Yves Leopold Germain Gaston
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Yves Leopold Germain Gaston was the patriarch of a large family with roots in the City of Silay, in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. He was originally from Lisieux, France, but settled in the Philippines, where he engaged in the production of cane sugar, the primary product of the province.
Gaston first moved to Calatagan, Batangas in 1837 to help Domingo Roxas, a prominent businessman, set up his sugar business. It was there that Gaston met Prudencia Fernandez, who would later become his wife. When his partner's business did not prosper, the Frenchman decided to try his prospects first in Iloilo and from there, he ventured to Negros. He eventually arrived at the port city of Silay and he found the soil conducive to planting sugarcane. He brought in an iron mill or "horno economico", which at that time virtually unheard of.
The iron mill allowed him to begin commercial production of export-quality sugar. The Spaniards endorsed his residence in the Philippines due of the impact of his technology on the economy. He had become a sugar baron and was exporting the product alongside Nicolas Loney, the first British vice-consul in the country who, because of his efforts to promote sugar, became known as the "Father of the Sugar Industry." Gaston later decided to bring his family to back to France. However, on the way, he fell ill and eventually died. His wife and three children, not knowing a word of French, returned to Silay and permanently settled there, continuing the family business. The sugar industry soon peaked, and sugarcane became the staple crop throughout Negros Occidental.
The house of Gaston's eldest son is now a museum open to the public and is fondly called the Balay Negrense (Hiligaynon, "The Negrense House").
