Jose Fortich Street, Cebu City
It is the formerly unnamed street starting from Ramon Duterte Street to a dead-end parallel to a road located at the Ismael Limkakeng Subdivision at Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
It is named in honor of Jose Fortich, a prominent resident of San Nicolas District, who was a consistent councilor during his bachelor days when Cebu City was yet a municipality.
Don Jose, was elected "Bise-Presidente" under the Partido Democrata during the term of President Fructuoso Ramos. Don Jose was one of the first elected Councilors of Cebu City after its conversion as city in 1937. Partido Democrata was the local party of famous Cebuano leaders like Don Vicente Rama and Don Vicente Sotto.
His fellow first elected councilors of Cebu City were Regino Mercado, Felipe Pacana, Jose P. Nolasco, Dr. Leandro Tojong, Juan Zamora, Jose Solon and Dominador Abella (majority of them have streets named after them). The election was held on December 14, 1937.
When Cebu was liberated from the Japanese in 1945, Don Jose was appointed Secretary to the Municipal Board of Cebu City during the incumbencies of Mayors Luis V. Espina (1947), Miguel Raffinan (1947-1951) and Vicente S. del Rosario (1946, 1953).
Councilor Arturo L. Abellana, the sponsor of the street naming ordinance said that: "it is the policy of the Honorable City Council to honor and perpetuate the memory of deceased citizens of this City who have distinguished themselves and have contributed to the development and progress of the same."
The members of the City Council that enacted City Ordinance No. 909 on May 29, 1975 aside from Councilor Arturo L. Abellana was composed of the following: Florencio S. Urot, Raymundo A. Crsytal, Bienvenido B. Tudtud, Pablo U. Abella, George M. Baladjay, Jesus S. Gabuya, Jose V. Cuenco and Mario R. Veloso.
Engr. Eulogio Enriquez Borres, the Cebu City Mayor at that time approved the ordinance on June 28, 1975. The Secretary to the Mayor was Epimaco A. Roca while the Secretary to the City Council was Atty. Pompio A. Paradiang.
Don Jose Fortich, the councilor from Cebu City has a namesake (though only in the middle name) in Mindanao. The person referred to was, Don Jose Fortich Ozamiz.
Don Jose Fortich Ozamiz, whose father Jenaro Ozamiz, was from Spain, but the mother of Jose Ozamiz, Basilisa Fortich traces its roots in Cebu. Basilisa was said to be the descendant of a Spaniard also named Jose Fortich who married Rodecinda Gonzales.
Don Jose Fortich Ozamiz was the first elected governor of Misamis Occidental, when the province of Misamis was divided into the provinces of Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental. The division and creation of the two provinces was made on November 8, 1929.
The City of Ozamiz was posthumously named after Don Jose Fortich Ozamiz when Misamis was converted into a city and renamed as Ozamiz under Republic Act 321 on June 16, 1948.
- Latest
