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Carmela G. Ong

October 11, 2025 //

———- a poem by her loving sister, Benjamina

Ang disciplinarian na ina, lola, at maestra but super bait at sweet na sister kita, colleague, o tulska
Wansapanatym, may isang bata, ang pangalan ay Carmela, kahulugan ay kay bongga!
Bunso ni Paquito at Pacita sa anak na labing isa. Carmel sa wikang Hebrew ang ibig sabihin ay hardin o
ubasan ng Diyos na dapat pagyamanin at palaguin. Kaya naman kay daming magagandang anak at apo
na naging yaman hindi lang dahil kay Ong kung hindi mga mag-aaral ng MSU na nangangailangan.
Tulad ng ama namin na di kayamanan, aba’y ang daming Bulungang eskewala e sariling mga anak ay kay
pureza noong nagsisimulang magtaguyod ng pamilya. Kakapusan ay parang di alintana sa paniniwalang
may Diyos na kakalinga na dumadating nga naman mula sa kung saan saan tulad ni Estela at Rudyard
Lozada, kasama na si Camille at Gracia, Paz at Pol Durico, Glenn na eldest at favorite na pamangkin o
Kenjave na laging nasa ubasan ulan ma’y di magdaan. Sympre si Benjamina, na laging partner pag may
expense beyond her, lagi kasing nagboboluntaryo alagaan si ganito, alagaan si ganiyan kahit sariling
buhay ay kalbaryo, at ang kanyang kuya sandz as mentor na always ready para kay mentee.
Ayaw niyang mag dean sa totoo lang subalit nadala sa udyok nina Sandy at Benjie na tumulong upang
programa ay gumanda pa. Alam nang lahat na hindi naging madali ang buhay ng super womang si
Carmela na all smiles tuwina di halata na kaydaming dinadalang problema buti na lang may dugong
Kasatila, matibay ang loob na kayang harapin anuman ang makarating sa damdamin.
Kaya naman limang anak na babae ay puro Titulado lahat produkto ng sariling pawis, tiyaga, at
determinasyong tumayo sa sariling paa at kusa. Salamat sa MSU siguradong mamimiss niya kayo. Sa
katunayan ayaw niyang pakinggan ang AVP na pinadala ni Doc Norman na unang nota pa lang ay paiyak
na ang Melang.
Madaling pakiusapan o hingan ng tulong ito man ay pang akademiko o domestiko maging sa pagluluto ay
handang magturo kahit via zoom empanadang recipe ay boom na boom. Yun lang limot ko na.
Magpahouse sit ay de nada kahit pa sya ang pumuno ng refrihadora. Noong hinagupit ni kristine ang
Luzon, gusto pang pumunta ng Los Baños upang tumulong dahil baha sa loob ng bahay naming ay
walang humpay.
Pagdating ng Enero bayad na ang amelyar ko basta lang reimbursement ay sobra dito. Subalit ayaw
maghugas ng plato kaya ang lusot ay pagpapiano. Minsan habang nagpapiano, narinig na tinatawag ng
Papa na kung tawagin ay Came. Nang marinig ang meeeh, meeh, dali daling tinapos ang pagpapiano at
dagling lumabas baka mapalo. Ang ama nama’y may sa hudio, sinturong mahaba, paglumapat pihado
dila lang ang walang lapat. Paglabas, ng pinto, bumungad ang tumatawag, meeeh, yun pala kambing na
alaga ni Mamang Veling. Ang paboritong tugtugin sa piano ay Fur elise na sinasabayan ng pilyo naming
kuya na si Beloy sa liriko na: “Ting-aling, aling naghihintay, ang plato mo naninigas,” na mauuwi sa tawa
sa pang-aalaska ng pilyong kuya.
Kahit bumiyahe ng apat-naput at dalawang kilometro mula kay Estela sa Alabang sakay ng bus may
dalang panga, sashimi, at pampano makita lang ang sisterakang nakatira sa bundok ni Maria. Tinipon
kaming tatlo noong Disyembre, kasama si Laura na taga Pampanga. Hindi pumayag na walang picture
ang triolos pangits na kung tawagin ng Papa, yun pala ay huling mahjong na may tongits 101 pa.
Tunay ngang kahanga-hanga ang naging buhay ni Melang na kahit shuldetz (suplada) ay may dahilan at
kung kinakailangan. Mga anak ay bugbog sarado, masakit man sa loob, may vicks na katapat ito. Marahil
ay mana sa aming ama, na sa lakas ng boses at laki ng mata, siguradong tiklop ka na.
Subalit, sa likod ng masungit na anyo, nakatago ang malambot na puso na nagpapatunay kung ano ang
totoong pakay. Kaya naman mga anak ay hindi umaalma bagkus pinapakiramdaman lang ang awra
pagdating ng ina dahil alam nila kung ano ang hirap ng maging isang single parent na puro girls pa ang
rarampa este may isa pala na ex gurl na.
Naikwento sa akin na sa pamantasan ay mahal sya ng mga kasama kahit pa nga minsan ang taray ni
ma’am Carmela. Noong nagraduation aniya mga batang pasuway ay inalis sa linya. Ganunpaman, mga
mag-aaral takot man ay may respeto dahil alam nila sa ikabubuti ang pakay nito. Ika nga galit with a
purpose.
Sa iyong bagong paglalakbay, alam ko may bago kang magandang puting kotse animo’y bridal car
papunta kay San Pedro waiting from afar. Wag mag atubili kung ikaw ay mabore dyan nandito kami
upang mapansin na ikaw ay nasa aming tabi. Kung ganyan ang itsura na parang si sleeping beauty,
gorabels, magselfie ay kering-keri.
Melang, thank you for the love and the courage you have shared, you will always be remembered for
you have proven to me as I’ve requested that you will visit me to prove that life does not end here but
continues to linger. Parang K-drama, heavenly ever after. True enough you have proven this not once but
thrice! To you Melang, may you have a new beginning in the vineyard of God, which you have
accomplished in many ways, many roles only you can play. Paalam, Melang, labyu ang lagi mong sinasabi
tuwing nagchachat tayo. Sana may internet kayo diyan para mag maritesan tayo. Happy birthday,
Melang!
================================
Born July 15, 1963, Carmela Gonzalez Ong earned a Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Filipino from the Philippine Women’s University. She obtained a Master of Arts in Education major in Reading from Mindanao State University–General Santos City. She successfully completed her PhD in Filipino at the Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology. For more than three decades, she served as a professor of Filipino Language and Literature at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities of MSU–GSC. She was an active advocate of indigenous literature and society, contributing to National Commission for Culture and the Arts folklore research, particularly on the indigenous Tboli group. She was an active member of organizations and movements dedicated to sharing knowledge with indigenous peoples to enhance their literacy levels, through which the extension program “IPagtuturo – Literacy Outreach Program for IPs” gained recognition and awards. She served as Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mindanao State University–General Santos from 2021 to 2024. She died on July 9, 2025.

Tags filipino, life, news, philippines, tagalog

Categories biographies, Uncategorized

Familia Gonzalez de Baliuag– Toto 2000

September 25, 2025 //

Familia Gonzalez de Baliuag, Bulacan

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FAMILY TREE BOOK — MY BIBLE

October 30, 2019 //

How apt that I am coming out with the THIRD edition of the Doble Zeta Family Tree on All Soul’s Day! It is really being one with them on this day.

The Family Tree is the Bible of one’s existence. Here you find one’s origins — where you came from. The Doble Zeta is so lucky to have a Family Tree so carefully put together over the years by family members.

I came across a notebook belonging to my grandfather, Fernando Gonzalez, the eldest son of Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez, son of Friar Fausto and Maria Amparo Gonzalez. In his careful and defined handwriting, he had put names, births, baptismal dates, who were the godparents, deaths and causes of deaths, of each member of the family. Fernando died in 1938. After his death, another handwriting took over the chronicling of the same statistics.

I grew up in a house full of women. I saw my aunt, Georgina, meticulously type data not only for the Joaquin Gonzalez family, but also for the other children of Friar Lopez. If she came across information related to it, she would also add it to her notes. These, and other notes made by similarly-interested family members, found their way to the First Edition of the Doble Zeta Family Tree. The committee members purged wrong information, added new ones, and laughed at the accompanying stories of these people they were putting on paper. The Committee members were Lita Estrada (Jose), Renan Prado, Elsa Alicante and Eva Iral (Soledad), Phinny Ordonez (Francisco), and for the big Joaquin group — Nena Franco, Naty Palanca, Roro Gonzalez, Tina Lesaca, Dada Aragon, and Nina Noblejas. They presented the Family Tree Book to the Family Reunion held in the dela Salle auditorium where over a hundred excited Doble Zetans congregated for the first time. If I am not mistaken, this took place in 1978.

Twenty years later, I decided to update the 1978 Family Tree book, and put photos of the family members. One of my favorite memories is of one aunt, who came several times to my office to give her fourth photo to be placed on the tree. She also made sure her branch of the family had the right information. Another aunt collected 1 x 1 ID photos from her relatives from far-away Baliuag to be posted. I still have those photos.

Now, it is again twenty years, time to shake the skeletons once again. I am quite excited about this new book. I discovered this father-and-son curators of family tree websites, and contacted them. It will be more scholarly. They will trace the lines depicting the flow of one generation to the next. There will be a directory where one can look up a name and find it in the tree more easily.

Another plus is that this book will be able to go back to Valladolid, Spain, where Friar Fausto Palominas Lopez was born. The Spanish records are so good, this book will have eleven generations of Friar Lopez’s family.

For our Mariquita Gonzalez, whom I imagine to be a strong willed woman, this book will have three generations of her lineage.

Mariquita’s parents, the Venancio delos Angeles family, will have also a few generations listed in the book.

A few years back, the Spanish government alledgly issued a decree stating that those who could prove they have Spanish roots can move to Spain as immigrants. One uncle came to me and asked, “Can I have this book to show the Spanish Embassy that I am a Spaniard?” The thought of being an EU citizen travelling without visa around the world is pretty exciting.

This book will not end on November 2, 2019. We have to check it and continually update it. There will be many issues that will need to be addressed, the foremost of which is privacy. Some individuals will want to have their secrets kept secret. But, in general, I think having the Family Tree Book 2019 will be essential to one’s identity. Who am I?

WHAT BEING A “DOBLE ZETA” MEANS TO ME

August 1, 2013 //

WHAT BEING A “DOBLE ZETA” MEANS TO ME

If you reside in San Francisco, living your own life, what is the benefit of knowing you are a “Doble Zeta”?

If you live in Baliuag, and know that, somehow, you are related to the personage that the main street is named after, Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez? Does it help your life?

If you find out that these celebrities—Vicky Belo, Ryan Agoncillo, and Gene Gonzalez—they are related to you, what does that mean to you?

If you are a student of La Salle University, and find out that the newest building is named after Brother Andrew Gonzalez, and you are related to him—does your heart swell with pride?

It’s been 202 years since Friar Fausto Lopez, the ancestor of the Gonzalez Doble Zeta, was born in Valladolid, Spain. He travelled to the Philippines when he was 18 years old, fresh from the seminary. He was assigned to Cebu initially, then to Plaridel, Bulacan. When he was 34, he was reassigned to Bulacan, this time to Baliuag. There he met his match, the beauteous Mariquita Gonzalez. She came from a wealthy and landed family. She was strong-willed, intelligent and considered unconventional for her time. Their romantic liaison produced six children—Soledad, Jose, Joaquin, Carmen, Rita and Francisco. Since Mariquita and Friar Lopez were not married, the children took the name of their mother, “Gonzalez”. The “Doble Zeta” is because Gonzalez is spelled with two “z’s” , or “doble zeta” in Spanish.

Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez became well-known in Baliuag, Bulacan because he represented Bulacan in the 1835 Constitutional Convention. The marker in Baliuag says that, “after Mariano Ponce, Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez is the next favorite son of Baliuag.”

Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez moved to the next town Apalit, Pampanga when he married Florencia Sioco, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. They had ten sons who gave them 82 grandchildren.

	Table 1. FOUR GENERATIONS OF THE GONZALEZ DOBLE ZETAS

							Total
First Generation	Friar Fausto Lopez						1
Second Generation	Soledad	Jose	Joaquin	Carmen	Rita	Francisco	6

	Soledad	Jose	Joaquin	Carmen	Rita	Francisco
Third Generation	6	6	10	0	0	11	33
Fourth Generation	24	18	82	0	0	22	146
Alive from 4th Gen	1	2	20	0	0	5	28

My mother, Eglantine, was the third eldest child among the Fourth Generation of the Gonzalez clan. She would have turned 100 years old this 2013. The eldest among the Fourth Generation children was Rogerio Gonzalez, son of Augusto Gonzalez. The second eldest among the Fourth Generation was Eglantine’s brother, Amaury Gonzalez. Eglantine and Amaury were children of Dr. Joaquin Gonzalez’ eldest child, Dr. Fernando Gonzalez.

It was my mother who drummed into my mind the importance of being a Gonzalez. She often said that the Gonzalez had “the bluest blood running in their veins.” Even if it probably meant “the royalty” among the people of Baliuag and Apalit, in my innocent mind, it felt like royalty among the people of the whole Philippines, nay, even of the whole world.

My mother also told me to be proud of being a Gonzalez. It wasn’t too hard, since Brother Andrew Gonzalez’ block-long ancestral house was close to ours. It’s like saying, “We’re rich, too!” Brother Andrew was the son of Augusto “Bosio” Gonzalez, the millionaire brother of my mother’s father. When Augusto made his first million pesos, he built and donated the Municipal Hall of Apalit, Pampanga. He named it after his mother, Florencia Sioco Gonzalez. My mother didn’t say it, but I could tell that her uncle Lolo Bosio was her idol. She wanted to be rich like him one day.

When I was preparing to study at the University of the Philippines, my mother proudly pointed out to me that her Uncle, Bienvenido “Bindo” Gonzalez, the brother of her father, was the Sixth President of the University of the Philippines. Lolo Bindo moved the University of the Philippines from Manila to Diliman, Quezon City, just before the war broke out. He was a highly principled man who refused to give a Doctorate Honoris Causa at the UP to someone he considered a “rebel”, and therefore unworthy of the honor, — the then president of Indonesia, President Sukarno. If I remember right, Lolo Bindo was almost replaced from his job for this action. But he had the support of the students, who shared his strong sense of “honor”. They put up banners and staged rallies. He was reinstated shortly after.

My mother also spoke tenderly of another brother of her father, Pampanga Representative Fausto Gonzalez, who was not only handsome and charismatic; he was also popular as a politician. I used the adverb “tenderly” with regard to Lolo Fausto, because he was so good-looking, he had women fighting over him.

Well, it wasn’t hard to look for Heroes among my mother’s TEN uncles. They were so many to choose from. Then, my mother had 82 first cousins, many of them brilliant and successful as their parents. From her grandfather’s siblings, she had a total of 146 cousins.

Now the baton has passed on to me. My son doesn’t share my mother’s views. He says, “What is so great about coming from an illicit relationship with a priest who broke his vows?”

I have to ask your opinion.

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SAMPLE TRICK QUESTIONS

November 21, 2011 //

1	The Friar’s name was	Joaquin Gonzalez	Fausto Lopez	Joseph Sioco
2	The Friar came from	Valladolid, Spain	Barcelona, Spain	Andalucia, Spain
3	The Friar fell in love with this lass in Baliwag. Her name was	Maria Amparo	Maria Rosita	Florencia
4	Mariquita was characterized as	very fragile and submissive	a woman who had a mind of her own	was a homebody and loved cooking
5	Mariquita’ came from a family of	farmers	politicians	horse breeders
6	They had how many children	one	six	ten
7	This child of the Friar and Mariquita went to Apalit	Brother Andrew	Gene Gonzalez	Joaquin Gonzalez
8	Joaquin became the	President of the Philippines	a well-known cook	a delegate to the Constitutional Convention
9	Joaquin, the son of Mariquita, was a	a medical doctor	a lawyer	a priest
10	Joaquin went to Apalit because	Apalit had those fluvial parades	the Malolos Convention	he fell in love with a girl from Apalit
		and he liked to swim	was in Apalit
11	Dr. Joaquin’s wife was named	Marina Escaler	Rosario Arnedo	Florencia Sioco
12	Florencia’s father Josef Sioco was called “Pepeng Daga” because	he lived like a rat in a small hovel	he accumulated properties all over like a rat	he liked to eat rats as a delicacy
13	Florencia and Dr. Joaquin had how many children	seven	six	ten
14	They lived in	Sulipan, Apalit	Calumpit, Bulacan	Baliwag, Bulacan
15	The favorite food of the ten Gonzalez children was	chicken McDo	potato chips	Baliwag lechon manok
16	Dr. Joaquin died of	cancer	syphilis	appendicitis
17	He did not want anyone to operate on him because	it was in the terminal stage	he didn’t think his colleagues would do a good job	he wanted to die
18	Their eldest child, Fernando wanted to be	a movie star	a poet	a farmer
19	This is what Fernando DID NOT do	collect coins and stamps	look at the stars with his telescope	marry a society girl
20	Fernando finally became a	a doctor	driver of a “Marcelo Diaz” truck	lawyer
21	Fernando lived in many posts as a “Docor Provincial” but
	retired in the hometown of his wife. This was	Mactan, Cebu	San Luis, Pampanga	Bacolor, Pampanga

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Hello world!

June 10, 2011 //

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