“Beneath the Banyan Tree” is a daughter’s personal account of her family’s story through four generations and a turbulent era. The tale begins during the Spanish colonial period, and continues through the Philippine Revolution. It recounts the violent struggle and pacification by the Americans, as well as the gradual evolution of a nation’s democratic structure interrupted by the tragedy of the Second World War, and ultimately the achievement of Philippine independence.

It is also the personal story of a family, told simply, with candor and affection. As the Filipino identity and a sense of nationhood was forged in the Philippines, the Lichauco family played a role in the creation of the nation. Beginning with the coming of her Chinese ancestor Thomas Lichauco from Tongan, in Fujian Province in the early 19th century, and her Spanish antecedents from Galicia, the author traces the multi-racial and multi-cultural tapestry that created the blending of eastern and western elements of her family. It begins with the story of Cornelia Laochangco Lichauco, a strong woman who laid family foundations and kept them intact. It describes the increasingly important role of the Chinese mestizo in the economic, social and political development of the nation. It ends by describing the life and career of the author’s father, Ambassador Marcial Lichauco who was a passionate and vocal proponent of Philippine independence.