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.