133. José Mág-isá VERGARA
Before his birth, two sisters had died in infancy during World War II. His parents had originally petitioned, and danced in the honour of, St. Clare in Obando, Bulacan and his birth was eagerly looked forward to. For his father, Domingo, was the only surviving male of the Vergara clan in Pulilan. Likewise, his grandfather, Perfecto, had been the only male Vergara in his generation.
With delicate health, José became the object of love of all relations, being the only male of the only male Vergara surviving of the Lumbac clan. He went to the seminary at the age of 14 to join the Redemptorist congregation to the disappointment of his father whose hope of the perpetuation of the clan was consequently pinned on the other only two sons, Ceferino and Rufino. José was eventually advised to leave at the age of 19. Having become a teacher, he married Rustica de Jesús Carasig of Malolos, a classmate in college. In 1975, with three very young children, the couple migrated to Australia where they would eventually have seven more. Five daughters and five sons! The future of the Vergara clan of Lumbác is assured!
It was José who started the massive genealogy projects involving the Vergara, Coronél, Agustín, Cruz clans of Pulilan; Mág-isá clan of Pulilan and Bustos, Bulacan; and de Jesús and Carasig clans of Malolos. The projects have been extended to include the various branches of the Vergaras in the Philippines. They can be viewed on the website <a href="http://www.lcup-alumni.org/vergara">Vergara Family Philippines</a>.