Why do many Filipinos claim to be Spanish?

[jsctan]

Some are pah ceng. Not exactly spanish.

 

[True Believer]

Some are pah ceng. Not exactly spanish.

The Spanish colonial govt assigned Spanish surnames to all Filipinos for taxation and admin purposes. Therefore, a family name like Fernandez or Martinez indicates historical imposition rather than any Spanish heritage. Filipinos ended up with Spanish surnames, assigned by the colonial administrators. In fact, only around 3% of Filipinos have a European ancestor.

 

[jsctan]

The Spanish colonial govt assigned Spanish surnames to all Filipinos for taxation and admin purposes. Therefore, a family name like Fernandez or Martinez indicates historical imposition rather than any Spanish heritage. Filipinos ended up with Spanish surnames, assigned by the colonial administrators. In fact, only around 3% of Filipinos have a European ancestor.

Some of their tagalog has malay words. Basically they and the aborigines are like all the neighbouring countries
Austronesian, orang asli.

 

[True Believer]

Some of their tagalog has malay words. Basically they and the aborigines are like all the neighbouring countries Austronesian, orang asli.

You hit the nail on its head! That is why I am flabbergasted whenever my Filipino colleagues claim that they have Spanish blood because they have a surname like Garcia, Campos, Montez, Serrano etc. Even the Eurasians in S'pore and Melaka claim to be "Portuguese" or "Dutch" because they had an European great great grandfather during the Colonial days in the Straits Settlements.