Shipping offices license ordinance

On January 31, 1950, the Municipality of Cebu through its Municipal Board enacted an ordinance entitled "An Ordinance Imposing License Fee for Shipping Offices and Providing Regulation therefor."

The members of the Municipal Board who enacted the ordinance were: Florentino D. Tecson who was its President (the presiding officer who is today's equivalent of Vice Mayor). F.D. Tecson was born on March 6, 1906 in Naga, Cebu. He was considered a literary genius, as he became Editor of Don Vicente Rama's "Bag-ong Kusog" at the young age of 17. He became a lawyer on April 14, 1953. The street formerly known as San Jose Extension which is situated from the corner of Gorordo Avenue to Rahmann Street has been renamed after him.

On June 4, 1976 a street in North Reclamation Area through City Ordinance No. 942 was named after him. However it was renamed as General Douglas McArthur Avenue in 1985, later renamed as Andres Soriano Jr. Avenue in 1987. The Cebu City Council on January 24, 2001 under City Ordinance No. 1882 officially honored Florentino D. Tecson with a street name formerly known as San Jose Extension.

The other members were: Atty. Carlos J. Cuizon who was born on October 30, 1909 in Cebu City. He served Cebu City as Mayor from 1960 to 1963 then from 1965 to 1967, the first time was when Serging Osmeña who was elected Mayor choose to finish his term in Congress, then in the second time when Serging Osmeña was elected senator in 1965.

Then there was Atty. Eugenio G. Corro, Jose L. Briones who years later became Governor of Cebu (1956 to 1961). He was the son of Senator Manuel C. Briones. Jose L. Briones was reelected Governor in 1959 but chose not to serve as he ran for Congress in 1961 of the old 2nd District of Cebu.

The rest of the board were: Engr. Eulogio Enriquez Borres who was born on March 11, 1917 and finished Engineering at the University of the Philippines. Borres served Cebu City as Mayor from 1968 to 1971, then in 1972 to 1978. Completing the board were Jose A. Cavan, Atty. Casimiro V. Madarang and Raymundo Crystal.

City Ordinance No. 89 ordained that no license shall be issued to any person to establish or operate a shipping office without first securing a permit from the City Mayor and a license therefor from the City Treasurer.

The ordinance defines "shipping office" as to include all offices whose business is for the purpose of receiving freights, cargoes, and other consignments for or from ships either owned by them or by another, and managing or conducting the business of ships, motor boats or launches doing business within the Philippines or outside the Philippine Islands.

The penalty for violating the ordinance was imprisonment of not exceeding two months or a fine of not more than Two Hundred Pesos, or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the Court.

The ordinance was submitted to the Provincial Board but was not acted upon those deemed approved on February 17, 1950 pursuant to the provisions of Section 16 of Commonwealth Act No. 58.

The Cebu City Mayor at that time was Atty. Miguel Raffinan who was born on May 13, 1891. Prior to his appointment as Cebu City Mayor, Atty. Raffinan was elected Representative of the Philippine Congress in 1916 (it was at that time the Philippine Congress from changed from unicameral to bicameral, it was the birth of the Philippine Senate).

Atty. Raffinan served as Congressman of the old 6th District of Cebu as he was reelected in 1931 (composed then of the towns of Ronda, Dumanjug, Barili, Aloguinsan, Pinamungajan and Toledo City.