Bishop Eric comes home

Monseigneur Eric de Moulins d’Amieu de Beaufort, Auxiliary Bishop of Notre-Dame de Paris, Archdiocese of Paris, is coming home to connect with his Filipino roots.    

Msgr. Beaufort’s ancestors include Felix Roxas y Fernandez, mayor of Manila from 1905 to 1917; Felix Roxas y Arroyo, the first Filipino architect, and Don Francisco L. Roxas y Reyes, a reformist who was executed two weeks after the death of Dr. Jose Rizal, becoming one of the 13 martyrs of Bagumbayan.

The monsignor’s coming is a dream come true, too, for Filipinos in Paris who were moved by his desire to visit the land his illustrious relatives had come from. These are Fr. Gil Apuli, chaplain of the Filipino Catholic Community, and Elpidio Cainay, coordinator of the Pastoral Council in the French capital.

A Filipino couple visiting Paris listened with interest to the monsignor’s story, and became deeply involved in what I describe as “the Bishop de Beaufort project.’’ The couple? Chef Roberto Clemena and university professor Rose S. Clemena.

The bishop’s roots and the story of the search to make a beautiful dream come true, are told in a story prepared by Father Apuli and Mr. Cainay.

‘’Bishop Eric (as he prefers to be called) is the great grandson of Maria Vicenta Roxas-Elio, married to Comte Charles de Moulins D’Amieu de Beaufort. He is the son of General Jean-Louis de Moulins de Beaufort and Madame Françoise Liénard.   

 “Maria Vicenta Roxas-Elio (1879-1956) had lived in France beginning the latter part of the 19th century. She was the daughter of Don Franciso L. Roxas y Reyes (1851-January 11, 1897) and Doña Maria Elio de Roxas (1855-April 9, 1925).

 ‘’Don Francisco was the son of Don Juan Roxas y Arroyo and Dona Vicenta Reyes of Binondo, Manila. His uncle, Felix Roxas y Fernandez, was the mayor of Manila from 1905 to 1917. His grandfather was the first Filipino architect Felix Roxas y Arroyo.

 “A wealthy, well educated man, sympathetic to the liberal yearnings of educated Filipinos during his time, Don Francisco L. Roxas y Reyes believed that reforms from Spain could be obtained peacefully. Prior to his execution for his alleged support of the revolution barely two weeks after the death of Dr. Jose Rizal, he would, according to Austin Craig, spread out his handkerchief on the ground and kneel, believing he was still in church. He was a man of faith. Today, he is remembered as one of the ‘Thirteen Martyrs of Bagumbayan.’”

On a visit to Paris in 2008, Chef Roberto G. Clemeña and his wife, Dr. Rose Marie Salazar-Clemeña, former dean of the College of Education of De La Salle University, were so impressed by Bishop Eric’s sincerity in publicly acknowledging his Filipino lineage, that they took upon themselves the task of helping trace the bishop’s kin.

Upon their return to Manila, the Clemeñas began a search that followed several routes. Two were ignored, but the search through Dee Ann Zobel, Professor Clemeña’s fellow member of the board of trustees of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School, immediately bore fruit. Based on the research of the Zobels’ archivist, Professor Clemeña was advised that she would have better chances of tracking down the roots of Bishop Eric if she tried the Aranetas, descendants of Don Gregorio Araneta, who was the administrator of the properties of the family of Don Francisco Roxas, great-great grandfather of Bishop Eric. With the help of Br. Ricky Laguda FSC, president of De La Salle Araneta University, Professor Clemeña was able to contact Lina Araneta-Santiago (daughter of Don Gregorio’s son, Salvador Araneta, married to Victoria Lopez), who took the lead from thereon.

 Msgr. Eric de Moulins-Beaufort’s visit to the Philippines to connect with his relatives is a project of the Philippine Chaplaincy in Paris. Highlight of his homecoming is the celebration of a holy mass in memory of his great grandmother, Doña Maria Vicenta Roxas-Elio, Comtesse de Moulins d’Amieu de Beaufort. Bishop Eric will also remember Doña Maria’s parents, Don Francisco Roxas and Doña Maria Elio. The mass, to be attended by the Roxas clan, will be held on February 25 at 4 p.m. at the Araneta family chapel in Malabon, followed by a reception to be tendered by Lina Araneta-Santiago at the Pavilion, Victoria Place. Lina and her cousin, Angela Araneta-del Rosario, daughter of Don Ramon and Manchi Araneta, are the organizers of the event.

*      *      *

Yes, a woman can, that is, fulfill a job traditionally reserved for men. This Lucrecia Ebol of Munoz Siayan of Zamboanga del Norte can attest to. She is now an accomplished welder, thanks to the training she received from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Lucresia had set her eyes on farming so she could support her aging parents. A friend told her about TESDA’s Pangulong Gloria Scholarship program. After satisfying the prerequisites, she was given a scholarship through the Congressman’s I-CARE Program which was in a tie-up agreement with TESDA. Lucresia trained and graduated under the Shielded Metal Arc Welding program. She now holds the distinction of being the first female welder in her hometown and the only lady welder in the Department of Public Works and Highways engineering office set on farming. Although she dreamt of pursuing a different career, the economic plight of her family prevented her from doing so.          

Today, Lucresia Ebol holds the distinction of being the first-ever female welder in her hometown and the only lady welder in the DPWH Engineering Office in Dipolog, Mis. Occ.

Lucresia is just one of the many thousands of Filipinos who have benefited from the TESDA scholarship programs. Other than the training on welding, TESDA also offers courses on call center English, butchering, hotel and restaurant service, machine mechanic and other vocational courses.  

The training scholarship provided by TESDA is one of the key components of the Accelerated Hunger-Mitigation Program (AHMP). AHMP provides employment opportunities especially for the poor and the unemployed.

In a report submitted to the NNC Chair and Health Secretary, TESDA reported that those who underwent training on in-demand courses like welding and butchering, among others, were employed abroad while majority of those who underwent IT-related trainings were also employed locally.

For 2010, TESDA is committed to continue conducting vocational trainings to help Filipinos, including returning overseas contract workers, find jobs at home.

*      *      *

My e-mail: [email protected]