Sabularse

Sabularse is a Philippine surname which has been derived from the Filipino surname Sabulao. The Sabulao's previously settled in the town of Ligao Albay before most of the members of the family together with its patriarch moved to the town of Baao.
The previous surname of the family is Francisco but was later on changed to Sabulao when Governor General Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa issued the decree establishing the systematic distribution of family names and the imposition of the Spanish naming system on the inhabitants of the Philippines. The system was guided by issuing a book called Catálogo alfabético de apellidos.
According to the decree, a copy of the catalog was to be distributed to the provincial heads of the archipelago. From there, a certain number of surnames, based on population, were sent to each barangay's parish priest. The head of each barangay, along with another town official or two, was present when the father or the oldest person in each family chose a surname for his or her family.
Several groups were exempt from having to choose new surnames:
1.) Those possessing a previously adopted surname (whether indigenous or foreign) already on the list; or, if not on the list, not prohibited due to ethnic origin or being too common.
2.) Families who had already adopted a prohibited surname but could prove their family had used the name for at least four consecutive generations. (These were names prohibited for being too common, like de los Santos, de la Cruz, or for other reasons.)
Because of the mass implementation of Spanish surnames in the Philippines, a Spanish surname might not necessarily indicate Spanish ancestry and can make it difficult for Filipinos to accurately trace their lineage.
The Sabulao patriarch selected the surname Sabulao in place of the surname Francisco since the Francisco at that time was too common. The surname was later on corrupted to Sabularse since Sabularse is more pleasing to hear then the surname Sabulao.

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