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A professional forensic genealogist based in the Philippines. He started with family history research in 1994, and his first work was published in Family History, the journal of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in Canterbury, Kent, England. Between 2000 and 2004, he wrote numerous articles on politics, history, and genealogy for The Freeman and Cebu Daily News. His expertise is in Filipino, Spanish-Filipino, and Spanish genealogies, and he is now also honing his skills in Jewish genealogy with his work with Operation Benjamin. Aside from family histories, he is a dedicated local historian and has worked in the development sector, where he was involved in data management and capturing the success stories of community-driven development. He has a BA in Political Science, a Certification in Genealogy, and is currently finishing his master’s degree in history. He currently writes a column, History Matters, for The Freeman.

In 2023, he spearheaded the President Sergio Osmeña DNA project and definitively proved the real father of the former Philippine President. 

Publications/Media

1. Gobernador: Brief Genealogies of Cebu's Governors, Published by Amazon (September 2023)
2. Pangalawang Pangulo: Brief Genealogies of Philippine Vice-Presidential Families, Published by Amazon (September 2023)
3. The Rizalian Trees: Lineages of Jose Rizal and His Love Interests (June 2022)
4. Introduccion a la Investigacion Genealogica Hispano-Filipina, Published by Revista Descendientes (March 2022)
5. Filipino Surnames: What You Should Know About Its Origins, Published by Yes Philippines News Magazine UK (November 2021 to January 2022)
6. Top Filipino Genealogy Websites, Published by Family Tree Magazine (December 2021)
7. UNANG PAMILYA: Brief Genealogies of Philippine Presidential Families, Published by Amazon (October 2021)
8. Origin of Filipino Surnames, Published by Family Tree Magazine (June 2021) Philippine Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Filipino Roots, Published by Family Tree Magazine (April 2021)
9. The Catalogo, Narciso Claveria, and Thoughts on Filipino Surnames, Published by Amazon, (August 2020)
10. The Sales Family of Moalboal, Cebu: An Intimate History, Privately published (July 2018)
11. The Luceros: Portrait of a Cebuano Family Published by Amazon (September 2017)
12. Argao's Principalia: A Brief History, Published by Lulu Press (September 2017) / Amazon (2018)
13. 9 Days and 5 Decades that Changed Cebu Published by The Freeman (July 18, 2014)
14. A History of the Town of Argao, Published by the Provincial Government of Cebu (April 2010)
15. Argao: 400 Years in Legend and History Published by the Municipality of Argao (September 18, 2008) / Amazon (2018)
16. Chino Bravo: The Story of Don Pedro Gotiaoco Published by Southwall Magazine (May 2005)
17. Lucero of Argao, Published by Family History, Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (January 1998)

Lectures

2024

• Interviewed by The Family Histories Podcast UK, 21 May 2024.

2023

• Presented Ancestral Roots to Economic Routes: The Role of Genealogy in the Truthful Telling (or Retelling) of History, 21 October 2023, sponsored by Cebu Normal University.

2022

• Presented Filipino Genealogy 101: Tracing your Filipino Family Tree, sponsored by the Filipino Young Leaders Program, on February 20, 2022.
• Presented Filipino Surnames and the Claveria Decree, sponsored by the Filipino Young Leaders Program, March 26, 2022. 

2021

• Presented An Initial Look into the Implementation of the Claveria Decree of 1849 in the Municipalities of Argao, Cebu; Lubao, Pampanga; Naga City, Camarines Sur; and Davao City, Davao del Sur during the Philippine National Historical Society (PNHS) 2021 Conference, November 19, 2021. 
• Presented Using Catholic Spanish-Period Church Records in Philippine Genealogy during Rootstech Connect 2021, sponsored by Family Search, on February 24, 2021.
• Presented The Origin of Filipino Last Names during Rootstech Connect 2021, sponsored by Family Search, on February 24, 2021. 

2020

• Presented The Sottos: A Brief Genealogy during the Vicente Sotto Lecture Series #4: Kasadya!, presented by the Cebuano Studies Center, on December 12, 2020, webinar. 
• Moderated a panel Contemporizing History in the 7th International Conference of the International Council for Historical and Cultural Cooperation-Southeast Asia and the 2020 Philippine Historical Association Annual Conference, sponsored by the Kapisanang Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, Masyarakat Sejarawan Indonesia, and Persatuan Serajah Malaysia, October 31, 2020, virtual conference. 

2019 & Older

• Presented An Introduction to Filipino Genealogy in A Walk Down Memory Lane: Exploring Local History through Genealogy and Cultural Landscape Mapping sponsored by the University of the Philippines Cebu, December 1, 2019, Cebu City.  
• Presented the paper Singing Their Songs, Telling their Tales: An Introduction to Filipino Genealogy using Spanish-period Records in the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Conference sponsored by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and University of San Carlos, October 12, 2018, Cebu City.

Research Time Periods

• 21st Century
• 20th Century
• 19th Century
• 18th Century
• 17th Century
• 16th Century and Earlier

Languages
English, Filipino, Tagalog, Cebuano, Spanish

Affiliations
Genealogist United
Association of Professional Genealogists

Degrees
Master of Arts in History (Finishing)
University of San Carlos

Diploma, Genealogy 
Manchester Centre of Excellence UK

Leadership And Management Development Course
Civil Service Institute

Bachelor of Arts (Political Science)
University of The Philippines Cebu