A 1960 Caltex map published online by ‘Davao of the Past’ has inspired us to look at how streets were named over half a century ago. We discovered that many of the streets have assumed new identities and, compared to present charts, many of these were yet unnamed.
Long known to graduates of the defunct International Harvardian Colleges as Francisco Villa-Abrille street, the short road linking Leon Ma. Guerrero Street to Jose P. Laurel Street, was originally called Tandang Sora, after Melchora Aquino, the ‘mother of Balintawak.’
The short road adjacent to William Lines that links Santa Ana Avenue to Rosemarie Street (officially 6th Avenue), informally called by residents as Acacia Street, was once known as Feliciano Iñigo Sr., which was later adopted as the new name of Anda Street.
Anda (now F. Iñigo) Street was originally proposed to intersect C.M. Recto Street, formerly Claveria, going east. This meant the road was to traverse Juan Luna, Manuel Roxas and Emilio Jacinto streets and end at the junction of Guerrero and Ramon Magsaysay streets.
The Caltex map also showed a Rafael Palma Street connecting the tip of Ignacio Villamor Street, first Filipino president of the University of the Philippines, but has since been gobbled up by the buildings built on its former location. Palma (1874-1939), a Mason, was the fourth president of the University of the Philippines; he was also a senator, writer, and a Rizalian.
Though it has survived the test of time, Jose Ma. Panganiban Street is hardly a popular road; it is the thoroughfare that perpendicularly connects Gen. Gregorio del Pilar Street. In the old chart, the road was parallel to Emilio Jacinto Extension. Panganiban (1863-90) was a contributor to La Solidaridad and also an essayist, linguist, and propagandist.
Meanwhile, Vicente Tionko Street along Bangko Sentral was originally planned to link with Roxas Avenue, the portion that is now an open canal. The takeover by informal settlers of the proposed road cancelled out the projected transport easement.
Mabini Street, which commences at Marfori Heights, was initially intended to intersect Tomas Claudio (now Elpidio Quirino) Street, ending in a straight line at the shoreline of Quezon Boulevard where the ongoing coastal road will pass upon completion.
Name-changing of streets was very prevalent in the early 1960s. Roads like Narciso Claveria and Claudio, for unsound political reasons and in the absence of historical appreciation, were given new appellations. The move was partly unsuccessful, though, given that Davao residents continue to call these thoroughfares by their original nomenclatures.
Interestingly, the Caltex map also briefs us that the Bishop’s Residence, now at Panganiban Street, was erstwhile housed at Immaculate Conception College, a stone’s throw from Wireless area, where the Weather Bureau (and later the state-owned PTV station) was situated. The old Redemptorist Church was near the present Assumption Church along Florentino Torres Street, on a site where the bishop’s house now stands, before it moved to Bajada area.
The place wedged by Graciano Lopez-Jaena and Manuel Araullo streets on the west was then set aside as a cemetery. A look at new maps show F. Torres Street, which ended at Lopez-Jaena Street, is now extended to Madapo Hills and traverses the front section of Rizal Memorial Colleges at Quiambao Heights. The extension is now juxtaposed by two memorial parks.
From the air, northwest to southeast, the then proposed city plan was focused on developing a park with Roxas Avenue being flanked on either side by Mabini and Jacinto streets.
On the other hand, Juan Luna Street, which is parallel to Magsaysay Avenue, would have cut through Ateneo de Davao campus from the east, at the end of Francisco Bangoy Street, and vertically linked to Ponciano Reyes (now Paciano Bangoy) Street.
In today’s Davao street map, there’s a Gospel Street that starts at Vulcan Street on the side of Assumption College of Davao in Agdao. It goes northeast and is connected to Agdao Beach Street. Nearby, there are roads that carry obscure names such as Buyayang (a water strider or a reed-thin insect that walks on water) beside Santa Ana Church and connected to Michael Street, thereby forming a U with entrances that start at Lapu-lapu Street.
There’s also a Japan Street (named after those who worked abroad, the Japayukis) that forms a V shape with Soliman Street to its left. The road starts on the right side of Sta. Cruz Chapel on Bangoy side of Soliman Street, near the Pavo residence, and ends at Leon Ma. Garcia Street, formerly known as Frank Carpenter, an erstwhile governor of Mindanao and Jolo.
