Philippines Ancestral Research

edmondsallan. hi everyone . I thought perhaps we could take a break , from the " Edmonds Family Tree " A change is as good as a rest. I may have mentioned that I have been researching the " Filipinos " now for nearly 4 years , quite consistently . If you feel like a change of research , come with me on this Journal . You may find it very interesting
When you start off researching another country for someone . The first thing to do is to find their National Registrar Records , availability. contact etc . This part usually just skims the surface & nine times out of ten you will find the person you are looking for , with usually both parents info . If you want to know more , you may need to study the history , ocean currents . how they were settled , or in a lot of cases press the button & hit " Ancestry " etc' website for the LDS at Salt lake city . The largest ancestral collection in the world . Not So when you research the Philippines !!!. Being an 89 % Catholic country with very strong religious beliefs , the Catholic church has & is trying to stop the " Latter Day Saints, Mormons " from gathering any info .or setting up their family centres. Quite often you will crack open the first step , then Bang !!! all doors shut on you . The " Filipinos " themselves can go personally to their countries regristrar , show their Catholic Regristration . then they are given the whole ancestry of their immediate family . The following I find also very interesting

( a )The " Philippines " consists of over 7,000 islands ( including 9 very large ones )
( b ) After " Fernando Magellan " came & raised the flag for Spain in the 1500's , the new official rulers discovered that about 90 % of their caputured inhabitants had the same name , or were named after some chieftain - local or otherwise .
( c ) They very quickly established the " Catholic Religion " right thro the whole country , with churches & priests , and made the locals pay for it . They also appointed governors for many regions
( d ) They then went for the big one , which many countries , have tried & failed to do or would still like to attain . The Spanish Authorities from Spain based in the " Philippines " under instructions from " King Philip" King of Spain -- Decided that starting in the very north , east & west , and south of all the
Philippines ( 7,000 Islands ) to change nearly every ones surname & all Foreigners , except the very Few selected ,to be expelled from the Philippines.
( e ) they started , Alphabetically _- ( A ) at the very north and so on and so on ,right thro the whole of the Philippines. Any new baby born had to be Baptised into the Catholic Faith & the priest chose the babys surname from the list he was authorised to use . Wow !!! ( f ) This was called - the " CLAVERIA'S DECREE " ISSUED ON THE 21ST OF NOVEMBER , 1849 . ( IN THE SAME ERA AS OUR TREATY OF WAITANGI 1840. )
-**** DEAR FOLLOWER / READER If you are an outside genealogists , like myself , from another country , trying to find someone , its like looking for a needle in a haystack & the officialdom & what they require is really really strict . I think we need to come back on the Philippines Journal if you readers would like to go further . Their is a lot more to tell You . Why try & explain or tell about the Philippines ? - I tried to learn the language & failed , I'm just to old to learn it . I am practicing a few words - Oh !! I forgot to mention that over 80,000 fully qualified Nurses leave the Philippines every year to nurse in other countries , Mainly USA where they are are short of close to 1,000,000 nurses. Getting back to the " Filippino Ancestry " I have found it to be one of the most fascinating , complicated , piece of genealogy I have under taken . You guessed it fellow researchers , "I am enjoying every moment of it- Its made my grey jelly in side my head , throb WoW !! - party time !!! - till we meet again - regards edmondsallan