MANILA, Philippines—Who am I? Where did I come from?

People plagued by these questions can find the answers at the Family Search archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, which has copies of all civil registries in the Philippines dating to the 16th century.

The records, which are free and open to the public, have helped orphans wanting to trace their birth parents, people looking for blood kin for medical reasons, and historians researching their books.

It has helped people to know and understand their roots, according to the Family Search archivists.

Knowing that one’s ancestor was a hero could be a source of inspiration, they said. Or if he was a cad or a criminal, then one could learn from his mistakes and strive to do better, they added.

“You cannot change history. You can hide it, but the fact is, it’s there,” said Manny Baul, country manager of the Family Search archives.

The Family Search database is also useful for people who want to know their family’s medical history, particularly those at risk for diseases that are passed down through the generations, he said.

If one of your ancestors died of diabetes, then you know that you belong to a high-risk group and therefore, must be careful with your diet, he said.

Baul also he believes that conflicts would be reduced if people only took the time to check out their family histories.

They would realize that they and the people they are in conflict with have more affinities than differences, he said.

“You realize that your enemy is just like you. You become open-hearted,” he said.

Pete Adduru, the Quezon City chapter president of the church, said he has always wondered about his surname. He said his family is from the north and yet his last name sounds Arabic, which would make one suppose that he is from Mindanao.

When Adduru searched the records, he discovered that his ancestors originally came from Syria, traveled to India and settled in the Ilocos region, while still keeping their Arabic name.

That is why, Adduru said, when he first went to Davao he felt an affinity for the Muslims because he believes them to be descended from the Arabs.

(Editor’s Note: Islam was brought to Sulu and Mindanao through Muslim missionaries who came from Arabia between the 14th and 16th centuries and converted the people of Southeast Asia. The Muslims of Mindanao are not descended from the Arabs. They are ethnically the same as their brother Filipinos everywhere.)

Family is central

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormons, is the fourth largest Christian denomination in the United States, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the largest denomination originating from the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1840.

Family life is central to Mormon belief because it is thought that the family unit will continue to exist beyond mortal life. To the Mormons, the lives of their dead relatives are part of their own lives and futures, hence the intense interest in genealogy.

Janryll Fernandez, assistant director for public affairs, said finding one’s roots and respect for the departed is a fundamental tenet of the church, one that even non-church members are familiar with.

“Families can be together forever. Family relations can last forever. We perform sacraments—ordinances—for them to be able to be with them in the next life,” he said.

“The church is a family-centered church. Everything we do boils down to that,” he said.

Surprise lurks

Baul said a surprise, pleasant or otherwise, almost always lurks in one’s family tree and records.

Take Quezon City Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte who, according to Fernandez, has been unwittingly celebrating his birthday on the wrong date.

Instead of Oct. 2, Belmonte’s birth date is actually Oct. 1, said Baul. Church researchers discovered it in his birth records.

Belmonte also learned that his family was originally from the Ilocos region and not Nueva Ecija province, where he was born, and that his surname was not originally spelled with a “B.”

“They probably migrated to Nueva Ecija,” said Baul.

Belmonte took the news of his supposedly real birth date in stride.

“He was really surprised. But it was there on the records,” Baul said.

The mayor said, “if I know who my ancestors are, then I know more about myself.”

FVR, FM distant cousins

The Family Search archivists also determined the exact relationship between former President Fidel V. Ramos and the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

According to Baul, the two men had the same great-great grandfather and therefore, are distant cousins.

The archivists also tried tracing former President Corazon Aquino’s family tree.

Baul said their search showed that Cojuangco—Aquino’s maiden name—was the name of the family patriarch who came from China to the Philippines.

“His name was Co Juan Co. It was combined into one name,” Baul said.

They tried mapping the Aquino branch of the family, but it was too dense, said Baul.

“It has too many branches. It’s like the name De la Cruz,” he said.

The Mormon archivists offered to map the family tree of Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but they both declined the offer, Baul said.

Since 1500s

So far, Mormon archivists have copied 90 percent of the country’s civil registries and 80 percent of the Catholic Church records—containing baptismal certificates, among others—since the archival work started in 1972.

Fernandez said the group has volunteers, armed with cameras, who scour dusty record rooms of all municipalities in the country and photograph the documents. The volunteers who do the dirty work are trained to read Spanish and the anachronistic handwriting.

Oldest document

The microfilms are stored in The Church of Latter-Day Saints’ main temple in Greenmeadows subdivision, Quezon City. Baul said there are 80,000 microfilms stored in their temple.

The oldest document was a baptismal record signed in 1542, just two decades after Ferdinand Magellan landed in the Philippines, which was found in a municipality of Batangas.