Lea Salonga Responds to Surprising Revelation on ‘Finding Your Roots’

Lea Salonga, the acclaimed singer and actor from the Philippines, received unexpected insights about her ancestry during an episode of “Finding Your Roots,” which aired on January 7.

During her appearance on the PBS program, the 53-year-old artist traced her lineage back numerous generations. With the assistance of host Henry Louis Gates Jr., Salonga discovered details about her maternal great-great-grandfather, Pedro Malhabor.

Gates pointed out that Malhabor’s surname was not of Filipino origin. Salonga recounted that, according to family traditions, Malhabor was a physics professor from Germany.

However, the show’s research indicated that Malhabor might have been more accurately described as a naturalist rather than a physicist. It’s suggested that he arrived in the Philippines in the early 1870s, during a time when European naturalists visited the island for exploratory purposes. The show theorized that Malhabor was part of this group.

Gates’ research team uncovered a baptism record for Malhabor’s son, revealing that Malhabor hailed from Prussia, a region that encompassed parts of Germany, Poland, and Russia. More specifically, he likely originated from what is now known as Germany, while his wife came from Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

“The only connection I had regarding the Malhabor name was that it was German. Beyond that, we had no knowledge of anything like this,” Salonga remarked as she processed the revelation that one of her ancestors was Prussian.

Using the baptism record, the “Finding Your Roots” team was able to identify additional German ancestors. Salonga expressed her excitement, saying it was “wild” to discover her German roots.

“I’m definitely going to share all this with my daughter when I get home. She’s going to be amazed because she’s the most Asian-looking person you can imagine,” she commented.

Gates prompted Salonga to contemplate her ancestors’ thoughts on her successful career.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what they would have thought. Maybe the scientists would have been disappointed that I pursued the arts,” she replied.

“But everyone would have been proud of your Tony award,” Gates teasingly suggested.

“I think so. By then, everyone would have likely been speechless,” she concurred.

The episode also delved into her paternal lineage. Salonga’s grandfather, Feliciano P. Salonga, was born in the Philippines in 1894.

After joining the U.S. Navy, he served in the boiler room of a vessel.

“He didn’t view it as menial work. He saw it as a means to improve his life,” Salonga elaborated.

Her grandfather was 47 years old at the onset of World War II and had recently returned to Manila, which had fallen under Japanese control, where atrocities were rampant. His association with the U.S. military placed him in significant jeopardy.

At this juncture, Salonga’s grandfather went missing for a period. Gates inquired how this might have affected Salonga’s father, who was only 12 years old at the time.

“It may have been a factor in why he was not an emotionally expressive person,” she reflected.

As she contemplated the discoveries made by Gates and his team, Salonga admitted she was genuinely impressed by their thorough research into her ancestry.

“My mind is kind of blown,” she expressed.