DURING the early years of Spanish colonization of the Philippines, Filipinos who were forcibly converted to Roman Catholicism were forced to take the name of saints for their first names. The native names did not favor the ignorant ears and indolent tongues of the Spanish colonial invaders.

Governor-General (1844-1849) Narciso Claveria y Zaldua went a step further. He issued on November 21, 1849 an executive edict forcing native Filipino and immigrant families to adopt Spanish surnames. A more capricious scheme then was the imposition on non-Spaniards to use surnames indexed to the place they permanently live. For example, natives of the town of Baao, Camarines Sur were assigned family names starting with the letter "B" or those from Oas, Albay the letter "R."

Jose Di Chin Co (Di Chinco) or Dy Chinco was a Chinese who supposedly came from Dymtaaw town of Ching Kiang province of China. Jose, the earliest known forebear of the Claveria family, settled in Buhi.

Jose either took the name of Jose Claveria when he married Florencia Satulla as their marriage could not have been solemnized without him first being baptized by the Catholic Church. Jose Di Chin Co may have became known as Jose Claveria this way.

Or, it may have been also possible, Jose was either born or baptized only after the year 1848 when the forced naming edict took effect. This (1848) can be proved by working back from the present (1998) Claveria generation using a thirty (30) year average life-span per generation. The latest generation of Claverias being the fifth (5^th) from Jose who represent the first (1^st) generation.

Jose and Florencia de la Cruz made Buhi their permanent home and had nine children. Thus, the roots of the Claverias took a firm hold on the fertile soil of the verdant town of Buhi. The Claveria tree blossomed and bore good fruits from the industry, perseverance and lofty aspirations of Jose's descendants and in-laws who first made their living from the bountiful earth and life-giving rivers and lake of Buhi.

The Claverias of Buhi were one of the pioneering successful local grown merchants, professionals, and community leaders of Buhi whose earlier political, social and overall community life were dominated mainly by hacienderos of Spanish descent.

Jose's descendants became Provincial Board Member, Town Mayor, Judges, Provincial Treasurer, Alatco/Pantranco Internal Auditor, Public School District Supervisor, Principals, Head Teachers, Fire Chief, military officers, successful merchants, businessmen, physicians, engineers, Philippine Bar and Engineering boards "topnotchers" and reaped many other similarly respectable accomplishments and admirable livelihood.

It now behoves the succeeding Claverias whose names literally means "the keepers of the key" (from the Spanish word "yllaveria") to continue opening new doors of opportunity and to resolutely lock-on their endeavors and aspirations to the helm of their family slogan . . .

SERVE THE PEOPLE