The Old Rich & Famous People of Angeles and San Fernando

Angeles City became a chartered city in 1964, making it the first city of the Kapampangan Region. Angeleños owe this to the efforts of Rafael del Rosario, who was the town mayor at the time, and Atty. Enrique Tayag who helped him draft the resolution later passed by the municipal council, and Representative Juanita L. Nepomuceno, who got the bill approved in Congress.

San Fernando, on the other hand, became a component city only 37 years later, in 2001. Angeles used to be a mere barrio of San Fernando; settlers poured in after Don Angel Pantaleon de Miranda, a former gobernadorcillo (town mayor) of San Fernando, cleared it in 1796. It formally separated from San Fernando and became a town in 1829.

Thus, most of the old families of Angeles came from San Fernando - the Dayrits, the Hensons, the Lazatins, the Abad Santoses, even the Nepomucenos, half of whose ascendants were Hensons.

These old San Fernando families, in turn, had actually come from other, much more ancient, towns of Pampanga, particularly Mexico and Bacolor. (Just as Angeles was carved out of San Fernando, San Fernando itself had also been carved out of two towns, Mexico and Bacolor, in 1754.)

Take the Hensons, probably the most extensive family network in Angeles and San Fernando. The original Hensons (or Hengsons) were most likely Chinese traders in Betis, Guagua; one of them moved to Baliti, San Fernando, cultivating vast agricultural lands and starting a branch of Hensons there. Later, another Henson settled in San Fernando town proper, starting another branch. When Angeles town was created, some Hensons from Baliti and San Fernando moved in, starting their respective branches. Historian Mariano Henson wrote that “all Hensons are Pampangos and they are closely related to each other,” and that the male Hensons all have the genetic pattern of “medium stature, lightly stooping shoulders, receding hairline after middle age, taciturn disposition.”

The Nepomucenos, on the other hand, branched out from the Hensons of Angeles after an ex-seminarian from Lukban, Quezon, Pio Rafael Nepomuceno, married Agustina Henson. Their son, Juan Gualberto Nepomuceno, became the father of Mariano Nepomuceno, patriarch of the Nepomucenos in politics (son Francisco or Apung Quitong, and grandson Francis or Blueboy), and Juan de Dios Nepomuceno, patriarch of the Nepomucenos in business and education (Nepo Mall, Angeles Electric, Ice Plant, Nepo Mart, Villa Teresa, TGN Realty, Holy Angel University).

A sister of Agustina Henson, Petrona, had a daughter who married Braulio Aquino of Concepcion, Tarlac. They had a son, Servillano Aquino, who became the revolutionary hero after whom the military camp was named; and whose son, Benigno Aquino Sr., became the father of the great martyr Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

The Lazatins of Angeles descended from the Lazatins of San Fernando, who descended from the Lazatins of Mexico town, one of whom had married a Henson from San Fernando. Most of the subdivisions along the San Fernando-Angeles boundary, which belong to the Lazatins’ vast estate, bear the names of Lazatin ascendants and descendants, e.g., Villa Gloria, Villa Angela, Villa Angelina, Villa Leoncia, Villa Trinidad, L & S Subdivision (for Lazatin and Singian), and Essel Subdivision (SL for Singian-Lazatin).

The two other big subdivisions in the interior of Angeles, on the other hand, were named after Nepomucenos, indicating the line where the Lazatin lands end and the Nepomuceno lands begin; Villa Teresa, named after Juan De Dios Nepomuceno’s wife, Teresa Gomez; and Carmenville Subdivision, named after Carmen Nepomuceno Dayrit, mother of Renato ‘Katoks’ Tayag.

The patriarch of the famous Tayag clan is Dr. Jose Tayag, one of the pioneer doctors of Angeles (along with Dr. Pacifico Panlilio and Dr. Clemente Dayrit). With first wife Carmen N. Dayrit, Dr. Tayag had nine children, including Enrique Tayag (who co-authored the Angeles city charter) and writer Renato “Katoks” Tayag, father of business leader Abong Tayag and renowned artist Claude Tayag.

The Pamintuans of Angeles are also known all over the country, primarily for cultural icon Patis Tesoro, politician Ed Pamintuan, ambassador Narcisa “Ching” Escaler and filmmaker Mike de Leon. Their patriarch is Florentino Pamintuan, who descended from the ancient Pamintuans of southern Pampanga. Ascendants included Augustin Pamintuan, a leader of the Kapampangan Revolt of 1660; Phelippe Songsong, who was martyred along with Blessed Pedro Calungsod; and the Talangpaz sisters, founders of the Congregation of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters.

The Hizons of San Fernando were originally traders from Malabon who first arrived in Mexico town on a casco. They branched out by marrying into old families in Pampanga, including the Singians, Hensons, the Dizons, the Ocampos, the Parases and the Rodriguezes. Among their descendants are the famous architect Fernando Ocampo, Bishop Federico Escaler, SJ, and businessman Gerry Rodriguez.

According to local historian, there are three Dayrit branches in San Fernando: (1) the Santo Rosario branch, which includes revolutionary heroine Nicolasa Dayrit who married Vicente Hizon Panlilio; (2) the San Jose branch, which includes writer Amando Dayrit, conchologist Fernando Dayrit, UP librarian Marina Dayrit (it was this branch that married into the Nepomucenos of Angeles which produced Carmen Dayrit); and (3) the Calulut branch, which includes renowned cardiologist and virgin coconut oil scientist Dr. Conrado Dayrit and former health secretary Manuel Dayrit.

Meanwhile, the forebears of the Abad Santoses are Vicente Abad Santos and Toribia Basco; their children include Pedro Abad Santos, who founded the Socialist Party of the Philippines; Emilia Abad Santos, whose husband Isabelo del Rosario was a revolutionary hero and martyr (their descendants are the Del Rosarios of Angeles); and of course, Jose Abad Santos, Chief Justice and World War II martyr. A descendant is Senator Jamby Madrigal.