Making history less boring

Thank you Professor Ambeth Ocampo for your article about the origin of the names of most streets in Malate during the American colonization as they appeared in The New York Times on Feb. 10, 1899. This is a breath of fresh air at this time when most of the articles written are about politicians and the election in May.

While growing up in Manila, I remember my parents and older relatives calling these streets in their “pre-war” names like Pennsylvania St. (not Avenue ) pronounced “Pensilbaniya” and not “pen-suhl-vay-nyuh.” It is now Leon Guinto, named after the mayor of Manila during the Japanese occupation. I did not know until I read this article that those American street names were named after the states of the volunteer contingents that conquered us. Ocampo was right when he said that after Henry Jones developed the idle lands in Malate and Paco, he made the first “subdivisions“ in the country. However, most of these lots were not “small lots” since most were about 1,000 square meters (compared to Manila’s usual 150 square-meter lots).

If you drive through these streets now, even with high-rises and townhouses, you will see how big those lots were. Just in Leon Guinto, you will see St. Escolastica College and down the road, the official house of the Papal Nuncio, the ambassador of the Pope.

When he discussed the first shots from the American sentry that started the “Philippine Insurrection” on Feb 6, 1899, The New York Times mentioned a certain “Corp. Greely of Nebraska” while textbook history identifies Willie Grayson. Nobody knows the name of the Filipino soldier who was shot. Why? History is always made by the victors.

On the side though, civilian residents of most of those streets named after the US states were massacred during the last days of February and early March 1945 during the “rape of Manila” when houses were burnt and occupants leaving their homes were gunned down by the Japanese soldiers across the street.

Ocampo makes history less boring and encourages us to become amateur historians.

IDA M. TIONGCO
Leon Guinto St. (formerly Pennsylvania St.)
Malate, Manila
[email protected]