Juan Alcazaren St., Argao, Cebu
It is a street in barangay Poblacion, Argao, Cebu. The street is named in honor of a famous son of Argao. Juan, was born on December 27, 1891 in Argao, Cebu. He was the son of Leocadio Alcazaren and Calixta Fuentes.
He went to the University of the Philippines, admitted to the Bar on September 24, 1921. The following year, Juan married Corazon Maria de los Nieves L. Albarracin on December 27, 1922. Corazon, the wife of Juan, was the daughter of Don Lorenzo Albarracin then the municipal president of Argao (from 1923 to 1931, Don Lorenzo was succeeded as president by Jacinto Albarracin from 1931 to 1940) and Candelaria who was the daughter of Don Justiniano Lucero, also a political figure of Argao. The sister of Juan, Agapita, married Vicente Kintanar, who became mayor of Argao on May 1, 1946 up to December 31, 1951.
Juan was elected as representative of the old 4th congressional district in 1922. Juan served for three terms, from the 7th, 8th, and 9th Legislature. This was from 1922 to 1934.
The old 4th congressional district was composed of the municipalities of Argao, Dalaguete, Sibonga, and Alcoy. Juan, when he ran for his fourth term, was defeated by his fellow Argaoanon, Agustin Kintanar.
In 1925, Juan was with the Nacionalista Party. He was part of the winning team that defeated the Partido Democrata. In that election, the party mates of Juan, namely, Pedro Rodriguez as senator (defeating Don Vicente Sotto), Arsenio Climaco as governor, and for representatives: Manuel Briones, Paulino Gullas (founder of The Freeman), Mariano Jesus Cuenco, and Paulino Ybanez, won. It was only Vicente Rama of the 3rd district and Nicolas Rafols of the 6th district of the Partido Democrata that won.
Juan worked in various national agencies. He also worked with the University of Manila and practiced law before World War II. One of the cases Atty. Alcazaren handled was the case of Loo Kay Chay, a Chinese who was refused entry by the Bureau of Customs. Juan was able to convince the Bureau of Customs Board of Special Inquiry to grant admission of his client, Look Kay Chay was a minor son of a Chinese merchant that resided in Cebu City.
The decision of the Board of Special Inquiry was however reversed by the Insular Collector of Customs. Atty. Alcazaren and his client petitioned for the issuance of Habeas Corpus before the Court of First Instance. The Court denied his petition and Alcazaren went to the Supreme Court and argued that the act denying the entry of his Chinese client by the Insular Collector of Customs of Cebu was an abuse of authority. The Supreme Court on January 21, 1931 affirmed the decision of the Court of First Instance and the decision of the Insular Commissioner of Customs.
The opposing counsel of Alcazaren in the case of the minor Chinese was Provincial Fiscal Consing. The decision of the case was written by Justice Romualdez.
Juan was appointed Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs by President Carlos Polistico Garcia. Juan became Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1958.
Juan (who died on March 1959), was replaced by Governor of Cebu Fructuoso Cabahug as Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed by President Carlos P. Garcia on May 18, 1959.
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