Visit My Grandfather’s Graves In The Philippines

A part of me never felt complete before my trip to the Philippines.  When traveling people asks me, "What are you?"  I tell them I'm American.  Then they say, "No, I mean where is your family from?"  "They are from the Philippines.  If you are asking what my Ethnic background is, then I am Filipino (with a blend of Spanish and possibly Chinese blood I am sure!)."

I wanted to learn more about my roots, so besides visiting family, I also wanted to visit my grandfather's graves while in the Philippines.

One grandfather I never met, and the other I hardly knew.

I found this old photo of my maternal grandparents when going through my uncle's photo albums.  Most of their photos were destroyed by a house fire.

My maternal grandfather's name was Edilberto.

He was my grandmothers first love, and after they married they had four children.  He was in the Philippines Air Force and was strict on his kids but loved my mother unconditionally.  He had diabetes, and at the age of 54 he died of complications from his diabetes.  At the time he passed away my mom was only a teenager. 

Because he was in the military he was buried in the cemetery for people who served in the armed forces.  Every November 1st on "All Saints Day" my family living in the Philippines visits his plot to pay their respects.  I had seen pictures of his grave site almost every year growing up, and it was surreal finally being there to see his final resting place.  He will always be my Lolo.

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A few days later we traveled into the countryside to visit the province that my dad grew up in.  While visiting the house my dad was raised in I found a photo of my paternal grandparents in their bedroom. 

My family owns a plot that our family members are buried in.  My Great Grandparents are buried at this plot too.

My Paternal Grandfather's name was Ernesto.  People that knew him called him Erning.  He was an American Soldier and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.  In fact, he lived in San Diego for a bit back in the 50's or 60's.  I still remember while I was learning how to drive he started giving me tips over the phone and said, "You should practice at this empty field near the military base."  I told him, "Tatay, I don't think that it's an empty field anymore!"

After retiring from the Navy he only came back to the U.S. another two times.  The last time he came to visit was in the early 90's.  That was the last time I saw him.  In the last few years of his life he suffered from numerous ailments like strokes, and dementia.  He was always a giving man, and frequently gave me money to put in my college fund when I got good grades, or earned awards.  I graduated college with no loans and even had some money left over thanks to his help.  He will always be my Tatay.

I was fortunate to have family members with me to complete my pilgrimage to visit and learn more about my grandfathers.  Perhaps a journey to learn more about your roots isn't something everyone wants to delve into, but for me, it was necessary to finally fill that empty void in my life.

Date Accomplished:  April 6th, 2012