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At this age of “virtual” everything: farming, food, relationship and whatever… questions on whether technology or internet craze has made life better or worst. To the ALCORAN CLAN, there is no greater miracle that God has blessed us in finding each other in ‘Facebook’. It made the world smaller. We therefore attribute all our efforts in finding links and puzzling facts about our clan to this fantastic website. It has opened doors to friendship, family ties and made us discover the wondrous and awesome feeling of being among families that we had and never had the opportunity to be with. Thank you ‘Facebook’. I never had an iota of regret on creating the ALCORAN CLAN group.

After almost two years of patiently connecting with other Alcorans around this beautiful god given planet, we have finally reached a two hundred (200) membership on April 13, 2010 and still growing. With the global population reaching towards limitless number, two hundred is not even a visible speck but this is not a matter to dispair. One thing worth looking back is that we only started with twelve (12) members: Four from UK; Two from Italy; Three from Hawaii and mainland USA and Three from the Philippines: From UK, we had Stephen John “Steve” Alcoran, Vicky Alcoran, Gulliver Tom Alcoran, and Fiona Alcoran; from Italy, Don Angelo Alcorano and Tinio Alcorano; from Hawaii and mainland USA, Clarence Alcoran, Ryan Alcoran and Cathy Alcoran; and from the Philippines, Liza Mae Alcoran Villarante, Ivan Estella Alcoran and this writer.

With “Facebook”, the world has become smaller everyday. It takes only a click to reach out to another Alcoran. In the Philippines we were blessed to have an actual encounter with an Alcoran from UK. Steve Alcoran came to the Philippines on August 23, 2009, to meet a Filipina friend he met on-line. It was also an opportunity to be with some Alcorans that he knew in facebook. He had the chance to visit the Senate of the Philippines, tour the place and see old legislative documents in the Senate museum. Atty Andrew Lim Arrieta, the Senate Director, is the grandson of the Late Felipa “Ipay” Alcoran Yanong of Dumaguete City. Steve was treated to a sumptous dinner in the Senate Dinning Hall where Senate staff and Senators dine.

Steve also had time to meet some Alcorans in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. An impromptu party was prepared by Rosemarie Alcoran Ferolino and Richel Alcoran Ferolino-Catan on September 7, 2009, which was incidentally also Emily’s birthday (Rosemarie Alcoran Ferolino’s daughter). The following day, Meriam Arrieta Parcon, Andrew’s sister afforded Steve a beach get-together with some of the Alcorans at the Felipa Beach Resort. It was a quiet family occasion and a reunion with an extended Alcoran families of the Lirazan, Ferolino, Dy, Catan, De Leon and Cunanan. Owing to the fact that most Alcorans are of the female gender, they lost their Alcoran surname to another surname as a result of marriage.

Steve Alcoran stayed for three months travelling and enjoying Filipino hospitality and left the country first week of December. He returned to the Philippines March 25 this year. With the help of this writer, he is now staying with the ALCORANS in Taguig, Metro Manila (residence of Carmen Alcoran and the late Antonio Alcoran). Prior to Steve’s second visit to the Philippines, Jennifer Alcoran of Hawaii came to the Philippines and also had the chance to be with Allan and Alex Alcoran’s family in Taguig. Unfortunately, this writer never had the opportunity to meet Jennifer and there were no opportunities to meet Steve in his second visit. According to Allan, Jennifer went to Bohol and Iloilo to visit Alcorans there.

Going back to the old family cemetery in Berwickshire, Scotland. It is sad that only the remains of the dead are left behind. It seems that history was sealed along with the dead never to haunt the living. The oldest epithaph was dated 1741. Ironically however, my father’s sister Marguerita Alcoran’s name was one of those names that appeared among the tombstones. When Marguerita left the Philippines, her where abouts where never known and she never returned. This is not however conclusive that the tombstone that bears her name is that of my fathers’ sister. Names are names unless it is a valid representation of a persons identity. Among the dead and silent graves lives untold stories of the ALCORANS and how they manage to reach other portions of the globe including that of this small archipelago, the Philippines.

Looking at historical records of surnames, the Catalogue of Original Native Filipino Surnames (Catalogue of Original Filipino native surnames. Wikipedia), contain a list of surnames of original inhabitants of the archipelago before the Spanish colonizers decreed that all surnames be changed to Spanish, The surname Alcoran was not among the list. It is clear then that the Alcorans were not early inhabitants of the Philippines. How then did the Alcorans came to the Philippines? In the municipality of Argao, island of Cebu, where the first Spanish conquistadores landed and establish Catholicism in the Philippines, ALCORAN was listed as among the Early surnames of immigrants who lived in the Island as early as 1700 (www.sali-argao.gov.ph). And those Alcorans who migrated to the Philippines were from Spain, Italy and England.

The updated directory of members of the ALCORAN CLAN in facebook, as collated by the Clan administrators’, Ivan Estella Alcoran (Davao city, Philippines), Allan Alcoran (Taguig city, Philippines), Liza Mae Villarante Alcoran (Dumaguete City, Philippines) and this writer, revealed that most Alcorans are presently residing in the Philippines. In that many of those from Hawaii, mainland USA and Canada have Filipino lineage. Yet in spite of this blazing connectivity among Alcorans within the Philippines, there are confusing facts to link the Alcorans with other Alcorans even within the country.

The most common names that were recalled by clan members were: Venancio Alcoran and Venencio Alcoran (Note the “a” and “e” in the second syllable of the name). Alcorans from Luzon, Western Visayas, Panay and Mindoro affirms that their great grandpa was Venencio Alcoran. The Alcorans from several provinces in Mindanao and Central Visayas claims that their great grandpa was Venancio Alcoran, who was our great grandpa. Others say that there were stories that their grandpa had a twin brother. A puzzling myth or truth. A reason for this writer to formulate a hypothesis, something that other Alcorans may also have believed for quite a long time, that their grandpa Venancio had a twin brother.

Ironically, twins or double birth are common to Alcorans especially in Negros Oriental where I come from. My father had a twin sister and I myself have twin daughters and have several twin cousins. A pair of twins are now residing in Canada, Alberto Alcoran and his twin brother. There are other younger twin whose names I have yet to know.

Searching for genealogical links is tasking and frustrating. Emotions run like tsunami when we discover and find more Alcorans…. Emotions melts and dies when we lose them along the way. Some Alcorans come and others go… and only memories remains. But, just like families… we always welcome then back. Indeed this task is like digging a hole towards the centre of the earth with your bare hands… But, what great gratification it brings when we find one Alcoran… and more satisfaction when we are able to connect and share what we love so much with them… music… the love for art… poetry and discourse… common denominators of the Alcorans. And…. what a joy there is in viewing pictures of how blessed Alcorans are with good looks, awesome expressive eyes, and an eternal smile that one would miss and rather bring along to the grave… could never be described in a single word (ALCORAN CLAN album, Facebook).

Knowing that other Alcorans shares this passion to know more about our unique surname, is a blessing. With this I have to thank Tanya Raquel Keith Alcoran, Robert Michael Valentino Alcuran and Alexis Anaiss Alessandra Alcurans’ mother. You have resuscitated my dying inspiration.

In spite of the storm, God has been so good. Nothing is impossible… the search continues and this time… I am no longer alone…

Footnote:

Photo is courtesy  of Steve Alcoran. More photos are in his ‘facebook’ account profile. Unfortunately, Jennifer Alcoran did not share any photo taken during her visit.

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