Did Grace Poe Descend From "Iloilo Royalty"?

A quick search on Wikipedia will tell us that Mary Grace Poe was born on September 3, 1968 in Iloilo City. Her biological parents are unknown and she was found abandoned as a baby by a woman, allegedly in the holy water font of Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, the main church of the city. When the infant was discovered, the parish priest named her "Grace" in the belief that her finding was through the grace of God; she was christened by Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Jaro and later Archbishop of Manila.  Although the cathedral issued an announcement in the hopes that her biological mother would claim her, no one stepped forward. Grace was taken in by the Militar family.  Chayong Militar later passed Grace on to her friend Tessie Ledesma Valencia, an unmarried, childless heiress of a wealthy sugar baron from Bacolod, Negros Occidental.  She was later adopted by Philippine National Artist Fernando Poe, Jr. and his wife Susan Roces.

These above quick facts slip by quickly especially to the non-Ilonggo or non-Negrense reader.  However, if one is familiar with Ilonggo culture, especially the goings on in Jaro, a few "Aha!" moments may arise as you read this short piece.

The Wikipedia article continues to state that controversy surrounds the identity of her birth parents, with a persistent urban legend stating Poe to be the daughter of former President Ferdinand Marcos from an affair with Rosemarie Sonora, actress Susan Roces' sister and a former movie star.   I don't believe that.

Let me tell you what I believe.  Despite the missing links in the story, here's what I feel in my gut.  The Honorable Senator really did descend from "Iloilo Royalty".  If you go back to the second quarter of the 19th Century, the principal figure in the Ciudad de Jaro, Iloilo was Emeterio Ledesma and Maria Lopez

Emeterio Ledesma was a Cabeza de Barangay of Jaro, Iloilo in the 1830's. His son, Simon Lopez Ledesma, was also a Cabeza de Barangay and Capitan Municipal of Jaro. The latter earned him the name "Tan Simon" or Capitan Simon.

From the line of Emeterio Ledesma descended a great number of illustrious gentlemen who played key roles in our nation even until the first half of the 20th Century.  You have people like

- Nicolas Coloso Golez (son of Agustina Ledesma Coloso & Teodoro Golez and granddaughter of Rufina Lopez Ledesma & Miguel Maravilla Coloso) - Deputy Military Commander of the Northern Negros Revolutionary Forces; led the successful revolt in Silay against the Spaniards on Nov. 5, 1898; signatory of the “Acta de Capitulacion” or Act of Surrender in Silay on Nov. 5, 1898 and in Bacolod on Nov. 6, 1898.

- Melquiades Ledesma Javellana (son of Baldomera Hechanova Ledesma & Cristino Lopez Javellana and granddaughter of Mateo Lopez Ledesma & Alejandra Hechanova) - Municipal President of Buenavista, Guimaras in 1918.

- Demetrio Benedicto Ledesma (son of Modesto Aguisanda Ledesma & Librada Gamboa Benedicto and grandson of Simon Lopez Ledesma & Silvina Aguisanada) - Municipal President of Jaro, Iloilo in 1925.

- Antonio Ledesma Jayme (son of Sabina Lopez Ledesma & Aguedo Gamboa Jayme) - one of the first Filipino lawyers to practice law in Negros in the 1880's; elected Governor of Negros Occ. from 1904 to 1906; elected Assemblyman of the 1st District of Negros Occ. in the 1st Philippine Legislature from 1907 to 1909.

- Lucio Ledesma Jayme (son of Sabina Lopez Ledesma & Aguedo Gamboa Jayme) - Municipal President (Mayor) of Silay, Negros Occ. in 1899.

- Pacifico Plana Ledesma (son of Simon Lopez Ledesma & Asuncion Plana) - first Filipino President of the Philippine Stock Exchange (formerly known as Manila Stock Exchange) in 1947.

Am I saying that Madam Poe is a Ledesma?  Well, I don't have any proof at all.  Nevertheless, if you knew how small Iloilo is and how many find their family relations back to this lineage, there is a great chance that she could be one.

If you're a mathematician and tried to work the probability by factoring in the population of Jaro (or even the entire Iloilo) in 1968, the likelihood of what was just stated is very high.

More to come...


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