Sunday, June 17, 2007

FATHER'S DAY - Mariano Flores Manguerra

Today is Father's Day and I'm remembering my own father, Mariano Flores Manguerra, born March 8, 1894, and died October 29, 1957. He was born in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, son of Pablo Manguerra and Maria Espina Flores. Papa's full-blood siblings were: Pablo Jr., Concepcion, Estefania, and Pura. His father, Pablo, had other children. Papa's mother (Maria Espina Flores) had a brother named Jose Flores, who had a daughter named Mariquita Flores (first cousin of Papa, then). Mariquita married Justice Villamor and they were the parents of the Philippine hero-pilot Jesus Villamor. Papa was a civil engineer. He attended Valparaiso University in Indiana, and when he returned to the Philippines became a professor of Engineering at the University of the Philippines. Papa had a first wife, Catalina Abad Santos, who died; they had no children. 

 Papa's second marriage was to Mama (Concepcion Alesna Cuenco). They had 4 children: Maria Victoria, Mariano Jesus, Ana Maria Teresita, and me (Cecilia Catalina). 

Aside from attending Engineering school in Indiana, he worked there. He also worked in South East Asian countries. During World War II, he was in the guerrilla movement in Mindanao. He brought his wife and 2 children with him to live in places like Malaybalay, in Mindanao. His third child was born in Mindanao; a fourth child (a boy) miscarried during the war. I was born after the war. Aside from being a Professor of Engineering, he worked as a District Engineer in Talisay, Cebu, and later became an independent Contractor building highways in Cebu and in Dumaguete. He had also built buildings in Jaro, Iloilo and Baker's Hall in Los Banos, Manila. The highways and buildings are still there. 

 Papa died of a heart attack while on a holiday in Hong Kong, on October 29, 1957. 

 (Photo l-r: Ana, Mariano, Cecilia, photo taken circa 1956)

6 comments:

  1. i was wondering if you knew other manguerra's from santa rosa?are they related to you?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comment. My father was born in Sta. Rosa and is indeed related to the Manguerras there. All Manguerras are related even the ones that come from Marinduque, and even the ones that spell their names with one "r."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am wondering if you might have any contact with the Villamors. Hon. Ignacio Villamor was a former UP president and in celebration of UP's centennial in June 2008, we will be honoring our past university presidents. We will be inviting them or their children/descendants to receive the award.

    We hope you could help us regarding this matter. Please email me at eclagrama@up.edu.ph.

    Any lead that you can help us with will be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi. I came along this post and was interested if you (in anyway) know the family tree of Jesus Villamor. I am a Villamor too and was wondering for quite sometime if I'm related to the Philippine Hero Jesus Villamor.

    My name is Arman Villamor, born in Tondo manila. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. To Hailtree and Arman: I am not in touch with the Villamors, nor do I do any more about their genealogy. I suspect there is a genealogy out there of this family, and you might want to try researching genealogy sites.

    ReplyDelete
  6. hi arman. im a villamor too..email me @ eevisayaz@gmail.com.

    ReplyDelete