Domingo Lamco (Mercado)

Lam-co (also called Cua Lam, Cua Yi Lam in Hokkien or Ke Yi-nan in Mandarin) was a native of Sionque, in the Chinchew district of the province of Fookien. He moved to the Philippines due the growing political unrest in China.

It is said that Lam-co converted to the Catholic Church because of his sincere desire to be a Catholic. Before he came to the Philippines, he was already acquainted with Catholicism because his community was a missionary field of Jesuits and later of the Dominicans.

At the age of 35, Lam-co was baptized on Sunday (Domingo), June 9, 1697, in the Parian Church of San Gabriel. In his baptismal records, his parents were simply listed as Siong-co and Jun-nio. It is believed that his parents belonged to the upper bracket socially as indicated by the particled -co and -nio at the end of their names. These two particles correspond to the Spanish Don and Dona which is indicative of social position.

Domingo Lam-co settled in Binan, Laguna on the Dominican estate called San Isidro Labrador. He became a leader among the Chinese community and was a frequent godfather in baptisms and weddings. He helped in the founding of Tubigan Barrio, the richest part of the estate.

Domingo married Inez de la Roza, the daughter of his friend, and was much younger than he. They married in the Parian Church where he was baptized. Their union was blessed with two children Francisco and Josefa, who died five days after her birth. Francisco was only two when he lost his sibling.

Sources:

• Cua Clan Genealogy. Siongque, Fookien, China.
• Panlasigui, Isidro. "Dr. Jose Rizal's Chinese Ancestry". Fookien Times Yearbook, September 1953.