Is Individuals Middle Name Not Important? By Quirico M. Gorpido,jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte- One recent afternoon a lady who conducted a survey of the folks residing in brgy. Asuncion here-from fishermen, farmers and other inhabitants-visited a boarding house where I was living. She voluntarily disclosed to yours truly that she was hired by the National Statistics Office to conduct a survey of all residents in the district. She then asked for my first name and last name, but not for my middle name. I asked her why? She told me that theres no space for writing a persons middle name. I asked again, why?

I explained to her that middle names are equally important to that of our last names. I informed her that our names or full names are our distinctive identities. I further said that we were not born with our fathers only. We were not also born by our mothers only. We were born because of our fathers and our mothers.

Furthermore, I urged her to tell the NSO office to change their forms wherein spaces for middle names are provided. I would like to suggest also that other government and private offices whose office forms have no spaces for writing ones middle name should as well provide it.

Another happening relative to the importance of writing our full names even down to the grave or tomb, was the one that happened to our mothers inherent family names. When Mama Lourdes died as one of the casualties of a ship that capsized near Cebu her inherent first and last names were gone.This should not be the case. What one can read on her tomb in Hinundayan of this province was only her first name and the last name of her second husband, which reads Lourdes Adanza.

The tomb engraver seemed to have overlooked and lack the knowledge on the great importance of her full name. My two siblings, Marcelina (Inday) and Dodong (Eugenio Jr,) were still young at that time that they could not react to the changes of our Mothers name. But if I were present during her wake I could have instructed the engraver or handed over to him the full name of our Mother, which is Lourdes Almendras Monte de Ramos-Adanza.

For all and sundry to know Including engravers everywhere in the country, we should give importance to our full names and the full names of other persons, particularly in writing them on application forms, in all important documents, records and not the least even down to ones grave. So that its likewise important to ask first the person or the family concerned about a members full name so that we can write correctly their respective full names whenever necessary, and again even down to his/her grave.

Writing the full names of married women including those single women and men is also vitally important.This is to serve for the purpose of easy identification for her/his relatives, friends, classmates and colleagues. For married women, their full names should always be written in all occasions if spaces provided are enough with a dash after it and followed by the last names of their respective husbands. Like for instance, the living example of my mothers full name, which is Lourdes Almendras Monte de RamosAdanza,in honor of her second husband, Eugenio Adolfo Adanza,Sr.(deceased) from Hinundayan.Mama Lourdes was first married in St. Bernard to our father Quirico Siervo Gorpido,Sr.(deceased) who hails from Pambujan,Northern Samar.

With this articles commendation on the importance of writing an individuals middle name and last name on application forms and in all important records. And last but not the least even down to ones grave. Reasons why sustaining in writing in all forms of communications and records the persons names or full names were already mentioned earlier.

We hope that this piece will serve as a wakeup call to all and sundry the great importance of always writing our respective names in full in all forms of transactions and communications and still I repeat, even down to the grave. It is the social responsibilities of all engravers of tombs and otherwise to always ask the person or the family concerned regarding the full name or full names of their subjects for engraving rather than rushing to do their tasks without asking. Just as well, concern families should likewise show their zealous concerns in the great importance of possessing the attitude of always writing the names of their respective families in full names whenever necessary in any occasions.

Single women who got married would not automatically mean that they would lose their respective inherent names from their parents. Married women themselves should be the first to show concerns and worthiness of their respective inherent names. When filling up on job application forms and other important records/documents in government and private offices, they should write their full names in full and follow by the family names of their respective husbands, with a dash prior to it.

As an example, well be using here the full names of my second cousins on my mothers side. Instead of writing only Rosemay Delgado or Marianne Angeles, which is the very short cut of their full names as married women, she or any married woman should write her full name and follow by her husbands family name in this way-Rosemay Fernandez Almendras-Delgado or Marianne Fernandez Almendras-Angeles-as long as the space provided in the office form is ample enough to accommodate her full name. If not, she can write her middle name only on initial F.

This kind of concern of always writing ones name in full among the married women and single women must be accustomized to make it inveterate. A habit that would be sustainable and be ingrained in all the members of Filipino families. That is during the married womens lifetime and even down to their graves when the time comes.

I have observed that there are plenty of women who seem to overlook/ignore their parents family names after their marriages. Because of this kind of personal negligence, they make shortcuts in writing their names in almost all government and private office forms during job applications and other similar activities where filling up of forms were required.

With this article on such topic, we hope that many married women will become aware of the great value of our respective full names that were bequeathed to us from our parents. Our respective full names, I repeat, are our distinctive identities. It cannot be replaced by any other names-even derivations from our close relatives. Once it is bequeath to us from no other than our parents, it will stick hard to the core of our personalities. This is their priceless gifts to us their children.

There could be no substitution at all. A husbands family name to a married woman is a kind of affinitive attachment to her married personality. Thats

why putting a dash prior to the writing of ones husbands last name in always necessary. The use of a dash after a married womans inherent last names is an indication that she was married to so and so man of her dream. In fact, this socalled affinitive attachment to a husbands family name can be changed if she becomes a widow and decide to marry another man. The family name of her second husband would then become her second affinitive attachment on her second marriage.Therefore, always writing ones full name for both single and married women including the man are essentially vital to maintain our respective distinctive identities.

Additionally, a sister or a brother of a dead person, particularly if she was married should provide the full name of their dead married sister, or the father or mother herself, to the engraver. Concerned families of dead people should not leave the tomb engravers to decide for themselves of what they know about the formers family names. Deads written full names must be handed over to the engravers as their guides in doing their jobs.

With this kind of awareness long ignored by numerous married women in the country including some families, I hope somehow, I can convince my younger sister and my niece t o fund for the correction of our Mama Lourdes engraved name on her tomb, where her inherent family names from her parentsAlmendras and Monte de Ramos- were intentionally and ignorantly obliterated and was only replaced by the affinitive attachment of her second husbands last name, which could be considered as a misdeed and a great mistake. (Quirico M. Gorpido,.Jr.)