Jose Delgado, Cebu City mayor and Cebu governor

No street has been named in his honor, not much has been written about him, yet Jose Delgado is an important person in our history. He was the first person to be Cebu City mayor and governor of Cebu.

Jose was the son of Marcelo Enriquez and Monica Delgado. Admitted to the bar on October 15, 1923 and then practiced law. When Vicente Rama, the first Cebuano Cebu City mayor as our first city mayor was not a Cebuano (Alfredo Jacinto, was a native of Nueva Ecija) submitted his resignation letter on July 2, 1940, President Manuel L. Quezon sought for a replacement. Vicente Rama (the 2nd Cebu City mayor to be appointed) effectively resigned on August 2, 1940, his replacement was sworn to office on August 3, 1940, that man was Jose Delgado.

Atty. Delgado became Cebu City mayor from August 3, 1940 up to April 10, 1942. He was wartime Cebu City mayor as the Japanese Imperial Army arrived in Cebu on January of 1942. In fact, the country was still able to hold an election on November 1, 1941. Vicente Rama was even elected senator on that election but was not able to function as World War II officially commenced on the attack of Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941.

After serving as Cebu City mayor, Jose Delgado was appointed as governor of Cebu from 1943 to 1944, this was during the Japanese Occupation. Delgado even graced the "Kigen Setsu" the Japanese National Foundation Day on February 1, 1944 as the highest official of Cebu at that time. Delgado replaced Gov. Hilario Abellana who initially left Cebu then came back, was arrested and was executed by the Japanese before the war officially ended in 1945. Delgado, was later replaced by Jose Leyson as governor of Cebu.

Jose, was an official of the KALIBAPI or the Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas with Paulino Gullas, Jose Leyson, and Juan Zamora (Gullas and Leyson were both executed by the Japanese Imperial Army before the end of the war).

During the term of Jose Delgado, he was able to establish the Cebu City Children Hospital and Cebu City Vocational School. He was Legal Counsel of the Philippine National Bank.

Jose married Cipriana Regner. They had two children, Leonor Delgado who married a Dee and Mario Regner Delgado, who was admitted to the Philippine Bar on January 18, 1954. Atty. Mario R. Delgado married Dahlia Cadell, a son, Manolo became Barangay Captain of Tungkil, Minglanilla, Cebu.

Jose had two other brothers and sisters, Celerino, Gregorio and sisters, Lourdes and Feliza. 

Our wartime governors and mayors provided stability to the unguided anger and mismanagement of the Japanese Imperial Army and saved numerous Cebuano lives.