The Aranetas are prominent and influential Filipino family that originated from Gipuzkoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the Basque word "aran" meaning valley, with the suffix "eta" denoting a "place of" (dweller in the valley).

History

Araneta
Araneta
Current region	Western Visayas,Philippines
Etymology	"dweller in the valley"
Place of origin	Philippines
Members	Juan Araneta; Gregorio S. Araneta; Salvador Araneta; Manuel "Mar" Araneta-Roxas; Jose Yulo; Jose Miguel Arroyo; Rafael M. Salas
Connected families	Arroyo; Esteban; Fores,; Gonzaga; Matti; Macapagal; Lacson; Marcos; Roxas; Salas; Torres; Varela; Yulo

Origins

The Basque Aranetas arrived in the Philippines during the Manila - Acapulco ( Galleon Trade). Two brothers Admiral Baltazar de Araneta and Don Jose de Araneta arrived in Manila from Acapulco, Mexico.

Baltazar served as a regidor of the cabildo and secretary of the Charitable Fraternity of the Misericordia in Manila. He was married to Manuela de Aguirre and he died in Manila in 1750. One line of the Araneta family is descended from him.

A document written in Maguindanao dialect, revealed that in 1725, Don Jose Araneta joined the Spanish expeditionary forces to Mindanao. Initially, he served the Spanish Politico-Military government based at Zamboanga City. Then he served as interpreter of the Spanish colonial government and the Sultan of Maguindanao, along with Placido Alberto de Saavedra. A passage in the document also revealed that in 1746, Don Jose Araneta was executed in Sulugan, Mindanao (now known as Anuling in Cotabato), Philippines. However, this is not conclusive. There are conflicting information drawn from translations of various documents pertaining to him.

Before the turn of the century, Mathias and Vicente Araneta, two of Don Jose's sons, left Zamboanga province for Iloilo. They settled in Parian. Don Jose's other son, Benito, followed them afterwards. Years later, Vicente Araneta and his family moved and established their residence in the province of Negros Occidental starting the Negros branch of the family.

On 1823, in Molo, Mathias son, Buenaventura Araneta became the Gobernadorcillo (Alcalde Naturales). He married Isabel Theresa Estrella. They had four children: Hermenegildo, Antonio, Pantaleon and Aniceta. Hermenegildo married Petrona Estanislao (Militante) y Locsin of Iloilo. They had nine children, one of them was Felix who married Paz Soriano y Ditching (daughter of Don Anselmo Soriano y Flores and Maria Ditching of Binondo, Manila) and they had seventeen children, namely Leopoldo, Angel, Isabel, Pablo, Marciano, Gregorio, Anastacio, Maria, Filomena, Rosario, Lina, Jose, Concepcion, Candelaria, Encarnacion, Felicito and Remedios.

19th century and the Philippine revolution

Buenaventura Araneta became the Gobernadorcillo (Alcalde Naturales) of Iloilo, becoming the first member of the family to enter political life.

In the latter part of the century, a kinsman of his on the Negros side; Juan Araneta was the architect of the Negros Revolution that defeated the Spanish forces in that island. This would lead to the creation of the Cantonal Republic of Negros. He would serve as Secretary of War of the short lived government which were later absorbed into the American controlled military government of the Philippines. A statue of him stands in the Bago City public plaza.

Other members of the family were involved in the revolution elsewhere.

Pablo Araneta y Soriano (1864 - 1943) Commanding General of the Panay Revolutionary Forces and Chief of the expeditionary forces of the Federal Republic of the Visayas, encountered several fiece battles in San Miguel, Pavia and in the outskirt of Jaro, more notably the battle of Oton to Arevelo. Along with General Angel Corteza and General Leandro Fullon of Antique, who fired the first shot, they crushed the Spanish Garrisons.

Marciano Araneta y Soriano (1866-1940) and Anastacio Araneta y Soriano [1870 -1898] participated in combats with the Spanish forces and captured the Spanish Gerrison in Mangkas (now La Carlota City ,Negros Occidental)

Another member, the eminent Gregorio Soriano Araneta (1869 - 1930), legal luminary, businessman, nationalist and patriot, served his country and people under three regimes. He was elected a member of the National Assembly representing Iloilo. In 1898, he was appointed by General Emilio Aguinaldo as Secretary General and delegate to the Malolos Republic. Gregorio Araneta became the Secretary of Justice of the Philippine Republic on September 26, 1898.

20th century

After the end of the revolution and the creation of the Philippine commonwealth, members of the clan expanded their business and political interests. Juan Araneta went on to establish the Ma-ao Sugar (refinery) Central in his hometown of Bago City. Industrialist Jorge Araneta would later expand it, later the barangay where the Central stood was named after him. Jorge was also a close friend of commonwealth Philippine President Manuel Quezon.

It was Jorge's son-in-law and distant relation, J Amado Araneta, who made the family into a household name. J Amado Araneta ventured into Real Estate in Manila. His most prominent achievement is building the Araneta Center. It's landmark structure, the Araneta Coliseum, was the world's largest indoor stadium. It still remains one of the largest in Asia.

Other branches of the family were involved with politics; Salvador Araneta, a son of Gregorio Araneta, become a Cabinet Secretary in the Philippine government. He was the founder of Araneta University and FEATI University. Later, his nephew Greggy Araneta married Irene Marcos, the daughter of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Other members of the clan involved with Marcos was Rafael M. Salas, the son of Ernesto Araneta Salas of Bago City. He served as Marcos' Executive Secretary, due to political differences he left this position and later become Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, head of UNFPA. He would serve in this capacity for 17 years.

Many other members of the clan also serve in various political positions. Currently, the most well known example is Senator Mar Roxas, a grandson of J Amado Araneta. The most prominent is Philippine First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo. He is a descendant of Jesusa Araneta Lacson de Arroyo of the Negros Branch of the family.

Notable Members

In Politics

Buenaventura Araneta - Gobernadorcillo (Alcalde Naturales) of Iloilo
Juan Araneta - revolutionary, Secretary of War (Negros Republic)
Gregorio S. Araneta - Secretary of the Malolos Congress
Marciano Yulo Araneta - President Municipal (Mayor) of Bago City, Negros Occidental
Salvador Araneta - Secretary of Economic Coordination under President Elpidio Quirino, Secretary of Agriculture under President Ramon Magsaysay
Gloria Araneta-Esteban - Vice-Governor, Negros Occidental,daughter of Lorenzo Araneta
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas - grandson of J.Amado Araneta and former President Manuel Roxas, Son of former Senator Gerry Roxas and Judy Araneta Roxas Trade Secretary, Senator, current Vice-Presidential candidate.
José Miguel Arroyo - Husband of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo,grandson of Jesusa Araneta Lacson de Arroyo
Rafael M. Salas - United Nations Under-Secretary General , Head UNFPA,son of Ernesto Araneta Salas.
Ramón Torres - Labor Secretary, Senator, descendant of Irene L Araneta-Torres, author of 8 hour day law.
José Yulo - Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, wartime Chief of Justice, Secretary of Justice, descendant of the Yulo-Araneta branch
Manuel Torres - Mayor of Bago City,Negros Occidental nephew of Ramon Torres,descendant of Irene L. Araneta-Torres
José Varela - Assemblyman, Negros Occidental, grandson of Antonio Araneta Varela
Ramón D. Torres - Current Mayor of Bago City, Negros Occidental, nephew of Manuel Torres, descendant of Irene L. Araneta-Torres
Arsenio Yulo - First Chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (Philippines) , descendant of the Yulo-Araneta branch

In Business

Jorge Araneta - Pre war-indusrialist
J Amado Araneta - Business Tycoon, developer of the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City
Ramon Araneta Yulo - Real Estate Baron of the Canlubang Estates, Laguna

In Religion

Francisco Araneta - Priest,was the first Filipino to serve as Ateneo Rector-President in 1959 to 1965.
Francisco Araneta del Rosario - Philosopher, spiritual guru, main proponent of The Divine Matrix Theory.
Jesús Y. Varela - Roman Catholic Bishop,grandson of Antonio Araneta Varela
Rolando Ramos Dizon - Religious, President De La Salle University-Taft, Ched Commissioner, descendant of Josefa Araneta-Varela.

In Sports

Manolet Araneta - Member, 1948 London Olympics, Basketball
Ian Araneta - Member, Philippine Football team

Others

Baltazar de Araneta - Spanish Admiral
Judy Araneta-Roxas - Papal Awardee, activist, wife of Senator Gerry Roxas the son of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas.
Gregorio Ma. ("Greggy") Araneta III - Entrepreneur, husband of Irene Marcos-Araneta the daughter of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos
Louise Araneta-Marcos - lawyer, wife of politician Ferdinand Marcos Jr. son of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos
Margarita Fores - granddaughter of J. Amado Araneta. Celebrity chef and businesswoman extraordinaire in Manila. Owner of 10 Italian inspired restaurants including Cibo, Pepato, Cafe Bola and Pepato restaurants. Other businesses include Fiori di M and Casa di M, high-end floral and housewares design, respectively
Bianca Araneta - Model Great granddaughter of Gregorio Soriano Araneta.

Sources

Alfredo Saulo. (1991). Jorge vargas Autobiography chapter=IV Bago: Bithplace of the Negros Republic. University of the Philippine Press. {{cite book}}: Missing pipe in: |title= (help)
Violeta Lopez-Gonzaga.. (1994). Land of Hope, Land of Want : A socio-economic history of Negros. Philippine National Historical Society.

References

External links

[edit] External Links