Maria Ressa

Birth Name: Maria Angelita Delfin Aycardo

Place of Birth: Manila, Philippines

Date of Birth: October 2, 1963

Ethnicity: Filipino, as well as at least 1/32 Chinese

Maria Ressa is a Filipino-American journalist and author. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2021, with Dmitry Muratov. She co-founded, and is CEO of, online news site Rappler. She was a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN.

Maria is the daughter of Hermelina Estrella Delfin and Manuel Phil Sunico Aycardo III. Her father died when she was a child. From the age of ten, she was raised mostly in Toms River, New Jersey, by her mother, and stepfather, Peter Ames Ressa, who is an American, of Italian descent. He formally adopted her. Maria was raised speaking Tagalog.

Maria’s paternal grandfather was Manuel Mateo Baltazar Aycardo, Jr. (the son of Manuel María Aycardo y Ángeles, or Manuel María Ángeles Aycardo in Filipino, and of Rita Baltazar). Maria’s grandfather Manuel was born in Ermita, Manila.

Maria’s paternal grandmother was Maria Rosario Peña Sunico (the daughter of Lorenzo Súnico y de la Cruz, or Lorenzo de la Cruz Súnico in Filipino, and of Silvestra Peña). Lorenzo’s father was Teodoro Súnico y Santos, or Teodoro Santos Súnico in Filipino, whose own father, Chan Uan Co, baptized José Súnico Chanuangco, was Chinese, from Amoy, now Xiamen, Fujian. Lorenzo’s mother was Luciana de la Cruz.

Maria’s maternal grandfather was named Jesus Delfin.

Maria’s maternal grandmother was named Maria Luisa Estrella.

Source: Genealogy of Maria Ressa – https://www.geni.com