My Genealogy

NARRATION ABOUT MY FAMILY HISTORY

Jayven C. Lupera | BS in Computer Science | History I

Photo Credit:
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=genealogy&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj0nP_K9d_dAhULWysKHQVHB64Q_AUIDigB&biw=1536&bih=683#imgrc=B85P3BYOBMZb2M :
 Family Tree
FATHER SIDE MOTHER SIDE
Fruto Cerbas Gregorio Cerbas and
and Gregoria Cabatian
Gabina Sembrano Cerbas

Catalina H. Cepeda Maria Cleofas Lupera

Rosendo Sembrano Pilar Cabatian
and and
Cerbas Cerbas
Alfonso Cepeda Istevan Lupera

Judith Cepeda Rogelio C. Lupera I Rosalinda Cerbas

Lupera

Rogelio C. Lupera II
Venus Cerbas

Jayven C. Lupera Veejay C. Lupera

Jayven C.Lupera Veejay C. Lupera

Prince B. Lupera Viel B. Lupera

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 LET’S WALK BACK IN TIME
As a product of a broken family, I find it hard to trace my roots

because of conflicts in and misunderstanding in our family, that’s the

main reason why I can’t trace my roots in my father side. One reason

also why it’s hard to get information about the 1st and 2nd generation of

my family history is that, in the past, Filipinos can’t really take records

about their families, all that was left was memories passed by my

ancestors to the next generation, that’s why some are already forgotten.

It was a challenge really to ask trace 5 generations of my roots,

another factor that made it hard for me is that my parents are not

around, my mother and father are both working abroad. The only source

that I can ask is my mommy (sister of my grandmother in my mother

side) since she’s the one taking care of us since then. I asked her

everything regarding our family in the Cerbas side. But she can’t

remember anything about her grandparents that’s why I had to ask her

sister, since she have 7 siblings in their family. Good thing my mommy

Inday still remembered the names of my great-great-grand parents.

Somehow, I managed to trace 5 generations of my roots in my

mother side, but the problem is within my father side. Since my mother

and father separated when I was still in elementary, I didn’t have the

medium to communicate with my family in my father side since we were

staying in hands of my lola in my mother side. I asked my cousin in my

father side to ask her mom the names of their grandparents. But when

she asked lolo and lola, they both can’t answer because according to

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them, they already forgot the names. That’s why I can only trace up to 4

generations of my roots in my father side.

When I was younger, before my parents got separated, I

remember us going to Janiuay to visit my lolo Rogelio and lola Judith.

Me, my mother, and father would ride in my father’s motorcycle and I

would always sit in front so that I could feel like I’m the one driving the

bike. It’s one of the good memories that I can still remember when our

family is still whole, I was just a kid back then, I never realized that

feeling of ‘being at home’ would have an end. At some point if my life

today, I still would miss the feeling of having a complete family, a family

to guide you, to scold you if you did something wrong, a family that

would love and take care of you. But it is what it is, we got to accept the

fact some things in life are out of our control, all we got to do is continue

with life and move on.

I didn’t include the father of my mother in the tree because she

said so. She also told me not to tell specific information about her father

because it’s confidential and is better not to include in the

documentations. At first, she doesn’t want to talk about it, but I’m

persistent, I asked her. Eventually, she told me, but she won’t permit

me to put in on the paper.

I’m Jayven C. Lupera, eldest child of Venus C. Lupera and Rogelio

C. Lupera. I have a sibling named Veejay C. Lupera, but that doesn’t end

there. You see, my mother and father are separated, specifically when

my mother was pregnant with my little sister. I can’t remember the

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details back then, but I know that my father wasn’t their when my

mother was delivering my little sister. So, to catch up to speed, my

father already has his own family and my mother remained single. I

have two siblings from my father side (which I really adore) named

Prince and Viel, they’re really cute and cuddly. So, yeah, that’s just an

introduction to my fun, yet, complicated strings of my family.

Let’s travel back in the past and look at the people responsible for

my existence. The first of the five generations of my family history,

Gregorio Cerbas and Gregoria Cabatian, and Fruto Cerbas and Gabina

Sembrano. They are the parents of my great-great-grand parents in my

mother’s side. I don’t really know a thing about them that much because

of the generation gap, my mother was not yet born when they died. All I

know is that they are from the same barangay in Passi City, which is

Barangay Agdayao. Mr. and Mrs. Gregorio Cerbas is the parent of my

great-great grandmother, Pilar Cerbas, or my lola Pila. I am very lucky

that I had the chance to meet her and spend time with her. I really love

my lola Pila, and I know that she love’s all her grandchild too. When I

was in elementary, every weekend I would go to my lola’s house and

sleep there. At the age of 91, she would still take care of me, she cooks

for me, and she always have a story to tell me. I didn’t get a chance to

meet her husband, Rosendo Sembrano Cerbas, my great-great-

grandfather. He passed away before I was born. But my lola told me

that lolo Rosen was a farmer, he was very hard working. He would plow

the farm even though it’s the middle of the day and the sun is high up in

the sky. Lolo Rosen and lola Pila have 8 children, one of those is my

grandmother Lola Rosalinda, the mother of my mama.

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 I’m not really close with my lola Rosalinda since they’re staying in

Dingle, and I’m in Passi City, we meet seldomly, during special events,

and family gatherings only. I think that my mother has some unsettled

things towards my lola that’s why we don’t usually visit in Dingle.

Regarding, my lolo, I don’t really know him since my mother never

bothered telling us about him. Things about my lolo is controversial

according to my lola Titing (sister of my lola Rosalinda, she took care of

me and my sister since my mother and father got separated). My

mother went to Hong Kong and work there to sustain our needs and

education, she is the strongest and the most beautiful girl I know, she

never gives up even the circumstances are hard, she still manages to

overcome it and be there for me and my sister. Even though she’s away

from us, I can still feel her love and care for us, she messages and calls

me every day. Even though she’s a single mother, she never lacks in

teaching us and providing for us.

Now let’s talk about my family in my father’s side. Since my

mother and my father got separated, I only visit them seldomly. I can’t

really ask my father information about our family background since we

can’t really communicate, but I know my grandparents in my father’s

side. Lola Judith and lolo Rojing, as their eldest apo, they always expect

me to watch over my younger siblings and cousins.

Lolo Rojing’s parents are Maria Cleofas Lupera and Istevan Lupera.

I can’t ask lolo personally because he lives in Janiuay and I didn’t have

time to visit them there, therefore I asked her daughter, Mama Daday,

who is also my auntie because she is a sister of my father. I asked her

the names of the parents of lolo and lola, at first, she can’t remember

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the names, so she contacted her sister and asked the names. That’s how

I got the names of the parents of my lola and lola. My lola Judith’s

parents are Catalina H. Cepeda and Alfonso Cepeda. My aunts can’t

remember that much about their grandparents, but they told me that

lola Cleofas is a housewife and lolo Istevan manages a sugarcane

plantation is Janiuay.

Lolo Rojing and lola Judith have four children, mama Maria Ana,

mommy Sara Jane, tito Kenneth, and may father, RJ. Tito Kenneth is

living in Guam with his family. It’s been years since I saw him and my

cousins because they rarely come home here in the Philippines. My

Mommy Jeje (Sara Jane) lives here in La Paz Iloilo. They have one son

named Ram and three daughters named Bea, Alicia, and Allana. I really

like staying in their house because I can spend time with my cousin in

there. Mama Daday (Ana Marie) is also living here in La Paz Iloilo, she

and her husband have 2 daughters, Cyna Angela and Snow. I’m really

close with my cousin Cyna because we both have the same age, so we

pretty much agree on everything and we have the same preferences in

almost everything. They’re times that we would sleep at my Mommy

Jeje’s house in La Paz, me and Cyna would go there. The house full of

joy and energy whenever we gather their as cousins. We would play with

our little cousins and go somewhere else to have fun. Even though he

and my mother got separated, my father still provides and support me

and my sister financially through or education and basic needs.

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 I asked my mom how she and my father met, she told me that

they were in college, their boarding house are a neighboring building.

They would hang out every time, until it became a regular habit, a good

habit that gave them something to look forward to everyday. They would

go to novena every Wednesday. My father would treat my mother street

foods every after mass, they would stroll around the Jaro plaza until

night time, my father would walk her to her boarding house. And every

Sunday they would still go to church, until it became a regular to them

and they developed a relationship. After years, their relationship caused

me to exist. At first, my mother’s grandparents were disappointed

because both are still in college. But eventually, it became okay in both

parties. They had their marriage when I was 3 years old. In 2003, my

sister was born, it was the same year that they separated.

That pretty much sums the story of the history of my family. As

you can see, because of separation of my parents and some family

issues in the past, we don’t really have that intimate bond with our

extended family. But that doesn’t mean that they’re forgotten, because

for me, family comes first, no one gets left behind, no one gets

forgotten.

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