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The Canciller Evangelistas of Candaba, Pampanga
by Anna Viray-Cruz, great-great granddaughter of Don Santiago Canciller Evangelista, Gobernadorcillo of Candaba from 1881 to 1883
The Canciller Evangelista surname was used by the Evangelista Clan of Candaba, Pampanga, who were part of the elite of the town, from 1850-1978. The Evangelistas were part of the Principalia, or the noble ruling class, who held high public offices in Candaba. The original surname was Evangelista, which was used by Don Marcos Evangelista, the first known Evangelista to reside in Candaba, Pampanga, during the mid-1700s.
In 1849, Governor General Narciso Claveria issued an edict, the so-called Claveria Decree, that required all Filipinos to have a surname. The proclamation came with a 141-page book known as the Catalogo Alfabetico de Appellidos (Alphabetical Catalogue of Surnames) from which family names were distributed geographically throughout the Philippines. Most towns started implementing the decree between March and June 1850. The Evangelistas adopted “Canciller” to their surname, which is a variation of “Cancilier” that was listed in the Catalogo. This distinguished the Evangelistas of Candaba from other families carrying the same surname.
Three generations of Evangelistas used the surname Canciller Evangelista beginning with the generation of Don Marcos’ grandchildren which included hacienderos Don Rosalino Canciller Evangelista, Don Roman Canciller Evangelista, their sister Doña Salamona Canciller Evangelista-Canivel, and their brothers who were elected Gobernadorcillo of Candaba Don Tranquilino (1841) and Don Mauricio Canciller Evangelista (1856). Don Marcos’ great-grandchildren led by Gobernadorcillo Don Santiago Canciller Evangelista (1881-1882), a fourth generation haciendero and Candaba’s richest man in the 19th century, continued to use the surname.
The last generation to use the Canciller Evangelista appellation were Don Marcos’ great-great grandchildren led by Don Santiago’s eldest son haciendero Don Emiliano Canciller Evangelista who served as Candaba’s Delegado de Hacienda (Assessor) and as Cabeza de Barangay. A staunch Nationalist, Don Emiliano, who held the rank of Major in the Philippine Revolutionary Army, fought in the Philippine-American War, and was identified as an active insurgent by the U.S. War Department. Don Santiago second son, Don Pedro Canciller Evangelista, was elected Municipal Presidente of Candaba in 1908, and is known as the town’s great modernizer.
Another son of Don Santiago, Don Honorio Canciller Evangelista, an internationally renowned veterinarian, an award-winning sharpshooter, and war hero who was the Captain of the Philippine Company of the Shanghai Volunteers Corps, was the last to carry the Canciller Evangelista surname. Don Honorio, who practiced veterinary medicine in Shanghai from the 1920s to the 1940s, was awarded the Medal of Freedom by U.S. President Harry S. Truman in 1945, for his exceptionally meritorious service which had aided the United States’ fight against the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Don Honorio Canciller Evangelista passed away in May 1978. The succeeding generations of Evangelistas of Candaba reverted back to the original surname of Evangelista.