Marcelo V. Regner St., Cebu City

Others may think that the road from Camp Marina (Girl Scout Camp) up to the residence of Mrs. Fiona R. Dayrit has no name. The road is 870 meters long and has an official name. The Cebu City Council on March 18, 1985 named the street as "Marcelo V. Regner St."

Marcelo, was the assistant of the young American Engineer, Eusebius Julius Halsema more known as E.J. Halsema. E. J. Halsema was appointed by the Bureau of Public Works to construct the Buhisan Dam the main water source of the Osmeña Water Works System.

The Buhisan Dam was constructed on January 3, 1911, it was completed on February 11, 1912. Inscribed in the fountain (Fuente Osmeña) with Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Co. as contractor, H.F. Cameron as engineer,  E. J. Halsema as auxiliary or assistant. The name of Dionisio Jakosalem is likewise written being the Governor of Cebu when it was constructed. Marcelo Regner was the Superintendente, De Aguas Potables de Osmeña (Superintendent, Osmeña Waterworks System).

Other names written on the fountain (Fuente Osmeña) are: Vicente Teves, municipal president of the Municipality of Cebu (Cebu City at that time was yet a Municipality, it was only in 1937 that it was converted into a City). Gregorio Abendan was vice president of the Municipality of Cebu.

Marcelo's engineering skills were recognized by the Americans, as they gave him an annual salary equal to that of many American assistant engineers. He also obtained the Speaker of the National Assembly (Don Sergio Osmeña, the First Speaker of our Congress) recommendation to become the first Filipino provincial treasurer.

Aside from the Buhisan Dam, Marcelo was also instrumental in the construction of Teatro Junquera later known as Teatro Oriente. It was the theater constructed by the Spanish Governor Inocencio Junquera. Regner and Rafael de Ocampo were the ones who made the Arabesque designed of the theater. The theater was finished in the year 1895, three years before the Cebuano uprising against Spain.

The theater's ownership changed hands many times and finally acquired by Don Jose Avila which up to now the family still owns. The lot where the theater was constructed was owned by Don Rafael Veloso, the brother of Don Mariano Veloso.

Coincidentally, Marcelo V. Regner belonged to the huge Veloso clan, his middle name was Veloso. Marcelo, became the Special Attorney In Fact of Eriberta Veloso (who later married Ruperto Gaviola) who was the daughter of Don Rafael Veloso and Dona Josefa Garces. Eriberta had nine other siblings, Arsenio who was the son of Don Rafael from Josefina dela Cerna, then Gorgonio, Juanito, Gabino Roberto, Rafael Miguel Jr. , Martina, Carmen, Agripina, and Ricario. Don Rafael Veloso died on October 6, 1897 two years after the Teatro Junquera was completed.

May every Cebuano remember Marcelo Veloso Regner every time we open our faucet, that it was he who was instrumental in the building of the waterworks system of Cebu now known as the MCWD or the Metro Cebu Water District.