Tubao Clan Spotted

Here's another Aspiras dot we should acknowledge:

"I'm Leah Calica from the clan of aspiras, my late grandmother is felicidad aspiras- garcia, her first cousin is, lydia aspiras - reyes-former chief nurse in Quezon memorial hospital, lucena city..her children are, leyden and aldrich reyes...juan apsiras (father of lydia aspiras) and dionisio aspiras (father of my grandma) are brothers...also, salvador aspiras sr. from agoo la union...but we are from tubao."

With Salvador Aspiras, Sr. being from Agoo, La Union, it looks like she is a definite cousin of my grandparents. Welcome, Leah!

More Spots are Closing the Gaps!

Yes, we found more! A big hearty welcome to Royal Aspiras Feril and his sister, Brigitte! Their mom, Tita Panis Aspiras is closely related to the late Jose D. Aspiras.

Also, here's an update from Eula "Kimmy" Aspiras Abate: (she's such a treasure of info for our lineage!)

"These are the people from the aspiras clan from the side of our great grandparents, Juan Jabarata Aspiras and Gregoria Galvan... They had six(6) children namely Proserfina Galvan Aspiras-Bulalang, Rebecca Galvan Aspiras-Certeza, Samuel Aspiras, Sr.,(which is my grandfather married to Eulalia Suanco), Elizabeth Aspiras, Lydia Aspiras-Reyes and Naomie Aspiras-Eslao.....

These are the rest of the family whom you can find in Facebook....

Arlene Aspiras the younger sister of my uncle Ervin under "Sad Duck"
Mercy aspiras my mother....
Donna Mae Nierra.....the grand daughter of Naomie Aspiras-Eslao
Diane Fae Nierra, Donna's sister
Emma Aspiras, Uncle Ervin's wife
Fray Vesagas, another the grandson of Naomie.
Ruth Vesagas, mother of Fray and Naomie's daughter
Tristan Certeza, grandson of the late Rebecca Aspiras-Certeza

As you can see, the spots are thickening from each Aspiras dotting our lineage. Let's place more of them!

I'm Seeing Spots! Beautiful Ones, too!

I'm back again... Sa-weet!

Latest news in the ongoing Facebook reunion!

WILHELMINA ROBLES ASPIRAS is the sister of EEMA ASPIRAS. These two beautiful sisters belong to Martin Aspiras, another cousin of Jose D.!

Our lines are getting longer and our spots getting prolific. Now that's how we play the genealogy game! Woot!

Welcome Robles-Aspiras sisters!

Spot Us in Facebook!

Good morning! Well, the news has spread...

The Aspiras clan from all over is having a Facebook reunion!

If you're an Aspiras or know of any Filipino Aspiras, come look us up in Facebook!

All you need to do is:
Sign up on Facebook- It's FREE!!!
Be my friend- Carolyn Aspiras Mathews

Then this is what I do:
I confirm you as my friend
I alert the Aspiras in my friends' list and you'll get more Aspiras friends to welcome!

Pretty easy, right? So, what are you waiting for?

Also found in Facebook, please welcome to the family, EEMA ASPIRAS! She's a sweetie, so make sure you say, hi!

We found more Spots! Yay!!!

Remember Kimmy, well I found her uncle, Ervin! He found this blog and left this comment:

My name is Ervin Aspiras. My roots can be traced from the lineage of my grandfather, Juan Jarabata Aspiras who married Gregoria Galvan Lopez. He came from Agoo, La Union but migrated to Zamboanga City during the term of President Quirino. I am also trying to trace my roots.

Joe Aspiras, former Tourism Secretary was the second cousin of my father. My grandfather Juan Aspiras is related to the former Archbishop Mariano Madriaga (I think they were first cousins.).

He also has a site for our continuing search.
http://www.myheritage.com/site-20392631/aspiras-clan-web-site.

You know I'll be looking into that!

And then we got this from JOANNA RIZZA ASPIRAS BAGANO:

I'm JOANA RIZZA ASPIRAS BAGANO from La Trinidad, Benguet. I don't know how we are related but I'll give a few things about my ancestry. My grandfather is Teodoro M. Aspiras, well, the middle name is Mendoza. He passed away last 2001. My grandmother's name is Fortunata D. Aspiras (the D stands for Dacanay). My grandfather is a native of Agoo, La Union. Some of my relatives say that we are somehow related o Philippine TV broadcast journalist, Jessica A. Soho. Well they say her A stands for Aspiras. I'm not sure but her family lives quite near us in Agoo.

Wow!!!

Here's also HARLENE SHANE ASPIRAS:
I'm Harlene Shane Aspiras from Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. I don't know how we are related, but my grandfather told me that we came from the Aspiras of Northern part of Luzon. Most of our families there are "Ilocanos". They also said that all aspiras families are related but have lived to different places.

Awesome!!!

Let's hear about ANA CONCEPCION ASPIRAS:
Hi! Anne here from Parañaque, My father's name Benito Basilio Aspiras I dont know if were related but he's also from Agoo, La Union I dont have details about my roots but he told me once that he's related to Jose Dacanay Aspiras I'm not sure but he once told me that Joe Aspiras was he's ucle, younger brother of his father. You can check my photos at

Friendster: Ana Concepcion Aspiras.

Sa-weet deal!!!

And look, a closer "spot" to mine from GRACE ESTACIO, a definite close relative!
Hello, my name is Grace M. Estacio,33, single.. My Father, Manuel N. Estacio hails from Agoo,La Union. According to him, we are distant relative of the Aspiras-Estacio clan. I know the house of Your Lolo Jose,coz whenever we visit our uncles when i was young, we pass by that house, near the park.. my Father's ancestral house is just few streets from your lolo Jose's house... I hope this would be the start of a great friendship. We are now leaving here in SOlano,nueva Vizcaya, region 2, Philippines.. Thanks and God Bless.

You read it here, folks... Our map is filling in and I hope to fill it more until we have located all the Aspiras in the world!

Another Spot to Spot!

Hello again!

Tonight, I had the pleasure of chatting with EULA "Kimmy" JOY ASPIRAS ABATE in Facebook. She is so wonderful! Her line is thru the La Union native, Juan ASPIRAS, her great grandfather, whose son bore Samuel ASPIRAS, Sr.

Her father is Samuel ASPIRAS, Jr. who is the brother of Ervin ASPIRAS, one of the earlier Aspiras families I found online! What a small world!

It was so wonderful to know that her son, Yeshua Reign Aspiras Abate (Yeshua is Jesus in Hebrew) looks a lot like my son Ian Charles and that I look a lot like one of her aunts! I even look like her cousin, DONNA MAE ASPIRAS ESLAO NIERRA.

So cool!

Update: Kimmy commented and added more names! Yay!
"You can find my brother Edrick Jayce Alejandro Aspiras in Facebook....and my first cousin Earl John Dennis Aspiras who is the only son of my Uncle Ervin Aspiras..."

So... If you are an Aspiras, from the Philippines, and you've heard La Union, Agoo mentioned more than once, most likely we are kin! Find me in Facebook and let's find your "spot" in our genealogical map!

A Big Boo-Boo!

Hello again you lovely Aspiras peeps! I apologize for the lack of updates, but this one, needs to be dealt with and ASAP!

Well, sometimes with genealogy work, information gets confused... (old concept, right?)

Such case happened to my cousin, Juan Torrecarrion Aspiras who is currently in love with a lovely Dittas whom he reconnected with in Facebook.

The mistake was done by myself and the person who gave me the information.

You see, JT was only married and divorced twice and has 5 children. But Dittas was and still is his true love and so it was rather kismet (fate) that they found each other and once again, fell in love. But this one mistake, where I labeled his long former Korean girlfriend, his third wife. A big mistake on my part for not verifying it with JT.

Big because now that JT has Dittas back in his life, he wants her to stay there... JT loves Dittas very much and I am more than happy to correct my "big boo-boo" to help these two lovebirds who should have been together this whole time.

Dittas, JT... I offer my sincerest apology and glad that this mistake can be corrected and erased from our family history. (Though I would love to see Dittas be a part of this blog, as a relative. *wink*)

May you forgive my lack of sleuth savvy for forgetting to get my "facts straight"...

To all the other Aspiras, look me up on Facebook, Carolyn Aspiras Mathews! I'd love to meet you all!

Merry Christmas to the Aspiras Clan!

Carolyn, Charlie, Lisa, Jasmine and Ian

Merry Christmas to all, from our family!!!

I'm still looking...

To find all the Aspiras names out there that originated in Agoo, La Union, Philippines.

If you have ties to Agoo, I hope you find this blog because we might just be related. Wouldn't that be great?

"Read" from you soon!

Great News, again!

Jhoi Aspiras just relayed that her grandfather, Leonardo Aspiras is a cousin to Jose D. Aspiras! Yes, another great circle we've found!!! And... she'll be providing some pictures soon! I can't wait!

New Year, New Names!

Hello to all the Philippine-based Aspiras out there!!!
Happy New Year to all of you!
This blog is surprisingly taking off, given, a little slower than expected, but it's taking off none the less. I can't wait to find another great link like the family of Jose D. Aspiras, with the help of Charlotte Aspiras, his granddaughter, who connected us to the Torrecarions!
So keep the names coming and don't be afraid to dig through those old files, interview your elders and let them know that someone, with your help, is uniting all the Aspiras clans from Agoo, La Union to the ends of the world.

I know we can find each other, we just need to dust every corner until we find just the right dot to connect...

"Read" from you soon!

Here come the Cassidy's!

From the Jo Torrecarion Aspiras circle, we welcome the Cassidy's!
Jo's daughter, Charisma Aspiras married Lee T. Cassidy and brought down from heaven, little Zachary T. Cassidy back in 2007! Welcome, welcome! I just love this photo of the three of them, don't you?

Also... a big welcome to Jhoi Aspiras! "...my grandfather's name is Leonardo Aspiras III and was married to Aquilina Buenafe. Although my siblings and I didnt had the chance to trace our roots, I'm sure glad to come across this page."

This December...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

Mamang Ambrosia, Kuya Noel, Tuan, Tita Ling, Brian Orille and auntie Vicky Orille, me and Abrynn!

May you all have a great day!

Sorry for the lack of update...

I am so glad to know that other Aspiras out there have found this blog. It's so exciting!
Please include as much grandparent information as you can so we can find a quicker connection. If your roots lead you to Agoo, La Union, you can be assured that we are family and we will find your "spot" in our genealogy line, so just keep commenting and as soon as I can find time to update, I will list more names for those future genealogists working on the Aspiras line.

A big welcome to Fernan of the Nueva Ecija circle. He belongs to the Martin Corpuz-Aspiras line from "Pozzorubio, Pangasinan (but traces his roots in Agoo, La Union)".

And to Crystal Aspiras whose dad also comes from Agoo, La Union.

Keep checking though I won't have a full time to devote to our current hunt until December 15th, when I finish school. Until then, submit names through the comment section and let's expand the search!

Another "Spot" worth noting!

Facebook is finding to be a treasure trove for my search for the Aspiras clan. I just had Gerald Aspiras reply and he said he is both from the Torrecarion and Aspiras line. How cool is that? To jog memories, Torrecarion Aspiras clan is related to my clan through Jose D. Aspiras, the late Philippine Minister of Tourism.

My fingers are crossed; we want to find more names...

Hopefully, he'll have some pics to add to this blog.

Here's another name for all you ASPIRAS' out there...

Hello!

With the help of my distant cousin, Charlotte ASPIRAS Teodoro, we found this new route for our family:

My grandfather, TEODORO GAGO (or Gayo) ASPIRAS, is the first cousin of TORIBIA ___ ASPIRAS. Toribia is the mother of the former Tourism Minister, JOSE D. ASPIRAS. Jose married and had his first daughter, AIDA ___ ASPIRAS, who then married and had CHARLOTTE ASPIRAS TEODORO.

JOSE D. ASPIRAS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS: (http://www.launion.gov.ph)One of The illustrious sons of this town is the late Jose D. Aspiras who was elected to the Philippine Congress in 1969. He also served as Minister of Tourism and Information Secretary during the time of President Marcos. Before he died in November 14, 1999, Aspiras was resident representative and managing director, with the rank of ambassador of the Manila Economic Cultural based in Taiwan.

The 16th century Agoo Parish Church, restored and refurbished (spearheaded by the late Minister Jose Aspiras) has been elevated to the rank of Basilica Minore by Pope John Paul II in 1981, one of the very few in the country today.


I certainly hope that I will find more Aspiras relatives out there...

Just confirming...

In light of finding a direct kin of Jose D. Aspiras, I confirmed with my own family who among his parents we are blood related to. It's been established that it was his mom, not his dad, as I previously written down, that is my grandfather's first cousin.

Thanks for going through this adventure with me, sometimes, the "spots" are not that clear and we have to sweep areas around until we see the clearer path...

I found another ASPIRAS!

I'm normally not a Facebook fan, but after finding another ASPIRAS, one that is actually a direct descendant of Jose D. Aspiras, his granddaughter from his daughter Aida, I am now a lifetime fan! I can't wait for CHARLOTTE to respond back and we will soon see how many more Aspiras families we can "dot" on our hunt route... How exciting!

Sometimes, all you need to get things done, is a little bit of a risk...

From Canada, brother #2, ALAN ASPIRAS LACHO

Current Location: CANADA


ate Tess or Marites Solomon








These are definite family pictures to treasure, it took a while to get these, but they are soooo worth it!

His first son, Brian Solomon Lacho, I used to babysit him back in 1987 before I went to the US, so his mom can recover from giving birth. But now, this is the closest I can get to him- looking at his picture. His sister, Ariane, I've never met, but boy did she bring out the best combination of my brother and sis-in-law, Marites Solomon. Since they are in Canada, we don't get to see them as much as we like, but thanks to emails and photos, we can still keep in touch and be updated on our everyday dealings.

Like I've said before, the good looks abound on this side of our family...

Here's the proof:

Brian and Ariane or aka, "Boya" and "Ara"

This is at Ara's Debutante Ball: Left: Brian and ate Tess / Attendees: Uncle Bob and Auntie Vi and cousin Tina Lacho, Kuya Noel and his family and our mom, Carmen Aspiras Lacho.


Ara or Ariane Solomon Lacho

Another good spot!

Current Location: Qatar

He's actually the one who started looking for the Aspiras line for his side of the family, but Ramon started helping and wham!- they found lots of us, including me, just a few days ago... He is our musical cousin who has had the pleasure of playing with the likes of APO Hiking Society, Side A, Aegis, Francis Magalona, Ai-Ai De las alas (his kumare), Basil Valdez, and many more Filipino music artists. His passion is music and art. Wow, I pale in comparison, I like to listen to music and barely dabbling in the craft division of art. Ha, ha...

A quick bio:
1st Married to Henrietta Espeleta Santiago from Batangas City) bore three (3) children- 1)Lourdes Cheryl Santiago Aspiras working for Qatar Airways, still single, 2)Charisma Antonette Aspiras Cassidy (now in Hilliard Ohio and married to Lee Thomas Cassidy and irish immigrant, and 3)Francis Anthony Santiago Aspiras married to Melanie Ngo (chinese) they have a son (another apo, Miguel Iniego Ngo Aspiras (6 yrs old).

From 2nd wife, Susan Mangahas Santiago (Bulacan), came two more beautiful children: 1)Gerald Patrice Santiago Aspiras, working for CSTS a geotech firm here in Doha QATAR. He graduated from University of Arizona (UofA) as a Geological & Mines Engineer. 2)Patricia Nicolle Santiago Aspiras is still in University of southern California, taking up nursing and in her junior year and should graduating in 2010.

Here's his family pictures. Enjoy!


Charisma, Cherry and BJ









And his son Gino Aspiras from his second wife


Tricia, his daughter from his second wife;









Jo with his new girlfriend, a Korean Air stewardess.






As I was told by "Jo" and "Monet", the Aspiras clan is spread all over the world though our definite origin came from the humble region of Agoo, La Union in the Luzion region of the Philippine islands. It's such an exciting notion that with his and his brother's help, we are armed to place them in our pedigree map and have each name confidently "point" out their place in our family.

From these pictures, how great is it that my Aspiras side have the looks, sense of adventure and smarts to make things happen.

Tidbit: Small world indeed; we lived in Gilbert and Mesa Arizona and have known many youth that were headed for UofA, and my 15-year old Lisa will be graduating from high school in 2010! All these coincidences, it's amazing we haven't all bumped into each other yet!

I'm well pleased...

I also found... JTA III