Walking through Magsaysay Street one afternoon while taking photographs of a religious procession, I realized there was a historical trivia somewhere along the way, literally.
This two-lane, cemented road, that's about 390 meters along, starts from Osmeña Avenue (formerly Calle Real) and ends at Quezon Street of Victorias City in Negros Occidental, Philippines.
So, I did some digging. Historical digging, that is.
I discovered that the Magsaysay Street was just a cleared path purposely made so that there would be a road from the Catholic church straight to the old cemetery in Malinong. When this path was finished, it was just a dirt road back then with tall trees and shrubbery lining its sides.
And at the other end of the path was the old cemetery. Yes, the Fer-Mont Village, or Malinong Village used to be a cemetery in Barangay 7. It was probably called 'malinong', the Hiligaynon word that means serene or peaceful, because the place was exactly that: serene, quiet and peaceful.
Well, that area was malinong as it became the final resting place for all the Victoriahanons who died sometime in the 1934 until the 1960s when a new site for a public cemetery located at the northern outskirts of the town was donated by Sr. Gonzalo Ditching and Sra. Simeona Jingco.
The decayed coffins, human remains, and the sacred soil they were laid on were all transferred to the public cemetery on the donated land. But I heard, after all these years, during certain excavations, some skeletons were still being unearthed in Malinong.
(Locating Magsaysay Street in Victorias City
using Google Earth)
Simple. He had a good friend in Victorias.
As I have written blogs about the Montinola family's personal interactions and relationships with the past Philippine presidents, from Don Felix Montinola and President Manuel Quezon who helped build the município in the 1930s to Don Benito Montinola, Sr. (mayor from 1950 to 1953 and from 1956 to 1959), and President Diosdado Macapagal, there's another piece of history that's worth sharing.
In 1953, when Ramon Magsaysay was campaigning for his presidential candidacy, he came to Victorias to court its voters. He was then running against the incumbent president, Elpidio Quirino, who was seeking another term. After all the votes were counted for the November 10, 1953 elections, Magsaysay handily won over Quirino.
And when Ramon Magsaysay was already president and Benito Montinola, Sr. just finished his first term as mayor, their paths crossed in 1954 in Iloilo. That was when and where they both became good friends. President Magsaysay even inspired Don Benito to run again as mayor of Victorias in 1956; he won.
Sadly, on March 17, 1957, President Ramon Magsaysay was killed when his plane that was en route to Manila crashed at Mount Manunggal in Cebu Province, shocking of the whole nation and plunging the Filipinos into grief, including his friend in Victorias. President Magsaysay was known as the Champion of the Masses.
And to honor the late president, in 1958, during the mayorship of his friend, Don Benito Montinola, Sr., the town council of Victorias named that road from the parish church to the old cemetery as Magsaysay Street.
And to honor a friend, Don Benito named his youngest son Ramon, who was born the day the late president died.😋
As I have written blogs about the Montinola family's personal interactions and relationships with the past Philippine presidents, from Don Felix Montinola and President Manuel Quezon who helped build the município in the 1930s to Don Benito Montinola, Sr. (mayor from 1950 to 1953 and from 1956 to 1959), and President Diosdado Macapagal, there's another piece of history that's worth sharing.
In 1953, when Ramon Magsaysay was campaigning for his presidential candidacy, he came to Victorias to court its voters. He was then running against the incumbent president, Elpidio Quirino, who was seeking another term. After all the votes were counted for the November 10, 1953 elections, Magsaysay handily won over Quirino.
And when Ramon Magsaysay was already president and Benito Montinola, Sr. just finished his first term as mayor, their paths crossed in 1954 in Iloilo. That was when and where they both became good friends. President Magsaysay even inspired Don Benito to run again as mayor of Victorias in 1956; he won.
Sadly, on March 17, 1957, President Ramon Magsaysay was killed when his plane that was en route to Manila crashed at Mount Manunggal in Cebu Province, shocking of the whole nation and plunging the Filipinos into grief, including his friend in Victorias. President Magsaysay was known as the Champion of the Masses.
And to honor the late president, in 1958, during the mayorship of his friend, Don Benito Montinola, Sr., the town council of Victorias named that road from the parish church to the old cemetery as Magsaysay Street.
And to honor a friend, Don Benito named his youngest son Ramon, who was born the day the late president died.😋
(Former mayor Don Benito Montinola, Sr.
with President Ramon Magsaysay at Iloilo City sometime in 1954)
(Photo credit: The Family of Don Benito Montinola, Sr.)
Chapter 22 - Victorias City was almost Toreno City
Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias"
(Photo credit: The Family of Don Benito Montinola, Sr.)
Here's the campaign jingle used by Magsaysay's team during the 1953 presidential elections. Note its catchy tune and witty lyrics, which were way better than the ones used by the local candidates during the 2019 elections.😆
Chapter 22 - Victorias City was almost Toreno City
Complete history blog: "Ang Kasaysayan sang Victorias"
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