The Araneta family is an influential Filipino family that originated from
Guipúzcoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the
Basque word "aran" meaning valley, with the suffix "eta" meaning abundance of,
but also a locative term denoting "place" - in this case, the Araneta name
meaning the family that comes from the valley.
Origins In 1723, during the Galleon Trade, two
brothers named Baltazar de Araneta and Don Jose de Araneta arrived in Manila
aboard the Spanish Fleet,"La Sacra Familia". They came from the Basque
region of Spain by way of Acapulco, Mexico. However, this was not conclusive
as some members of the family disputed that the two are not brothers. Don Jose
de Araneta must have been born in Gipuzkoa, but not Baltazar de Araneta.
He was born in Mexico. Baltazar served as a regidor of the
cabildo and secretary of the Charitable Fraternity of the Misericordia in
Manila. He was married to Manuela de Aguirre and he died in Manila in 1750.
One line of the Araneta family is descended from him.
In 1725, Don Jose joined the first Spanish expedition forces to Mindanao. A
passage quoted from the book, by Benito Francia and Julian Gonzales Parrado,
which was translated in Chabacano dialect by Datu Michael Mastura,
establishes two facts: First, Don Jose de Araneta served the Spanish
Politico-Military Government of Mindanao based at Zamboanga City. Second, he
served as interpreter between the Spanish colonial government and the
Sultan of Maguindanao, together with Placido Alberto de Saavedra. Another
passage in the document revealed that in 1746, Don Jose Araneta was executed in
Sulugan, Mindanao, nowadays known as Anuling in Cotabato, Philippines.
However, there are conflicting information drawn from translations of
various documents pertaining to him. In 1823, Buenaventura Araneta son of
Mathias Araneta became the Gobernadorcillo in Molo, Iloilo. He
married Isabel Theresa Estrella. They had four children: Hermenegildo,
Antonio, Pantaleon and Aniceta. Hermenegildo married Petrona Estanislao
y Locsin of Iloilo. They had nine children, one of them was Felix who
married Paz Soriano y Ditching and they had seventeen children, namely Leopoldo,
Angel, Isabel, Pablo, Marciano, Gregorio, Anastacio, Maria, Filomena,
Rosario, Lina, Jose, Concepcion, Candelaria, Encarnacion, Felicito and
Remedios. 19th century and the Philippine
Revolution Buenaventura Araneta became the
Gobernadorcillo of Iloilo, becoming the first member of the family to enter
political life. In the latter part of the century, a
kinsman of his on the Negros side; Juan Araneta was the architect of the Negros
Revolution that defeated the Spanish forces in that island. This would lead
to the creation of the Cantonal Republic of Negros. He would serve as Secretary
of War of the short lived government which were later absorbed into the
American controlled military government of the Philippines. A statue of him
stands in the Bago City public plaza. Other members of the family were
involved in the revolution elsewhere. Pablo Soriano Araneta Commanding General
of the Panay Revolutionary Forces and Chief of the expeditionary forces of the
Federal Republic of the Visayas, encountered several fierce battles in
San Miguel, Pavia and in the outskirt of Jaro, more notably the battle of Oton to
Arevalo. Along with General Angel Corteza and General Leandro Fullon of
Antique, who fired the first shot, they crushed the Spanish Garrisons.
Marciano Soriano Araneta and Anastacio Soriano Araneta [1870 -1898]
participated in combat against the Spanish forces and captured the Spanish
Garrison in Mangkas The eminent Gregorio Soriano Araneta,
legal luminary, businessman, nationalist and patriot, served his country and
people under three regimes. He was elected a member of the National
Assembly representing Iloilo. In 1898, he was appointed by General Emilio
Aguinaldo as Secretary General and delegate to the Malolos Republic.
Gregorio Araneta became the Secretary of Justice of the Philippine Republic on
September 26, 1898. Gregorio also became a successful and
prosperous lawyer in Manila and married Dona Carmen Zaragoza y Roxas, of the
prominent Spanish mestizo Zaragoza and Roxas clans of Manila, and established
the Araneta name in Manila Society for the first time.
After the end of the revolution and the creation of the Philippine commonwealth,
members of the clan expanded their business and political interests. Juan
Araneta went on to establish the Ma-ao Sugar Central in his hometown of Bago
City. Industrialist Jorge Araneta would later expand it, and later the barangay
where the Central stood was named after him. Jorge was also a close friend of
commonwealth Philippine President Manuel Quezon.
It was Jorge's son-in-law and distant relation, J Amado Araneta, who made the
family into a household name. He established the real estate empire of
commercial Cubao. His most prominent achievement is building the Araneta
Center. It's landmark structure, the ARANETA COLISEUM, was the world's
largest indoor stadium. It still remains one of the largest in Asia.
In politics Salvador Araneta, son of Gregorio Araneta become a Cabinet
Secretary in the Philippine government. He was the founder of Araneta University
and FEATI University. Later, his nephew Greggy Araneta married Irene Marcos, the
daughter of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos.
Other members of the clan involved with Marcos was Rafael M. Salas, the son of
Ernesto Araneta Salas of Bago City. He served as Marcos' Executive Secretary,
due to political differences he left this position and later become
Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, head of UNFPA. He would serve
in this capacity for 17 years. Many other members of the clan also
serve in various political positions. Currently, the most well known example
is Senator Mar Roxas, a grandson of J Amado Araneta. The most prominent is
Philippine former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of Philippine
former President Gloria Arroyo. He is a descendant of Jesusa Araneta Lacson de
Arroyo of the Negros Branch of the family.
Notable members = Politics =
Buenaventura Araneta - Gobernadorcillo of Iloilo
Juan Araneta - revolutionary, Secretary of War
Gregorio S. Araneta - Secretary of the Malolos Congress
Marciano Yulo Araneta - President Municipal of Bago City, Negros
Occidental Salvador Araneta - Secretary of Economic
Coordination under President Elpidio Quirino, Secretary of Agriculture under
President Ramon Magsaysay Vicente Aurelio Araneta - head of a
development related agency, ACCFA Gloria Araneta-Esteban - Vice-Governor
of Negros Occidental,daughter of Lorenzo S. Araneta
Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas - grandson of J.Amado Araneta and former President
Manuel Roxas, Son of former Senator Gerry Roxas and Judy Araneta Roxas,
ex-Trade and Industry Secretary, former Senator, 2010 Vice-Presidential
candidate, current DILG Secretary. Gerry Roxas Jr. - brother of the
preceding, grandson of J.Amado Araneta and former President Manuel Roxas, Son
of former Senator Gerry Roxas and Judy Araneta Roxas, former Representative
Jose Miguel Arroyo - Husband of former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo,
grandson of Jesusa Araneta Lacson de Arroyo
Rafael M. Salas - United Nations Under-Secretary General, Head UNFPA, son
of Ernesto Araneta Salas. Ramón Torres - Labor Secretary, Senator,
descendant of Irene L. Araneta-Torres, author of 8 hours per day law.
José Yulo - Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, wartime Chief
of Justice, Secretary of Justice, descendant of the Yulo-Araneta branch
Manuel Torres - Mayor of Bago City, Negros Occidental, nephew of Ramon
Torres, descendant of Irene L. Araneta-Torres
José Varela - Assemblyman, Negros Occidental, grandson of Antonio Araneta
Varela Ramón D. Torres - Current Mayor of Bago
City, Negros Occidental, nephew of Manuel Torres, descendant of Irene L.
Araneta-Torres Arsenio Yulo - First Chairman of the
Sugar Regulatory Administration, descendant of the Yulo-Araneta branch
Crispino Varela Ramos - son of Agaton Varela and Josefa De Los Dolores
Araneta, Consejal from 1907 to 1911. Don Crispino V. Ramos Elementary School in
barrio Taculing, Bacolod City was named after him.
= Business = Jorge Araneta - Pre-war industrialist
J. Amado Araneta - Business tycoon, developer of the Araneta Center in
Cubao, Quezon City. He was the original owner of the sugar cane mill
Bacolod-Murcia Milling Company located in Bacolod City.
Luis Ma. Araneta - a familiar figure in local architectural, engineering and
construction circles. Leopoldo M. Araneta - A businessman,
entrepreneur, importer and exporter Gregorio Araneta II - Founder of Ace
Advertising Agency Jorge L. Araneta - President and CEO of
the Araneta Group; son of J. Amado Araneta. Husband of Stella Marquez,
first Miss International. Ramon Araneta Yulo - Real Estate baron
of the Canlubang Estates, Laguna Gregorio Ma. Araneta III - CEO and
Chairman of the Board of Araneta Properties Inc. He is also the Chairman
of the Board of Autobus Transport System, Inc., Gregorio Araneta
Management Corporation, GAMMA Holdings Corp., and GAMMA Properties. He is also
a Director of LBC Development Bank. Benito Araneta - Businessman
Santi Araneta - CEO of LBC Express = Religion =
Francisco Araneta, SJ - Priest,was the first Filipino to serve as
Rector-President of Ateneo de Manila University from 1959 to 1965.
Francisco Araneta del Rosario - Philosopher, spiritual guru, main
proponent of The Holy Matrix Theory. Jesús Y. Varela - Roman Catholic Bishop,
grandson of Antonio Araneta Varela Rolando Ramos Dizon - Religious,
President De La Salle University, CHED Commissioner, descendant of Josefa
Araneta-Varela. = Sports =
Manolet Araneta - Member, 1948 London Olympics, Basketball
Ian Araneta - Member, Philippine Football team
Allan Araneta - Gold Medalist, Philippine Fencing Team 1995 SEA Games -
Chang-Mai Thailand. Marcus A. Valda - wrestler; gold
medalist SEA Games = Others =
Judy Araneta-Roxas - Papal Awardee, vice chair of the Araneta Group, political
activist, social development practitioner, widow of former Senator
Gerry Roxas the son of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas.
Louise Araneta - Marcos - lawyer, wife of politician Ferdinand Marcos Jr. son
of former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos
Margarita A. Fores - daughter of Maria Lourdes "Baby" Araneta-Fores,
granddaughter of J Amado Araneta. Celebrity chef and businesswoman in
Manila. Owner of 10 Italian inspired restaurants including Cibo, Pepato, Café
Bola and Pepato restaurants. Other businesses include Fiori di M and Casa
di M, high-end floral and housewares design, respectively
Bianca Araneta-Elizalde - Model, Great granddaughter of Gregorio Soriano
Araneta and wife of Businessman Juan M. Elizalde.
Irene Marcos Araneta- wife of Gregorio "Greggy" Araneta lll; daughter of former
Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos.
Araneta Group The Araneta Group holds the key
businesses and investments of J. Amado Araneta. This includes Araneta Center,
Inc., the owner, developer and manager of the Araneta Center; United
Promotions, Inc. manages the leisure and entertainment businesses; Philippine
Pizza, Inc., the exclusive franchisee of Pizza Hut in the Philippines; and
Progressive Development Corporation, the management company of the Araneta Group.
PDC also holds investments in Wenphil and Philippine Seven, local franchisees
of Wendy’s and 7-Eleven. The Araneta Group, through the Binibining Pilipinas
Charities, Inc. holds the Philippine franchises to major international beauty
contests and organizes the annual Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant. It
also operates Taco Bell and Dairy Queen in the country.
Other businesses Salvador Araneta started RFM Foods
Corporation, which manufactures and distributes White King, Swift, Fiesta,
Sunkist, and Unilever-licensed Selecta products. Jose S. Concepcion, Jr. is the
current chairman of RFM. LBC Express, founded as the Luzon
Brokerage Corporation, was started by Carlos "Linggoy" Araneta. Its current
CEO is Santiago "Santi" Araneta. The Araneta group, under Ramon Araneta,
also ventured into advertising through Ace Advertising Agency, now known as Ace
Saatchi & Saatchi. As of today, the Aranetas don't have shareholdings in the
agency - now owned by the France-based Publicis group through its Saatchi &
Saatchi network of agencies. Sources
Alfredo Saulo.. "IV Bago: Birthplace of the Negros Republic". Jorge vargas
Autobiography. University of the Philippine Press.
Violeta Lopez-Gonzaga... Land of Hope, Land of Want : A socio-economic history
of Negros. Philippine National Historical Society..
Roland Oscar Araneta... Familia Araneta..
See also ESCUDO DE ARMAS
THE ARANETA FAMILY TREE THE ARANETA FAMILY HISTORY & ORIGIN
ARANETA ONLINE GENEALOGY Don Jose De Araneta
Araneta Center Araneta Coliseum
De La Salle Araneta University Gateway Mall
Iloilo Bago City
Negros Revolution Farmers Plaza
Politics of the Philippines Negros Occidental
References External links
Official Website of the City of Bago