Eduardo Aboitiz St. (finally unveiled 30 years after)

The ordinance renaming Lopez Jaena Street to Don Eduardo Aboitiz Street was enacted on November 9, 1987. The presiding officer of the Cebu City Council then was Atty. Augusto W. Go while the mayor who approved the ordinance was Jose V. Cuenco. The street naming ordinance was, however, unimplemented and remained uncorrected for 30 years.

On July 19, 2017 the street name was finally renamed from Lopez Jaena to Eduardo Aboitiz (Don was dropped in deference to the Local Government Code’s proviso of prohibiting the carrying of appendices or titles). The unveiling was led by Mayor Tomas dela Rama Osmeña who gave the city’s message while Vice Mayor Edgardo Colina Labella read the street-naming ordinance. Jon Ramon Aboitiz, President and Chairman of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) gave the response on behalf of the family. Also present were barangay captains Jeremiah Nunez of Parian and Raffy Briones of Tinago as the street ends or covers the two barangays. The program was hosted by Ms. Caroline Ballesteros.

The honoree, Eduardo Juan Aboitiz, was born on December 13, 1917 and was the son of Don Ramon Aboitiz and Dolores Sidebottom. He died on December 14, 1985. Two years later an ordinance was enacted renaming a street in his name, but it would actually take 30 years more for it to be unveiled.

CEBUpedia came out with an article on the Aboitiz Streets on June 28, 2013 and June 18, 2014 on the fact of the uncorrected street name, two letters to the city council calling its attention, the CITOM Board, a number of meetings with the RAFI and City Halls officials, the street name was finally corrected and unveiled.

The greatness of the Aboitiz Clan is manifested on its patience of not asserting the renaming of the street, it waited for other people to do the recognition for the members of the clan. Ironically they never waited, for they never expected that it will ever be officially renamed/unveiled.

These are the members of the Cebu City Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) who made the renaming possible: Florentino Boligor, Joenivil Duerto, Fatma Panganungan, Liza Lim, Leo Nolasco, Elvera Espinosa, Nelia Buhawe, Bryner Diaz, Michael Braga, and Balbino “Ka Bino” Guerrero who co-emceed the unveiling program.

Here are the members of the Cebu City Council who passed the street naming ordinance: Clemente G. Rama, Emmanuel R. Pacquiao, Alfonso U. Alerre, Nicolas R. Aricayos, Antonio A. Avila Jr., Jessie M. Aznar, Eulogio B. Borres Jr., Julio L. Climaco, Elpidio B. Go, Panfilo B. Malazarte, Pureza T. Onate, and Ramsey M. Quijano.