-1936), childless, who died of poisoning. HM Sultan Mawallil Wasit Kiram ruled only for six (6) months due to death by poisoning in 1936, whereupon the throne was inherited by his first-born son HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I. The father of HM Jamalul Kiram II was HM Sultan Jamalul Ahlam Kiram who leased North Borneo (Sabah) to a British Company in 1878. HRH Prince Ezzarhaddon A. Kiram is the Crown Prince of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sabah and is known as the Prince of Kota Kinabalu while his brother HRH Prince Al-mezzheer A. Kiram is the Crown Prince of the Royal Hashemite Sultanate of Sulu and is known as the Prince of Jolo. (Copyright © 2006 Royal Sulu. www.royalsulu.com. All rights reserved.)
First born sons are traditional and hereditary leaders in most culture of the world. Even Jesus is a first born son. Recently, the Discovery Channel filmed Rameses: Wrath of God or Man?, in which a team of archeologists led by professor Kent Weeks will investigate the tomb of the princes of Rameses II, who is believed to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus. One of the findings to be shown on the program is the skull of Amun-her-khepeshef, whom Weeks identifies as the firstborn son of Rameses II. This shows how important the first born sons even during the time of the Egyptian pharaohs.
First born sons are also valued in Scottish rites as shown in this excerpt: "On the advice of an expert, it is presumed that in this particular translation the Judge is the Almighty, who is being asked to understand what it is that makes it necessary for the owner of the sword to take a life in battle. For the purpose of greater simplicity, I always refer to the sword by the name that, throughout my life, I've most commonly heard it called ... Discerner. Traditionally, the custom of passing the sword from one generation to the next, always father to first born son, remained unbroken well into the 1600s."
In Marikina Valley, where the Lakan Dula and British influence are very strong, the culture of installing the first born son as the leader of the clan was shown in the Mayorazgo Tuason, which appeared to be the only noble estate in the Philippines. The succession to the mayorazgo was based on male primogeniture (first born or eldest son). This was not only a Spanish policy but also a Chinese custom. In fact, Son-tua, the original surname of the Tuasons, means "eldest son." The first holder of the mayorazgo was Don Vicente Dolores Tuason. The hereditary and titular leader of the Dulay Clan of Marikina Valley is also an uninterrupted succession of the first born sons tracing back from way back sixth generation. The present leader is the 5th generation eldest son Sofronio l, and he is grooming his only son, Sofronio ll, as the sixth hereditary titular head of the clan. Ceferino Dulay, 4th generation head of the clan is a friend and ward leader of President Diosdado Macapagal, who is also a descendant of Lakan Dula. Ceferino settled in Marikina Valley from Tondo. Emiliano Guevara settled in Marikina Valley from Quiapo. Unlike the Dulay Clan of Marikina Valley, the reigns of the first born sons of the Tuazon and Guevara Clans of Marikina Valley are now obscure. The reign of first born sons is prevalent in other clans and tribes in the Philippines as shown by this excerpt from the northern Philipppines,: "In his testimony, program recipient and partner Peter Bangngayon of the Tulgao tribe related how his family had been filled with hatred and absorbed in trying to avenge his father who was killed by a Basao member when he was still small. Being the first born son, the responsibility to revenge fell on his shoulder and he was then persistently prompted by his tribe mates to carry out that duty."
How important then is the reign of the first born sons among the descendants of Lakan Dula. Technically speaking, if we can identify the present and current first born son of the long line of Lakan Dula descendants from the generation of Lakan Dula to the present, we have in a way identify the hereditary and titular head of the Kingdom of Manila, the way the Sultanate of Sulu was able to identify theirs. And the guy could just be mixing around with the people... never knowing his significance to the Filipino culture. Could he be Tom Dula…, of the Tom Dooley fame?
The reigning first born son is just around us, he is probably from among the several Filipino clans who are tracing their roots from Lakan Dula.
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 prehispanic 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.
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.
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. One of those who took notice of the activities of the descendants of Lakan Dula was a Fil American from New York representing the Wangdom of Ma-I in Bulalacao Mindoro. He wrote a letter to the head of the House of Dula and an informal alliance between the Lakanate of Tondo and Wangdom of Ma-I was discussed in principle to support the existing projects and advocacies. The alliance 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.
The Descendants of Lakan Dula of Tondo are united, their unassuming secretive patriarch does not rule, he reigns privately
"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!"
Roderick Alain Alvarez : 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 : 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.
