The request by the Tionko clan to rename Davao City National High School (DCNHS) after Doña Vicenta Monteverde Tionko (not the original retitling in honor of philanthropist Tomas Monteverde Tionko) ended amicably on February 23, 2033, the joint hearing of the City Council’s committees on Education, Science and Technology, and Arts and Culture hearing co-chaired by councilors Dr. Pilar C. Braga and Al Ryan Alejandre.
The ‘urgent appeal,’ as the letter of Tionko’s heirs called for, raised a furor, the loudest was heard inside the DCNHS campus itself. So emotional was the outcry that on the day of the hearing the education department (thru a rep), school principal and faculty, and alumni association, with many attendees carrying palpable grey hairs on their heads, trooped in attendance.
Inside the Fuschia Room on the third floor of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the air was emotional but not hostile. Even the manifestations were polite and calm, and so were the heirs of Tionko, led by Neil Dalumpines, who conveyed to amend the original request from Tomas to Vicenta after a scrutiny of the records pointed to the latter as the true donor of the school site.
Online, the change of name drew several, at times acerbic, comments. A few volunteered the idea that DCNHS is covered under Republic Act 10066, otherwise known as the Cultural Heritage Act, but the statute only protects physical structures, not the title of the institution.
But the irresistible sentiment is losing one’s identity as an alumnus, which is evocative of the Mapua Institute of Technology case when the new owners wanted the school’s name changed. As a concession, MIT was retained but Malayan Colleges was adopted in the new branches.
There were also remarks about why it took 69 years for the Tionko heirs to request for the change of DCNHS name since the approval of RA 1059, which allows the naming of a school in favor of the donor of the land where the structure will be built. Another query was: Is the donation of land enough to alter the historicity of the school’s iconic name?
The more rational suggestion was the proposal to put a marker inside the DCNHS premises declaring that the estate, which is the school site, is donated by Doña Vicenta M. Tionko.
An interesting disclosure during the public hearing is the revelation that the Tionko donation only forms a third of the entire school campus, that two-thirds belong to another owner. The documents, however, say otherwise and favor the Tionko clan.
Ably steering the committee, Dr. Braga, the longest-serving city councilor, kept everyone in a civilized air. In the end, a compromise was met, with the DCNHS name, despite the laws favoring the heirs, remaining unperturbed and will continue to fly with the escutcheon of the city safely embossed on her wings.
The atmosphere after the compromise was sealed and signed was unlike any; it was more of the meeting of minds and the reunion of friends. There were no losers and winners; in fact, the heirs earned more than what they bargained for, and the hurriedly done accord reflects a lot more about the good intentions of all parties involved. From the tone of seriousness, the hall later erupted into a festive applause as the deal was finally reached.
The agreement carries three highlights: (i) a monument of Doña Vicenta M. Tionko will be erected inside the campus; (ii) the main building of the school will be named Tomas M. Tionko Building; and (iii) make every October 30 as the commemorative day of Doña Vicenta.
The signatories, among others, include Tomas H. Tionko, Jr., Geralyn Tionko-Dalumpines, Shiela Tionko-Lacsa, DCHNS principal Evelyn Magno, DCNHS alumni association president (and retired brigadier general) Leoncio A. Cirunay Jr., DCNHS batch vice-president Oliver Autor, and Supreme Student Government president Elisa May Curias.
