UPDATE SECTION

JULY 2006
Two birthdays are going to occur in the next few days. First is that of Elma Orosa Paraiso, who will be 78 on the 19th. Tita Elma is the youngest daughter of the fabled Agaton Orosa of Taal. Agaton has over 200 direct descendants, the most numerous of any Orosa, Taal, Bauan or anywhere else. Tita Elma resides in San Pablo City and was hale and hearty when I last saw her in February. Most of her children are in California. Then on the 23rd, Apolinario "Naring" Orosa is turning 80. Naring resides in San Juan. Naring's pride is oldest grandson Philip O. Sarol, a sophomore at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Happy birthday to you both!

To add to her long list of prestigious awards, Rosalinda L. Orosa received the Isabela Catolica Cross from the Spanish Ambassador last month. The Isabela Catolica Cross is the highest award that can be bestowed by the King of Spain (Juan Carlos) to any non-Spanish citizen. Incidentally, the Spanish Ambassador, Ignacio Sagaz, is married to a Filipina. Rosalinda writes a twice weekly column for the Philippine Star, "Sundry Strokes" on Wednesdays and "Table Talk" on Saturdays. Check out her latest column, written about the July 4th celebration at the American Embassy. Follow this link: http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200607152606.htm. Felicitaciones Rosalinda!

Let us welcome Roselle H. Orosa, daughter of the late Ramon Orosa and granddaughter of Ricardo "Carding" Orosa of Sydney. After years of not being in contact, she is now with her aunt & uncle, Laura (Nannette) O. Mendez and husband Luis (Luigi). They are in the New York city area. Thank you Nannette and Luigi!

Back in 1923, Dr. Sixto Y. Orosa, father of Rosalinda, wrote a book titled "Sulu Archipelago and Its Peoples". An Italian gentleman, married to a Batanguena, contacted me earlier about Dr. Sixto's work. Unfortunately, even after contacting Evelyn del Rosario Garcia (granddaughter of Sixto), we couldn't be of much help to the Signore in his research. He is researching the flags of the Sultanate of Sulu. It is interesting that an Italian found the work of our esteemed uncle, then our website and established contact. Small world, isn't it?

JUNE 2006
A few days from today, on June 29, Milagros Orosa Aliling will be celebrating her 86th birthday. As mentioned in the previous update (March), she is still indispensable to her long time employer. She is the family historian of the Basilio and Agaton Orosa side, with an impeccable command of Tagalog. To illustrate, a few years ago we discovered a letter written in 1907 by my grandfather Simplicio A. Orosa to my father Vicente who was then studying at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, IL. We couldn't translate a lot of the Tagalog words but Milagring came through. She is the epitome of Batangas hospitality and on every trip we've made to visit the Philippines, Milagring undertakes a big feast for us. It was during one of these feasts that we were introduced to adobong Taal, a variant of the ever popular adobo. (For the uninitiated, adobong Taal is made is yellow ginger and vinegar, with NO soy sauce.) There is also tulingan, or tuna, and maliputo, a rare fish found only in Lake Taal. And to make sure I am reminded of my Batangas heritage, I get a package of tsokolate, or chocolate balls to take back to the U.S. When properly prepared, Batangas chocolate puts any Nestle hot chocolate to shame. Or even Starbucks.

I couldn't do justice in describing Milagring's full and exciting life. But Milagring's children prepared a DVD of for her 85th birthday and gave me a copy. It is truly touching. Unfortunately, this is something that is too large to put in our website, our memory storage is limited. So, if you would like to view Milagring's DVD, send me an email at morosa@cinci.rr.com and I'll make a copy for you. After every visit I always tell Milagring she is my favorite third cousin. I mean it! MALIGAYANG KAARAWAN SA IYO, MILAGRING. Check out the link of her pictures in the index page, Milagros Orosa Aliling, Celebrating Memories. Click on the "View Slideshow."

I have a first cousin who is in her 87th year. Helen Orosa del Rosario is getting frail of body but strong of faith. She is the biographer of Maria Y. Orosa. Her daughter Evelyn sent this prayer composed by Helen.

MARCH 2006
Can't believe our last update was in August, seven long months ago. Of course my excuse has been being called back to work by Procter & Gamble and spending the next several months in a town called Uppingham in the English Midlands. But enough, here's what's been happening. February was spent in the Philippines, visiting our relations and continuing to see beautiful Philippines.

Let's first start out with a TRIBUTE to our seniors. They are our link to the past, an anchor of our values and traditions, preserver of memories and guardians of family history. They may have slowed a step or two but we should be so lucky when (or if) we reach their venerable ages. Two of them, Milagring O. Aliling and Rosalinda L. Orosa, are still working full time! Their employers, the Tuazon investment group and Philippine Star respectively, can't do without their services! May their numbers increase and their health remain robust.
                                                      Born         Residence:
Ely Orosa Raquel-Santos                 1915         Metro Manila
Clemen Ylagan Villarosa                  1919         Metro Manila
Helen Orosa del Rosario                   1919        Metro Manila
Milagring Orosa Aliling                      1920        Metro Manila
Angelina "Tita" Orosa Velez              1921        Brisbane, Australia
Evaristo "Evar" S. Orosa                   1922        Metro Manila
Criselda "Cilding" Ylagan Angara       1922        Antipolo, Rizal
Jose "Pepe" Eleazar                        1924        Calauag, Quezon
Apolinario "Naring" N. Orosa             1926        Metro Manila
Rosalinda L. "Baby Girl" Orosa         1926        Metro Manila
Conrado "Dado" O. Ilagan                 1927        Vancouver, BC
Virginia "Viring" Orosa Grey              1927        Metro Manila
Elma Orosa Paraiso                         1928        San Pablo City, Laguna
Ricardo "Carding" Q. Orosa              1930        Sydney, Australia

Sorry but I arbitrarily used 1930 as the cutoff year. If I missed anyone, please advise. There are two from the Camarines Orosas, Tata Gustin Orosa and Nana Conching Orosa Mariano, both in their 80's, but I hadn't heard from them in a while. 

In the meantime the younger generation continues to expand. We welcome recent additions: Kirsten S. Hilario, born in Chicago, IL Feb. 26 and Alexie Safiya Ilaga, born Feb. 15 in Quezon City. Kirsten is a great great granddaughter while Alexie is a great great great granddaughter of the Bauan Orosa forebear Guillermo Orosa. Both are from the Vicente Y. Orosa branch.

In another milestone, Ria Francisco, granddaughter of Helen O. del Rosario and great granddaughter of Drs. Sixto Y. and Severina Orosa, was married to Mr. Paolo Prieto in a wedding that received a lot of coverage. Check out some pictures and article on the update 2006 page. A belated congratulations to the happy couple.

We had the opportunity to catch up with a few cousins. Mitoy & Elsa Orosa hosted a dinner at their newly built house in Tierra Pura subdivision in Quezon City. Then Milagring O. Aliling had a lunch at her son Tito & Evelyn's weekend home in Tagaytay. From there we had merienda at the Aliling Bahay Pahingahan in Barrio San Nicolas on the shore of Lake Taal. We've got a bunch of pictures you can peruse at the update page.

Of course during the visit to Lake Taal, we took a side trip to Lemery, to check up on some other Orosas. Thanks to information first passed on by Dan Orosa of San Diego, we were able to obtain a list of Orosas from Dr. Datingaling of Lemery. Unfortunately, all we had was a street, with no numbers. So Evar and I literally walked one street of Lemery and started asking strangers. Fortunately, after a couple of inquiries, we were directed to a family of Orosas. We were able to mine a few names but unfortunately their recollection only went back three generations, to the 1920's. So we can't be sure of any connection. More DNA tests anyone? Prior to leaving I requested one of them, Mrs. Cornelia Orosa, to compile a list of all relations she is aware of. Apparently Lemery is chock full of Orosas. She graciously responded shortly after I arrived back in Ohio and her list of can be seen at Lemery Orosas. It is not very long and we'll try to check if her grandfather had any siblings.

Finally, here is my paean to the land of our forebears. Why it is a joy to be a Pinoy, or at least a Balikbayan:
Forget about the landslides, typhoons, floods and politics. Only the typhoons are natural, the rest are caused by man's neglect, abuse or folly. As endowed by nature, the Philippines is a beautiful country, second to none for a country of its size. Every trip I make reinforces it. The archipelago has a longer coastline than even the United States. Beaches stretch the length and breadth of the 7,100 islands. If you so desire you could walk hundreds of kilometers nonstop along sandy beaches. Take your pick of beaches along the China Sea, Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Mindanao Sea, Celebes Sea, countless bays, passages and straights. Corals abound, the most extensive and diverse in the world, more than the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. In the words of the Shedd Aquarium of Chicago, it has the most prolific coral reefs in the world with 600 forms of coral and 2,000 kinds of fish. When Shedd built a permanent exhibit on reefs, it choose to mimic the reefs of Apo Island near Dumaguete, down to importing 17 tons of sand. Then there's the mountains of the Sierra Madre running north south along eastern Luzon and the saw toothed Cordilleras along its spine. The Cordillera's rough terrain didn't faze the Ifugaos and the Bontocs - they carved out the Rice Terraces from the steep mountains during the time the Chinese were building the Great Wall. Figured out a way to irrigate too. If you haven't seen the rice terraces of Banaue, Bontoc, Hapao, Bangaan and Batad, you have missed seeing an engineering marvel of ancient man, before the advent of machinery. Don't ever call the locals lazy. They built it all by hand. UNESCO has declared the rice terraces a World Heritage Site. Do you like volcanoes? The Philippines has 200 of them, with about 20 on the active list. Everyone claims to have the most perfect cone shaped volcano but Mayon has been judged so by no less than the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Some erupt with fury and rain devastation, like Pinatubo in 1991 or Taal in 1965. But in one of mother nature's ironies, the volcanic soil becomes fertile after a number of years of lying fallow. Ten years after Pinatubo, the sugarcane fields of Pampanga are as lush as ever. Even the town of Porac, once buried in lahar, has been resurrected. Once all you could see was the roof and steeple of the town's church sticking out of the lahar. Like the legendary Phoenix, Porac has been dug out of the ashes. In the rice paddies of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, the fields are in various stages of greenery. There's the dense lime green of the seedlings waiting to be transplanted and the dark green of the newly rooted seedlings in the muck. Scores of egrets fly from field to field. Other fields, newly harvested, have a stubble of yellow straw. If I haven't convinced you of the Philippines great natural and sometimes man made beauty, get yourself the December 2005 issue of Philippine Airlines' Mabuhay magazine. There are tons of gorgeous pictures.

What goes good with a McDonald burger or KFC? Fries? Mashed potatoes? Rolls? No! Only rice would do. The American fast food exports have been Filipinized. They even serve longaniza burgers. A value meal costs about $1.20. If you would rather have Filipino food, the merienda buffet at local chain Kamayaan costs less than $2.00. All the dinuguan and bibingka you can stuff yourselves with, including at least three kinds of pancit. But the most successful and extensive fast food is Chinese Filipino owned Jollibee. Their burgers taste better and they have expanded to California. They have the cleanest CR (that's what Pinoys call their bathroom or comfort room), cleaner than any fast food outlet in the US. Their value meals are barely over a $1.00.

If you are a massage fanatic like me you can indulge in an hour of reflexology, shiatsu, Swedish or Xiamen foot massage for $8.00 before tip. Outside of Manila it could cost as little as $5. Pedicure or manicure is $1.50. Even in a top Edsa or Makati hotel spa, a 2 1/2 hour massage and facial costs $40. 

Looking for a place to retire or maybe just spend a few weeks or couple of months vegetating during the dark days of a mid-western winter? An air-conditioned cottage along the beaches of Zambales costs all of $30 a nite, with reduced weekly or monthly rates. You can watch the sunset behind the south China Sea while sitting on the beach drinking a cold San Miguel. For dinner, you can have seafood that was caught only hours or even minutes before.

Still not convinced? A senior citizen card qualifies you to 20% off on medicine and restaurants. Sorry, not good for bars or liquor. In Makati, movies are free for seniors. With the discount, your McD or Jollibee value meals comes down to less than 90 cents US.

No doubt you have seen folk dance performances since they are de rigueur at tourist hotels. You may already have even seen the famed Bayanihan or the Filipinescas of the late Leonor Orosa Goquingco, revived last year. But you have to see the Bauan, Batangas High School group Sining Kumintang perform to complete your experience. These are 16 year old kids from Bauan and every single year they travel to some part of the world to compete against other nations. Their list of trophies and awards is impressive. Their last major performance was at the World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan and they brought the normally staid Japanese audience to their feet. They bring energy and enthusiasm that only teenagers can. They should make every Batangueno proud.

Like classical music? Check out Carlos Alberto Ibay. A classical pianist blind since birth, he has wowed audiences world wide. Enter his name on a search engine to find out more. Thanks to columnist Rosalinda Orosa for devoting a column and bringing him to our attention.

Its great to be a Balikbayan. To appreciate being Filipino. So many islands, beaches and mountains, so little time. We'll be back next year!

AUGUST 2005
On October 23rd, Cleo Tigno Howell, daughter of Alice Orosa & Roland Tigno and granddaughter of Rafael & Fabiana will be participating in the Nike Women's Half Marathon run to raise money for the Team in Training Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This organization is dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, myeloma and other blood-related cancers and improving the quality of life for patients and their families. Leukemia is the number one killing disease of children, yet it affects 10 times as many adults. To contribute, please go to her website at  http://www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/CTHowell
On a personal note, Marc H. Orosa, grandson of Augusto "Toto" Orosa and Lou, passed away from acute lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 20. Please support Cleo on her mission.

Philip Ylagan Angara, son of Cilding Ylagan Angara and grandson of Simplicia Orosa & Doroteo Ylagan, has founded Rebirth Trading. The company exports / distributes Virgin Coconut Oil, Coconut Dietary Fiber and essential oils. For more information, please contact Philip at philipangara@yahoo.com or rebirth_trade@yahoo.com

The youngest generation of Orosa descendants continue with their achievements:
Philip O. Sarol, daughter of Diana Orosa Sarol and grandson of Apolinario "Naring" Orosa, has been accepted and is going to attend Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What is unique about this? Well, Philip attended Xavier School in Quezon City. Think your school is tough? At Xavier, Philip had to take Latin and Mandarin. Xavier is a Jesuit school founded by Jesuits who were formerly missionaries in China. Xavier is attended mostly by Chinese Filipinos, that's where the Mandarin came from. Marquette is a Jesuit university which happens to have a good basketball team.

Michelle H. Orosa, daughter of Mike Orosa and grandson of Augusto "Toto" Orosa, won a journalism scholarship awarded by the German government through their embassy in Manila. Next month Michelle goes off to Berlin for several months. When I asked if they all had to sprechen Deutsch, the answer was that the awardees came from all over so the classes are in English. All stipends are included. Nice. Michelle graduated with honors from Ateneo University.

Kurstin (Sashi) Mendez, daughter of Laura (Nannette) and Luis Mendez, granddaughter of Ricardo Q. Orosa & Adelaida Caparas, great granddaughter of Nicolas & Laura - graduated cum laude from St. John's University last June 05, she has been recruited by CNN as a marketing executive for TNT. Let's wish Philip, Michelle & Sashi, who are third cousins, the best of luck.

Please check out the tributes to our late National Artist,  Leonor Orosa Goquingco, at Leonor Orosa Goquingco Tribute & Obituary

JULY 2005
Last month, we (Val & Mario Orosa) spent several days (June 10, 11 & 12), with some of our west coast cousins. For pictures and particulars, please refer to San Francisco Get Together. It wasn't quite the Orosa reunion we had first envisioned but we have some experienced organizers in the group and next time we will allow for more lead time (9-12 months) and spreading out of responsibilities. I know of several Filipino American families that have successfully organized family reunions - the Escobars (my maternal side), del Fierros (maternal side cousins) and the Paraisos (our cousins through Elma, daughter of Agaton). Each averaged well over 100 people from all over the US with some coming from the Philippines. 

MAY/JUNE 2005
First let us welcome Sofia Marie Therese Lapus Orosa, born May 9, 2005 to Christine & Sixto IV "Eugen" Orosa. Sofia is the youngest of the 8th generation of Orosas. The Sixto (Sr., Jr. III & IV) family have a virtual monopoly on the 8th generation.

Another DNA test result has been received, from a sample taken from the Basilio side. He and I match in 11 out of 12 DNA "markers" which means that we are related but the most common ancestry goes back further than we imagined. The information that has been passed on is that Guillermo (my great grandfather, father of Simplicio of the Bauan Orosas) and Basilio (father of Agaton of the Taal Orosas) were siblings. This DNA test indicates that they probably weren't siblings. Otherwise the DNA would have matched in 12 out of 12. But we are still descended from a common ancestor, just that Guillermo and Basilio were probably cousins, even distant cousins. I am contemplating expanding the DNA analysis to 25 markers (for additional fees of course) to determine the point of common ancestry. Stay tuned.

Received an email from a Lemery Orosa who had visited our website. We first learned of the Lemery Orosas from Dan Orosa of San Diego, during our visit to Manilla and Taal in Dec. 2003. We tried to make contact but were unsuccessful. So the email is a pleasant surprise. Could this be another related branch? More DNA tests!

We are still having an Orosa reunion the second weekend of June in Alameda, CA. Doesn't look like we're going to have an overwhelming attendance but we'd like to set the stage for bigger and better gatherings. We will be reporting back with pictures by the end of June.  

APRIL 2005
It is not quite April as this is being written but we are close enough. It seems we are ahead of the curve among families in using DNA for genealogical research. Independent of the Orosa family genealogy, anyone can participate in these genealogical studies. One organization is the nonprofit Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, www.smgf.org. You can join this project by visiting their website and filling out a form. However they do not release individual results. The Foundation is interested in ethnic and geographical origins and personal results are kept confidential. Another, newly formed organization, is the Genographic project of the National Geographic magazine and IBM. Their website is: www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic. Their objective is migratory patterns of the human race, a rather ambitious undertaking. Interestingly, the DNA analysis for this project is going to be conducted by Family Tree DNA, who performed the Orosa DNA analysis. Visit the Sorenson and NG/IBM websites, you might be persuaded to join and contribute to the database. This will not impact the Orosa surname project at Family Tree DNA.

Speaking of DNA results, it seems that the Batangas Orosas are NOT related to the Camarines Orosas. Our DNA's were far apart. To give you an idea, Family Tree tests twelve "markers" and my DNA only shared a few with my Camarines counterpart. On the other hand I shared up to 11 of the 12 markers with people from Indonesia. To prove a common recent ancestor, all the 12 must match. Not the results we expected but one can't argue with science. There is another DNA sample being tested and we'll report on that in a couple of months. (That's how long the backlog is Family Tree DNA.)

Tempus fugit. The date of our projected reunion (June 11-12, 2005) is less than seven weeks away. Time is of the essence. It is imperative that those planning or thinking of attending communicate with me. Do not hesitate to email morosa@fuse.net. Hope to hear from you soon!

MARCH 2005
This is getting to be a great year. We received a communication from an American Orosa who is of Spanish heritage by way of Cuba. He very kindly provided us with a crest that his family found during a trip to Spain. This is the Orosa family crest. Check it out on our home page. OK, so Filipinos are not usually into crests but this is part of our heritage and where our name comes from. For the uninitiated, the surname Orosa comes from the northwest Spanish province of Galicia (whose inhabitants are called Gallegos) and there is a Spanish town named Orosa. Muchas Gracias!

Our west coast cousin Joe Orosa Aliling is active in Filipino American affairs in the San Francisco area, being Chairman of the Filipino Freedom Fighters Day (3FDay) celebration on June 11, 2005 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Joe has suggested a family reunion to coincide with this celebration. I heartily endorse the idea and have sent a communication to the Orosas whom I know to be residing in the US and Canada. Including spouses and children, there are at least 100, a conservative figure. Let's get the attendance up there. Several have expressed interest and there's already a small contingent living in the Bay area to start with.

Back in January I mentioned the idea of using DNA to determine or verify our kinship with the Orosas from Camarines Sur and two other branches one from Batangas (Santiago)  and Laguna (Gregorio). The results of my DNA are in and we're expecting the DNA from a Camarines descendant shortly. Unfortunately, we have not been able to contact anyone from the Santiago and Gregorio branches. We're trying to track one from the Gregorio branch who is in San Pablo City. As for the Santiago branch, it seems that they've run out of male Orosa descendants, the only remaining heirs being descended from female Orosas. However the test requires male heirs so we may be out of luck here. My DNA results indicate that we (or at least I am) are descended from people that originally came from Indonesia. There is even some genes from India. This latter indication is not surprising since Indians came to Bali centuries ago to introduce Hinduism. Remember that when I say that we're descended from Indonesian migrants we're talking hundreds of years, before the advent of the Spaniards.   

Last but not least, Joe Aliling has again compose an essay for this Easter. Please check it out at Joe Aliling Easter Thoughts. Thank you and you all have a very Happy Easter or Passover.

FEBRUARY 2005
First some good news. Cecille Orosa Drier, daughter of the late Jose Y. Orosa, got promoted to Manager – Marketing Communications of Orange and Rockland Utilities in New York. Congratulations, Cecille! If I am not mistaken, Cecille holds the distinction of being the youngest member of my generation of Orosas, the fifth generation from our earliest known documented forebears. We are into the 8th generation.

Using a new genealogical software from Roots Magic, all the names of the descendants of Basilio, Guillermo & Santiago Orosa are now in one database. In building this database, I've included the names from my mother's side of the family (Escobars) and the Agoncillos. Total number of names in this database exceeds 1,700. At any rate the software makes it easy to create family lists, pedigree charts and descendant lists. Two descendant lists are now listed in the index page - the descendants of Vicente Agoncillo (my generation's great great grandfather) and descendants of the parents of Basilio, Guillermo and Santiago. All the surnames are also indexed. Both lists are over 30 pages long. Check it out.

JANUARY 2005
Happy New Year again, this time the Year of the Rooster which begins in less than two weeks (Feb. 8, 2005). This gives me a taste for tikoy! We are off to an auspicious beginning after a quiet 2004. We've received numerous updates, pictures and information from Orosa descendants in the Philippines as well as the United States. Whether simply pictures, births or other information, they have all been uploaded to the proper links and pages, or new pages created if appropriate. If there is one item you need to peruse in the website to remain current, it is the index page.  Scroll down and check for new links. The list is getting longer and longer, well over 100 links, closing in on 150 although there are a few built in redundancies. 

Here is something exciting that is happening this year. I've started an Orosa Surname project with Family Tree DNA. Their website is www.familytreedna.com Enter the word Orosa in the search box and you'll see what our current project status is. To complete this project all we need is a DNA sample from five male descendants (sorry ladies) of the following branches - Guillermo/Simplicio of Bauan; Basilio/Agaton of Taal, Antonio/Victorio of Camarines Sur, Santiago of Taal and Gregorio of Laguna. There are Orosas from Lemery but unfortunately we have been unable to establish contact. If we could get someone from Spain to provide a DNA sample, it might provide a clue about our origins. Anyone named Orosa can have their DNA tested by filling out the questionnaire in the Family Tree DNA website. The cost is $99 for a sample. We already have two samples either received or in process. The test will provide information on how far back our common ancestor is. Our documentation only dates back to the mid-1800's but the DNA may tell us that we've had a common male ancestor since the 1600's. It would be nice to know. Hopefully we will have the laboratory tests returned by April since they are running a backlog.

There are quite a number of Orosas who are entrepreneurs, owning or running various enterprises. To highlight this, I've added a section in the Index Page which is under "Commercial Sites." This lists all the websites of Orosa related businesses that I am aware of. Good luck to all of you! May all your ventures be outstanding successes.   

DECEMBER 2004
For the latest update, please follow the link to 2004 Year in Review.

MAY 2004
Although it has been several months since my last formal update, there has been numerous additions to our web site during the intervening time. These are all listed in the links but let me enumerate them, in no particular order. Milette Orosa Uy of Sydney sent some pictures taken over the years of relatives visiting Down Under. You will find them at From Sydney with Love. Dan Orosa of San Diego sent pictures of the historic Marella home in Taal which can be viewed at Marella House. Mrs. Bea Zobel Jr. of the fabled Ayala clan (think Makati and Ayala Land) visited this house and wrote glowing about her visit in Bea Zobel's Visit to Taal. This is a must read for anyone wishing to understand our Batangas heritage. In addition to the Marella house photographs, Dan Orosa has pictures of his & Lydia's Dec. 2003 visit with relatives on the Agaton side, at Dan & Lydia Visit. (Sorry but the captions on some of the pictures are not complete.) There is a tribute to Leonor Orosa Goquingco, our National Artist for the Dance, at UP Tribute to Leonor. This was brought to my attention by my nephew Mike C. Orosa. Leonor is the senior Orosa on the Bauan side, 87 years young. She still writes a column for the Manila Bulletin. 

Orosas keep materializing and Dan Orosa informed me of Orosas in Lemery who are patients of a doctor nephew on Lydia's side. We are trying to research this new information through the help of Dr. Esteban "Steve" Loyola of Taal whom we met in December.

There are now over a hundred links that can be accessed through our website, mostly internal. That is, they consist of pages with pictures or narratives which we all have contributed to. Storage isn't a problem since we can always purchase more capacity but It might be getting too unwieldy. Please let me know one way or another.

I am not sure if anyone is using Netscape as a browser but I find that the music doesn't sound with this particular browser. Perhaps some IT expert can tell us why. By browsing with Microsoft Internet Explorer, the music can be heard. Minor detail. Another browser you might try is Netcaptor.

Last but not least, I had the pleasure of meeting someone from the Getty Museum of Los Angeles and our conversation turned to the Taal Cathedral. This gentleman, Dr. W. Ginnell,  specializes in restoration and has worked around the globe. The Getty Museum sometimes assists important heritage sites. The reason I mention this is that there's currently some controversy about the preservation of the Taal Cathedral. I'm taking the liberty of checking with the Getty Museum about their program. You never know.

That's all for now and hope you are all enjoying spring (America & Europe) or summer (Philippines) or fall (Australia). 

DECEMBER  2003
Brace yourself, this is a longer than usual update. Four weeks in Manila from mid-November to mid-December allowed me to mine more information and memories about the Orosa family. With the generous sharing of their time and resources, cousin Mitoy Orosa and his father Evar took me to visit Alfonso, Cavite and Taal, Batangas. There are a number of Orosas from the Basilio side who settled in Alfonso. Evar pointed out several Orosa "compounds" in Alfonso. We even went into the beautiful property of Ramon Leyran, husband of a great granddaughter of Basilio. Taal is still home to a few heirs of Santiago, the third brother of Basilio and Guillermo, with whom Mitoy arranged a get together. 

Unfortunately, some of the information provided by Santiago's "grandchildren" murkies up the water. Basilio and Guillermo would've been born in the period around 1840 since Guillermo's son Simplicio (grandfather to my generation) was born in 1865. Basilio's son Agaton was born in 1872. But two cousins in Taal (age 72 and 63 respectively) claim that Santiago was their grandfather which would place Santiago's birth around the same time as Agaton. Unless the father of the three brothers married a second time and had Santiago at a much later date, the age gap between Guillermo/Basilio and Santiago is simply too wide. Previous information had indicated a generation between Santiago and parents of the two cousins who provided the information. This would make Santiago their great grandfather, not grandfather. Unfortunately, the issue is unresolved. Nevertheless, the Santiago Orosa roster has been updated, with several pictures.  

Although there may be an unaccounted for generation gap, there is not doubt that the Santiago side are our cousins. Amparo Orosa Luistro  and Esteban Orosa Loyola produced yellowed postcards and pictures from the period around 1920, written by our uncle Jose Y. Orosa and our aunts Felisa Y. and Maria Y. Orosa. They are addressed to Felix Orosa (father of Amparo) and Martina Orosa (mother of Esteban). Both were referred to as Tio and Tia by Jose, Felisa and Maria. We are indebted to Amparo Orosa Luistro and Esteban Orosa Loyola for their information, sharing pictures, memories and the delicious merienda served in the restaurant operated by Esteban's daughters in Taal.

Cousin Naring Orosa also generously provided his time, and with daughter Diana gave me the opportunity to visit Bauan High School and see the school's Sining Kumintang and Parulan Festival. BHS was founded by Dr. Cenon Cordero and Rafael Y. Orosa, Naring's father. The Sining Kumintang is a folk dance troupe who have made nine trips abroad in the last nine years. They have garnered honors everywhere, the latest from a festival in Budapest, Hungary this past summer. The Parulan Festival is contest among the students to produce the most attractive parol. Ho hum, another parol? Not quite. The parols are unique in that the materials are both indigenous and creative. How about fish scales and crab shells. Or palay (unhusked rice) and stalk, or corn grits, or hardwood acorns or the skin of garlic or even different shapes of pasta. Each one of the pieces, like the fish scale or palay, is meticulously glued to a frame. The Cultural Center of the Philippines is exhibiting their work this year, as they have for the past several years. Check out the pictures at Bauan High School. 

We passed by the Orosa ancestral home in Bauan, which was purchased by Simplicio and Juliana back in the early 1900's. This is where the prematurely widowed Juliana raised her eight overachieving children. Unfortunately, the house continues its slide into disrepair perhaps indicative of the fact that of the 300 plus living heirs of Simplicio, none live in Bauan or elsewhere in Batangas for that matter. 

Returning to Cavite and Batangas is sometimes like a trip into the past. When was the last time you were in a palengke? That means market for you non-Tagalogs. Palengkes were before Unimart and Shoemart with their neatly stocked shelves, air conditioning and frozen everything. Check out the Palengke pictures, with their open air meat counters and fish so fresh they are still jumping.

Visits were made to several cousins and they are pictured in the Family Visits page. The Orosa longevity gene is carrying on. On the Bauan side, our most senior cousins are Leonor Orosa Goquingco (86), Clemen Ylagan Villarosa (84), Helen Orosa del Rosario (84), Angelina Orosa Velez (82), Cilding Ylagan Angara (81). Leonor continues to write her Arts and Minds column for the Manila Bulletin. And no, she doesn't use a word processor or a PC, she writes in long hand. Not far behind are Rosalinda L. Orosa (79), Naring Orosa (77) and Viring O. Grey (76). On the Basilio side, there is Ely Orosa Raquel-Santos who turned 88 in November, Milagring Orosa Aliling (83) and Evar Orosa (82). I'm sure I missed a few.

One information proudly shared by his family (Tita Milagring for one) is that one of the more eminent chefs of Dallas, Texas is Raoul Orosa, chef and owner of Aija. His website is www.aijafusion.com. Raoul's credentials are impressive. Since his restaurant is in Texas, wonder if the other famous Texan who occupies the White House has ever stopped by and patronized the establishment.   

Did you by any chance follow the 22nd South East Asian Games recently held in Hanoi, Vietnam? Why would that interest any of the Orosas? Well, for one thing our very own singing artist and thespian Carlo A. Orosa was chosen to sing the Game's theme song of "For the World Tomorrow" during the closing ceremonies held Dec. 13. Originally written in Vietnamese, Carlo will sing the English version. More details are provided in "Carlo Orosa Performs in 22nd SEA Games."

Other Milestones:
Jose "Pepe" Eleazar, husband of the late Fely Orosa Ylagan, celebrated his 80th birthday last summer. 
Nicole Eleazar Zefran, granddaughter of Pepe, made the Bishop Ireton High basketball team in Alexandria, Virginia.
Philip O. Sarol, the 16 year old son of Diana Orosa & Raymond Sarol, was accepted into the Mensa Society. The Mensa society consists of the highest IQ's among the population, something like the top 0.1%. Way to go, Philip! Try taking the test sometime and see how difficult it is.
Ramon Jose "RJ" Leyran, a great great grandson of Basilio B. Orosa, passed away at age 35 in Manila last October. A tribute to RJ is at Ramon Jose Leyran.

Lots of old pictures were brought out by my sisters Charito and Tita. I have accused the former of deliberately rationing the pictures to me, a little at a time during each of my visits. Along with pictures from Taal, they are posted in a new Oldies, More & More page. Some wound up in the Weddings page. 

Here are some other additional or expanded web pages that are the fruit of this trip:
Ang Mabuti, Ang Masama at Ang Pangit or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Impressions of a Balikbayan)
Reunions 
Vicente Y. Orosa Family     

NOVEMBER 2003:
I have exchanged some correspondence with Sr. Jesus Ma. Orosa Castro, a Spanish Orosa. He is the latest of Spanish Orosas who have gotten in touch after seeing our website. Sr. Orosa had done research on the origin of our surname and here are his comments: 

OCTOBER 2003:
Unless you've been hibernating, you of course know that President George W. Bush, aka Dubya, made a brief visit to Manila on Oct. 18. He wore a Barong and kissed babies, or at least some babies belonging to President GMA's family. Rosalinda L. Orosa wrote about Pres. Bush's visit, titling her piece what else but "Dubya." Check it out at Dubya.

In my view the best result of having our family website is the renewal and /or establishment of connections. Two examples are provided, both comments being unsolicited. The first is a quotation from an Orosa - "Your website is great and I don't know how I would have found --- without it!" The second is from someone who was looking for an Orosa. "A million thanks. -------- has written me back. More power to the Orosa clan!" Obviously names are being withheld for privacy sake. There are lots more. Thanks for your valued input!! I have over 140 Orosa email addresses but as a matter of policy they will not be shared with anyone asking until you have approved.

The following names are either new to our roster or have provided updates these past months - Carissa (Criss) Orosa and daughter Mia, Rafael Antonio Mangubat, Samuel Armand Mangubat, Jasmine Orosa Wong, Denver Quintos Brazier, Julian Quintos Sime, Mia Quintos Sime, Adrianna Quintos Valdez, Leonarda Orosa Martinez, Enrique Martinez Jurado, Christine Jurado, Philippe Jurado, Cynthia Jurado, Ashley Jurado Martindale, Samantha Jurado Martindale, Tony Jurado, Elisa Orosa Martinez, Luisito Orosa Dolor, Joseph Andres Orosa, Ryan Carmona, Carlo Xavier Kolodziej and Eduardo Orosa. Did I miss anybody? For the sake of brevity, spouses names have been omitted but check the roster. Thank you and keep the updates coming! 

Milestones: 
1. On the 25th of October there was a birthday celebration in the town of Innerleithen, near Edinburgh in Scotland. Maria Christina "Diding" Orosa, who lives in Edinburgh (and London) and her younger sister Maria Socorro "Yoying" Orosa will be co-celebrating. Diding is turning 60! Yoying lives in Vancouver, British Columbia so is traveling a long way for the occasion. They will be joined by brother Ramon who is coming from Manila! This family takes their birthdays seriously. So let's have a toast and a heartfelt Happy Birthday to our two cousins.
2. We are saddened by the news from the Philippines about the untimely death of RJ Leyran, son of Marina Salazar and Ramon Leyran. Marina is a granddaughter of Agaton Orosa. We convey our sincere condolences to the Leyran family. 

The number of links in our website continues to grow. There are now 76 links. Some links also continue to expand in contents. For example, I've been able to capture almost all the weekly columns of Rosalinda L. Orosa in the Philippines Star. (The columns have to be stored in our website server because for some unfortunate reason, the Star's archive system doesn't work.) You can read her columns for the past two months by going to the Articles then Sundry Strokes links.

I have added a couple of links for general interest in events or things Filipino. There are close to 150 Orosa descendants abroad, mostly in North America. Those of us in this community straddle two cultures. There is a Filipina writer named Jessica Hagedorn who has written books that about this kind of experience which some of us might find interesting.  Ms. Hagedorn has Spanish, American, Filipino and Chinese heritage. The other link is to PBS or Public Broadcasting System, the education TV channel in the US. PBS presented a segment on Mindanao that aired last summer. These are not family related but we cannot forget where we came from.  

SEPTEMBER 2003:
Like all of our other Orosa cousins, the family of Nicolas Y. Orosa is separated by oceans. There is a branch in Australia consisting of Ricardo Q. Orosa (aka Carding)  and most of his children. Earlier this month Carding and wife Nida traveled to New York City to visit one of his children. A few of the children of Nicolas Q. Orosa Jr. (Nick remains in Manila) happen to be in the New York area. So, a Nicolas reunion was on. Pictures of this happy event are in the following link; N.Y. Orosa family in New York. 

AUGUST 2003: If you'll notice, the home page has a new look. A couple of paragraphs have been rewritten and recognition given to other Orosas. The list of links have been removed and can be accessed through the navigation bar just below the title. There are now a total of 65 links, having added several in the last couple of weeks. See if you can find them! The flags have been converted to thumbnails. The purpose of all this is to reduce the size of the home page and make it less cumbersome. An American friend complained about having too much in the home page. Let me know if you agree or don't agree. Last but not least I received a list of the children and grandchildren of Maria San Juan Orosa of Camarines. Our Camarines brethren list is now about 120, a significant increase from our humble beginning list of about 30. Thanks to Randy Carino of Naga, Maria's grandson.

There has not been an update on this page for a while (I've been sending emails instead to the 110+ or so Orosas on my list) so here is a summary of what has been happening the past several months. First there is the matter of domain names. We of course have www.orosa.org; a cousin on the Sixto side, Jose P. "Joey" Orosa owns www.orosa.com. I had the opportunity to purchase www.orosa.net but wasn't quick enough, so one of those outfits that trade on domain names bought it and is willing to sell back at a 1,000% markup. No thanks. I do have www.familyaorosa.com from before. As an additional measure I purchased www.orosa.us. New extensions have been approved for use such as .info but we shouldn't need any more, just protect the ones we have.

From our home page, there are no less than 59 separate links. There is a wealth of information out there, peruse and enjoy. You don't have to finish in one sitting, take your time!

Future Olympian? Here is a note about a couple of  great grandchildren of Rafael Y. "Paito" Orosa. They are the children of Cleo Tigno and Daniel Howell. Cleo is the daughter of Alice Orosa (Paito's daughter) and Roland Tigno of San Jose, CA. 

January 2003: 
Happy New Year. Its really not too late because the Chinese Lunar New Year is coming up. Of course you all still eat tikoy, right?

During the Martin L. King Holiday weekend in the US, we had the pleasure of having a mini-mini get together between Milette Orosa Uy, Cecille Orosa Drier, myself and a part of our families in Manhattan (New York City.) Our pictures are in the following page: New York Gathering 

November 2002: 
I am happy to publish a short piece by cousin Apolinario "Naring" Orosa. I asked Naring to write about his father Rafael and this is his first result which I entitled Memories by A. Orosa.

October 2002: 
We have several pictures to share and I've placed them in a single page: New Photos for October Thanks to Maria Christina "Diding" Orosa of Edinburgh and London for the pictures of Sixto Y. Orosa and his family. They are great oldies! 

There is a picture of the cover of Bride's magazine. We should be proud of the work of Janis Velez Folez who created the cover. Janis does her work in San Diego. 

There is also the wedding picture of Melissa Orosa "Mishi" Uy from Sydney. 

I have been corresponding with 82 year old Agustin "Tata Gustin" Orosa Sr. of Libmanan, Camarines Sur. He informed me that his sister Consolacion was in contact with Maria Y. Orosa and Jose Y. Orosa before the outbreak of WWII. Their correspondence intimated that the Batangas and Camarines Orosas are related.  Consolacion is living in Canaman, CS and I am  attempting to get in touch with her so jog her memory or see if there were any letters saved. This would be an exciting connection if we can establish it. You'll be the first to know!

I thought we would have a little fun and publish a letter written by Simplicio Agoncillo Orosa to his son Vicente (my father.) The letter was written in 1907 when Vicente was seventeen years old and completing his prep school in Cincinnati Ohio. See how well you do with the archaic Tagalog. Have fun! The link is: Simplicio to Vicente 

September 2002: My elder brother, Augusto "Toto"  Orosa, passed away Tuesday at the age of 83 years and eight months. I have composed a tribute to him at: Augusto Escobar Orosa 
Another tribute is from our cousin Rosalinda L. "Baby" Orosa. She is a writer for the Philippine Star.  Rosalinda L.Orosa's Tribute 

August 2002: There is a couple of exciting news. First is your chronicler's getting together with Fr. Agustin "Jojo" Orosa Jr. He belongs to the Camarines Sur branch and he gave me more information on his side of the family. Although we have not established a connection yet between the Camarines and the Batangas branches, it is getting more and more interesting. Fr. Jojo is with the Order of St. Camillus and is presently posted at St. Luke's hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We will also stop referring to Cabusao but instead use Camarines Sur. The reason is that the Orosas there live in several different towns - Cabusao, Libmanan and Naga. Fr. Jojo mentioned that the Camarines Orosas were adventurous, which sounds familiar. They have several that migrated to New Zealand, a place not yet inhabited by any Batangas Orosas. One of his uncles raised his family in Zamboanga.   

The other exciting event is a communication I received from Eldridge Marvin Aceron from the Basilio branch. He is a great great grandson of Basilio. The Acerons have their own web site. Visit them at http://aceron.blogspot.com/  

July 2002: Thanks to the yeoman efforts of Fermin "Mitoy" Orosa (officially my third cousin,) we now have a more complete roster of the Basilio and Santiago sides. Of the three brothers (Guillermo, Basilio and Santiago,) the heirs of Basilio are the most numerous, numbering at least 400. There is an undercount in the later generations that possibly could bring the total to around 450 or more, outnumbering the Guillermo side by as much as 100. The Santiago side is the smallest group among the three brothers but there may be a lot more we haven't accounted for yet. Thus there are approximately 800 Orosas that can trace themselves to these three brothers from Taal. This does not include the Orosas of Cabusao, Camarines Sur. We are more numerous than we originally thought. For the Basilio side roster (text only,) go to BASILIO OROSA For the Santiago side, go to Santiago Orosa To obtain an overview of the Orosa family lists (there are five,) follow the following link OROSA CLAN OVERVIEW Please send me a private email to correct errors or to make additions. Thank you! 

Now that we are actively researching the Orosa origins, we are turning up more and more Orosas. Would you believe that a security guard at Club Filipino in Green Hills said he went to school with some Orosas in Batangas. Then there is a Gregorio Orosa from Taal, information provided by Elma Orosa Paraiso. WHEW! 

May 2002: We have received a number of communications from individuals who have perused our web site. This is really gratifying. One result  is that we can call attention to a couple more links by Orosa descendants that would be of interest. The first is that of Lenore Lim. Her full name is Lenore Raquel-Santos Lim and her mother is Ella (we call her Tita Ely) Orosa Raquel-Santos, a daughter of Agaton Orosa and one of the pioneering women lawyers in the Philippines. Lenore is a New York artist and we invite you to visit  www.lenorelim.com

There is a one page photographic site authored by an Arnold Orosa, although we are not aware if he is a relation. Nevertheless  the site has got some beautiful and artistic pictures taken in and around Manila. ArnoldOrosa

I have compiled the roster for the Simplicio line in text only, without the pictures. This makes it easier to navigate and check for accuracy. Go to Orosa clan roster, text only Please send a private message to morosa@fuse.net for additions and corrections.

"Trivia" question of the month:
Who was the valedictorian of the Negros Occidental High School Class of 1932?
Who was the valedictorian of the Negros Occidental High School Class of 1933? (This person is still with us.) 

April 2002: TJ Orosa of the Camarines Sur branch has been diligently checking the (LDS) Latter Day Saints files for clues on the origins of the Camarines Orosas. He has gone back six generations to an Antonio Orosa. His great great grandfather Placido's father's name was Antonio but no additional information exists re Antonio. Placido was born in Cabusao in 1872, which makes him a contemporary of Agaton and Simplicio, who were from Taal. Taal to Cabusao or vice versa is a very long distance 130 years ago. Antonio would have been a contemporary of Basilio and Guillermo (and Santiago.) Here is TJ's other interesting discovery. There is an Antonio Orosa from Oaxaca (that's in Mexico) during the same period. Could the Mexican have been the forebear of the Cabusao Orosas? Stay tuned. Thanks TJ!

March 2002:  Thanks to persistent research, Fermin "Mitoy" Orosa has discovered that indeed there is a third brother to Guillermo and Basilio, named Santiago. We will be including the Santiago branch from hereon. As word spreads of our quest, there have been a number of reports of more Orosa branches. There is a Gregorio Orosa clan that has been reported by Elma Orosa Paraiso, the youngest daughter of Agaton. But a connection hasn't been established. An interesting one is with an Orosa community that hails from Cabusao, Camarines Sur, first reported by Ramon S. Orosa. Interesting because the Orosa groups at first didn't stray far from the original home base of Taal. The various branches all first migrated to within less than 30 kilometers or so, like Alfonso, Cavite; San Pablo, Laguna; and of course to Bauan. The furthest they went was across the straight to Mindoro. Cabusao is hundreds of kilometers away, fronting the Pacific. This has opened up a new vista requiring further research