Manila expresses outrage over renaming of Taft Avenue

Manila city officials led by Mayor Lito Atienza have expressed outrage over the passage on second reading by the Senate of a bill renaming the historical Taft Avenue to Senator Jose W. Diokno Avenue, branding the move as "arrogant and betrays a lack of concern for the sensitivities of Manileños."

"The late Governor General William Howard Taft was a key figure in the history of the country and our city. It is wrong for Congress to rewrite history and erase the memory of Taft," Atienza declared, even as he added that Taft was instrumental in establishing a civil government in the country.

He pointed out that the move of the Senate to approve the proposed measure sponsored by Senator Ramon Revilla, which is based on House bill sponsored by Reps. Apolinario Lozada and Miguel Zubiri, runs contrary to a policy set in 1998 by the city government of Manila not to allow the renaming of streets. "This goes against the principle of local autonomy and also does not jive with our local development plans, and at no point during the deliberation of the measure were we even consulted."

"We have the highest regard and continue to revere the memory of the late Senator Jose Diokno, whom we consider as a true nationalist and a genuine advocate of freedom and democracy. However, it would have been more prudent for Congress to name a new boulevard or avenue after him," added Atienza.

Atienza’s views were supported by key leaders of the city council, among them 3rd district Councilor Miles Roces, the chairman of the council’s committee on education, majority leader and 2nd district Councilor Marlon Lacson, 5th district Councilor Kim Atienza and 4th district Councilor Don Bagatsing.

"Congress has no business renaming roads, especially those with historical significance, without taking into consideration the preferences of local governments. This supercilious display of power has no place in the halls of Congress," Roces said.

For his part, Lacson said that Congress would be better off concentrating on vital measures that would improve the quality of life of Filipinos instead of engaging in "useless and unproductive" endeavors such as the renaming of streets.

"What would happen if Congress goes on a frenzy of renaming avenues and boulevards and even parks and plazas? This would not only result in confusion but also erase the historical significance of such areas," said Councilor Kim Atienza.

Bagatsing also denounced the revival by Congress of the appalling practice of renaming streets without due consideration of the preferences of local governments where they do not even come from.

"Congressmen Lozada and Zubiri as well as Senator Revilla are not even from Manila. What business do they have remaining streets or avenues in our city?" asked Bagatsing.

Atienza and the other city officials warned that they would not hesitate to ask President Arroyo to veto the measure if Congress approves the bicameral conference committee report for the bill’s signing into law.