Atty. Emmanuel S. Tipon: A Top Notch Lawyer, A Magsingaleno

by Mario Ugalino
(as published 4 years ago in MVP)

Do you believe in destiny?  I do.  And I want to share the story of my destiny that led me to meet an outstanding Magsingaleno, most of us probably would have not known as one of us, a son of Magsingal, if not for the way my destiny played out when I returned to Honolulu.  Returning to Honolulu where I lived before I joined the military was indeed my destiny.  The military is an institution where I served for exactly twenty years, plus another nine years of wandering, thinking where the best fit is for a retired military family to live.  One of the many experiences I have gotten since returning to the Islands is meeting this wonderful and very distinguished Lawyer I call a relative.

With wife, Natividad at the Christmas Party of Hawaii Filipino Chronicle

His name is Attorney Emmanuel S. Tipon - a popular, personable and witty Immigration Lawyer in the US who graduated from the University of the Philippines and Yale Law Schools.  He placed 3rd on his Bar Exams and a Fulbright Scholar at Yale as well.  That is a rare feat worthy of admiration.

One great thing that happened after I moved back to Honolulu was learning that I am related to Atty. Tipon.  Yes, I am related to him!  But Atty. Tipon did not know that we were related until I courageously emailed to let him know that we were in fact related.  This was after much investigation was done in Magsingal.  The following scenario was how I went about telling this Fulbright Scholar that half of his family line and half of mine came from the same family tree - the Tipon clan of Magsingal!

With son Noel (a lawyer), daughter Patricia (also a lawyer), and wife Natividad

All of this started when I read his column on the weekly local Philippine News magazine. Had I not read his Philippine News column and not listened to his radio program in the only Filipino radio station in Honolulu at that time, I would have not gotten to meet and know him - a truly excellent person who is a lawyer, a writer, a scholar and more importantly a family relative and a Magsingaleno.

A few years ago, because of my persisting back problems (gets worse at cold weather condition) and my wife Edna yearning to live near her aging parents, we moved to Honolulu from Anchorage, Alaska.  It was a hard decision to leave our home, friends and oldest son and his family in Alaska, the land we Americans call “The Last Frontier State“.  It was very hard to move out of Anchorage because it was a place we called home for more than thirteen years.  The number of years we lived in that home was the longest place we have lived anywhere besides the fifteen years we lived in Magsingal before we came to Hawaii almost four decades ago.  Being in the military, we moved a lot to different places around the world.

Wedding of daughter Patricia and son-in-law Stephen in July 2006 in Honolulu

It was a bittersweet experience to move back here in Hawaii after being away for many years.  Many of our friends who we met for the thirteen years we were in Alaska, live in Alaska.  At the same time, Honolulu is where hundreds of our family members happily live.  Here in Honolulu there are always chances of meeting new relatives.  That excites me!  I always love finding and meeting new relatives.  Being away from Hawaii for so long, the chance of meeting a new relative outside of Hawaii was almost nil.  Except for one MVP writer named William Realon (Edna’s third cousin) who we met for the first time ever at our neighbor’s (ma-jong) party in Anchorage.  We were so surprised to meet a fellow Magsingaleno.  Even more surprising was that we found out that William was Edna’s cousin. A very small world indeed!

Noel's family (with his wife Heather and 2 sons, Robbie and Jacob)

One day while visiting my favorite local Filipino bakery here in Honolulu, I came upon a Philippine News magazine which had a column that I read.  The column was about immigration into the US.  It was funny but effective and to the point.  The writer was a straight shooter I thought.  Meaning the writer was very candid.  After reading the column, I noticed that the author’s surname is a very familiar family name in Magsingal.  The column was written by an Immigration Lawyer who has mostly practiced his profession in the Mainland USA but recently moved to Honolulu.  I read on later that he moved to Honolulu for a better weather for his health, retire and relax but ended up working again to help his fellow Filipinos who have immigration problems.

With Patricia in Washington DC after taking oath as member of US Supreme Court Bar in 2007

“Emmanuel S. Tipon” is his name.  Hmmm…I thought!  In my mind, Tipon is a surname in Magsingal and my late grandmother was a Tipon also who I learned later that she was the first cousin of Atty. Tipon’s father.

Attorney Tipon kept on writing his Philippine News magazine column and I kept on reading them.  The more I read his column the more I was interested to find out if his family was connected to mine.  When I went home to Magsingal last year, I asked my Mom about this Attorney Tipon in Hawaii.  She said that Attorney Tipon might be the son of her uncle who was married to a Samonte from Laoag.  That was all she can remember.  But then I remembered Atty. Tipon’s middle initial on his Philippine News magazine column is an S.  This letter S could mean Samonte that my Mom just recalled, I thought.

Holding the article he wrote about then Cong. Villar

Then when I saw my two uncles (Arnold and Dante Tipon) who are also my Mom’s first cousins from San Clemente, I inquired again about Atty Tipon.  My uncles said that Atty. Tipon is definitely our relative (a top notch attorney) from Laoag.  They used to stop and visit Atty. Tipon’s family residence in Laoag on their way to Isabela when they were younger.  Isabela is where my uncle’s Mom is from.  Uncle Dante inspired me when he said this, “Tell him that your Lolo is Biendo Tipon”.  Lolo Biendo Tipon was the respected longtime teacher in Magsingal.  But my big dilemma then was how to go about telling Atty. Tipon that he is a relative of mine.

Every Friday mornings in one of the two Filipino radio stations in Honolulu, Atty. Tipon usually has a program about helping Filipinos with immigration problems.  One Friday morning, I turned my radio on and I listened to him.  At this time I was thinking of calling him or emailing him and to tell him that he is my relative.  But the left part of my head was afraid to call him because “he might reject me”.  What if he “Kicks me to the curb”?  Meaning, “I do not have nothing to do with you, dude!”

Atty Tipon in action

Then the Law of Attraction started clicking (written earlier by Vic’s MVP column).  Some voice screamed inside my ears and encouraged me to call him.  At this time also on Atty. Tipon’s radio show, he said for the FIRST TIME on his program that his roots is from Magsingal.  To me at that time, he was now hinting to the universe that I could talk to him - was encouraging me to call him or to email him, like he was saying to me “C’mon Barok, do not be shy, email me, so that I can meet you!”.   I gathered my thoughts and composed my first electronic letter to him and then I courageously pushed the send button on my computer and moments later, the rest is history.  He told me that yes we are related and if I would like, I can call him anytime.

Meeting former Prez Marcos

The following is his story supplied by my newly found uncle, Attorney Emmanuel S. Tipon who was born and raised in Laoag but his father the late Egidio Tipon was from San Ramon, Magsingal.  All of us from the MVP community are so honored to feature him in our website as a notable Magsingaleno.  Have you all noticed that there are great, smart people coming out from San Ramon?



ABOUT ATTY. EMMANUEL S. TIPON (supplied by Atty. Tipon)

When the Japanese occupied our home in Laoag in 1942, we moved to Magsingal in the house of my lelo and lela along the National Highway in San Ramon. We stayed there for most of the duration of the war. My father who was the school commandant at the Ilocos Norte Trade School was with the guerrillas.

We would go to the family farm in Lubong towards the mountains where I learned how to plant and harvest rice. We would also plant sugarcane and vegetables during the dry season. After the war, I would spend the summer vacation with my Lelo, Paulino Tipon and Lela, Antonia Arellano Tipon. They were very generous and loving grandparents.

From April to June 2001, I stayed in Magsingal where I wrote a book “Winning by Knowing Your Election Laws” which became a best seller in the Philippines. I would not have been able to do it if not for the peace and serenity of Magsingal and the help of my nieces. It was printed in Vigan. Whenever I go to the Philippines, I visit Magsingal. When I am there, I go to market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I enjoy cooking the fresh meat, seafood, and vegetables that I buy. I have very fond memories of Magsingal.

My parents are Egidio Arellano Tipon and Rosalia Samonte Tipon of Laoag, Ilocos Norte. My father came to Hawaii about 1919 as a sacada (contract worker). After completing his original contract for 1 year he moved to California and picked fruits in Central California before moving to Chicago where he finished his high school and college at De Paul University. He returned to the Philippines in 1930 to teach.

My mother is a cousin of the late Gov. Domingo Samonte and Gov. and Congressman Damaso Samonte of Ilocos Norte. My parents were school teachers in the Ilocos Norte High School where they met and married in 1931. My father later was transferred to the Ilocos Norte Trade School as Head of the Academic Department. My mother was transferred to the Ilocos Norte Normal School. Both have passed away.

I was born on December 24, 1932 in Laoag. I am married to Natividad Valerio of San Ildefonso, Bulacan. We have two children: Patricia, 37, a lawyer in Baltimore, MD, and Emmanuel (Noel), 35, also a lawyer in Honolulu, Hawaii. He served our country as a Major in the U.S. Marine Corps, including deployment in Iraq. He returned to civilian life in 2008. He practices law in Honolulu, Hawaii, specializing in court martial defense, criminal defense, immigration, and family law.

I graduated from the U.P. College of Law in 1955. Placed third in the bar examinations. Started law practice with former Judge Guillermo B. Guevara.  I first came to the U.S. on a Fulbright/Smith-Mundt scholarship to study for a Master of Laws degree at Yale Law School from 1960-1961. I returned to the Philippines and continued to practice law, serving as Corporate Counsel of Dole Pineapple; Chief Legal Counsel of Fidentia Insurance Group, and Chief Legal Counsel of Provident Savings Bank.

I came back to the U.S. in 1971 on an H working visa to write law books for Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co. (now Thomson West Publishing) in Rochester, New York, and was transferred to San Francisco, California. After I retired in 1992, I continued to write law books for Thomson West up to the present. I also served as an immigration officer with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.  I moved to Yucca Valley in 2001, then to Las Vegas in 2002 and to Hawaii in 2003. I practice immigration law and criminal law. I am also a realtor.

I have 2 siblings. Retired Manila Regional Court Judge Artemio S. Tipon, LL.B, U.P. and Ross Tipon, an engineering graduate, U.P. Judge Tipon lives in Paranaque and Ross lives in Baguio City.

For more information about me: visit www.ImmigrationServicesUSA.com