The story begins in Hagonoy, Bulacan in the early 18th century where a boy named Vicente Zapanta was born to a poor Filipino family.  He was employed as a houseboy of Archbishop Manuel Antonio Rojo, who later became the Acting Spanish Governor General of the Philippines at the time of the British occupation of Manila.  Archbishop Rojo had a beautiful niece named Matelde who lived with him in the palace.

    When Admiral Draper of the British Navy occupied Manila, the Spanish was force to retreat and evacuate the city.  For the safety of his niece, the Archbishop entrusted Matelde under the care of Vicente who agreed to evacuate the girl to Hagonoy.  One dark night they slipped over the walls of Intramuros, took a small banca (boat) and proceeded to the Pasig River, then out to the sea.

    Their place of refuge was not too safe because Sepoy patrols of the British kept going through the barrio looking for Spanish and Filipino soldiers.  Thus, they transferred to a safer place in the middle of the fishpond and stayed in the fishpond caretaker's hut.  Vicente took cared of Matelde and provided food and protection the best he could.

    A change came over them when they were together and alone in the hut.  Vicente fell in love with Matelde, which the girl reciprocated without restraint.  Their love grew, bloomed, and bore fruit.  When the emergency was over and the Spanish sovereignty was restored, they went back again to Intramuros, to the place of Archbishop Rojo.

    Matelde Rojo was confined in the Carmelite Convent of Manila where she delivered a healthy baby boy.  After the birth of her child, she returned to Spain leaving her son in the convent under the care of the Mother Superior.  It was her special request with the Mother Superior that when her son grows up she want him to be a priest so that he could help Christianized the Filipino.

    As a priest, he was assigned in Iloilo City in the year 1791.  Then he moved to Capiz and later to Kalibo, Aklan.  It was said that among his descendants in that place of assignment were families like the Montillas, the Albas, the Hontiveros, and the Reyeses.  In his later year of priesthood, the Bishop of Jaro transferred him to the town of Pandan, Antique.