Understanding the naming conventions of non-European cultures is important for an investigator or anyone wishing to certainly and correctly identify people in our diverse country. The following column information is an attempt to assist the reader in correctly applying the conventions of uniquely ethnic names so identification is possible. This article should not be interpreted as indicating any unusual prevalence of any specific ethnic group toward unlawful or immoral activities, since no such intention exists. In coming issues of The John Cooke Fraud Report, we will explore the mysteries of the naming practices of many ethnic cultures. In this issue, we look at the various naming traditions of the Philippines.

The Philippines is a small island republic, located in the Pacific Ocean to the east of Vietnam. The land area is made up of over 7,000 islands, but only about 730 of these islands are inhabited. The majority of the more than 65 million Filipinos are concentrated on just 11 of these islands.

The language of the Philippines has been influenced by immigration and occupation as well as by the island structure of the nation. Depending on who you ask, there are anywhere from 80to 100 different dialects spoken, including Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Hiligaynon and Cebuano. In 1936, Tagalog was declared the national language by President Manuel Quezon. Today, the official language of the Philippines is Pilipino. It is based on Tagalog with linguistic elements from other native languages. Today, Pilipino is taught in the schools and universities of the Philippines.

The Spanish occupation of the Philippines, from the 1500’s to the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, had a major influence on the language of the Philippines. Spanish was taught in Philippine schools, but since education was the privilege of the well to do, it was the upper classes the politicians and business people who spoke Spanish, while the lower classes continued to speak their native dialects. Today, the influence of Spanish is smaller, but it is still present, particularly in the numbering system, in several of the pidgin languages that developed and in the Zamboangan language used in Chavacano. The teaching of Spanish has not been required since 1968, but it is still the primary language of a small number of people, mainly in the upper class.

English began to have an influence following the Spanish American War. The first Americans who were sent to the Philippines were teachers, who proceeded to teach the population English. Although the Philippines declared total independence from the US in 1946, English is still important for commerce and politics. Many television and radio stations and newspapers use English.

The Pilipino sound system is similar to European languages with a few notable differences. For example, there is no letter F in Pilipino; the sounds P and F are often interchanged as in Pilipino/Filipino. This interchange can sometimes be carried over into English, resulting in phrases such as “pifty dollars” or “pish for dinner”. When a double vowel occurs, the two letters are pronounced separately with a very slight break in between, paalam = paalam. The letter combination NG is pronounced nang (rhyming with English “long” while MGA is pronounced manga. There are three different accent marks used in Pilipino, and their placement can change the meaning of a word.

There is also one very common grammatical difference between English and Pilipino with a potential for confusion. There are no separate pronouns for “he” and “she. “ One all-purpose word is used. This can create problems if it is unclear whether the person you are discussing is male or female.

Children born in the Philippines are given a first name, a middle name and a last name. The middle name is generally the mother’s maiden name; some use the full name; some use only the initial of their mother’s maiden name. The last name is the same as the father’s last name. Occasionally, an additional middle name may be given.

Some common first names for males include:  Cesar, Danilo, Eduardo, Efron, Emilio, Fausto, Genaro, Jason, Jerry, Jerwin, John, Jose, Juan, Julio, Pedro, Pepe, Reuben, Ricardo, Rich, Roberto and Tarcilo. Most of these show the clear influence of both Spanish and English.

Some common first names for females include:  Consuelo, Dolores, Dolorita, Elmina, Euphema, Filomena, Gloria, Illuminada, Lidia, Ligaya, Lynette, Magdalena, Maria, Remedios, Rosa, Teresa, Teresita, Victoria and Virginia. Again, these names are clearly influenced by both Spanish and English.

For both males and females, first names may be made up by the parents, either to reflect a combination of the parents’ names (i.e., Eugelene from Eugene and Marlene) or simply for the sound combination (Idufina or Celerino).

It is common for males and females to use nicknames rather than the full first name. Teresita may become Teri or Tessie; Illuminada may become Lumin; Eugenio may become Enio. Nicknames may use a repeat of a single syllable from the actual name:  possibly Fifi for Filomena; Mimi for Elmina; Lolo for Danilo.

It is also common for immigrants to the US to Americanize their names. Eugenio may become Eugene; Eduardo, Edward; Roberto, Robert; Ricardo, Rick. Others, who don’t care for their given names, simply take the opportunity to pick a new name.

Last names can be from Spanish:  Araneta, Casal, Cruz, DeLeon, DeVera, Espinoza, Fernandez, Gomez, Gurtiza, Martin, Ocampo, Ramos, Reyes, Roque, San Jose, Santos and Villegas; from Tagalog: 

Bicol, Bunagan, Maganda, Magsaysay, Makapagal, Palis, Pangalinan, Panganiban, Panganuba, Pangasinnan, Tuliao and Vinluan; or from Chinese:  Chin, Chua and Lee.

In the 1940s and 1950s, many Filipino men joined the service, making emigration to the US easier. Today, fake documents often very authentic looking ones are sometimes used. Those who have tried but failed to gain entry to the US with these fake documents have been caught by their mistakes. Some choose names that are just too unusual, such as Cleopatra or Lady Elizabeth; some attempt to impress the consulate with a professional level occupation but are unable to answer simple questions a real professional would know; others use poorly doctored photos to establish prior ties to the US; still others have forgotten to remove the crib sheets they were given to study from the document package before they submitted the package to the consulate.

Those who arrive illegally often are able to establish legal status by marrying a US citizen. These now legal immigrants then may sponsor their relatives, resulting in so-called “chainmigration.”

Some engage in other types of fraud. One investigation showed that over a five-year period, two flight attendants from Philippine Airlines used the opportunity presented by their employment to enter the US, having four children in California hospitals at taxpayer expense. When caught, they claimed this kind of fraud was quite popular among airline employees.

Claims professionals working with Philippine claimants may find it helpful to index under the middle name as well as the last name, since both are actually surnames one from the mother, one from the father. Also, because the sound system is a little different and some of the names may be unfamiliar, be sure to get the correct spelling. Watch for confusion between F and P and for proper spelling when the name includes the combined NG or MGA. Make sure you are clear whether the claimant is male or female and don’t get confused if a Pilipino speaking person uses the wrong pronoun. And always check any identification for obvious mistakes. One very unlucky man was caught with an otherwise excellent copy of a US visa that was stamped “United State of America.”

TAGALOG/PILIPINO ALPHABET

Letter Sound

A/a ah

B/b b

C/c c, k

D/d d

E/e a

G/g hard g

H/h h

I/i e

K/k Used for hard c and q

L/l l

M/m m

N/n n

NG/ng ng

O/o o

P/p p (f)

R/r r

S/s s

T/t t

U/u oo

V/v b

W/w ua, ao

X/x h, initial, only Spanish words

Y/y ay, initial consonant

Z/z s, only Spanish words

© Copyright 1997 Alikim Media