On September 5, 1938 President Manuel L. Quezon issued Proclamation No. 317, it is entitled "Reserving for Post Office site purposes a parcel of the public domain situated in the City of Cebu, Island of Cebu."
It was upon the recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce pursuant to the provisions of section eighty-three of Commonwealth Act Numbered One Hundred and Forty-One, that President Quezon withdrew from sale or settlement and reserve for post office site purposes, under the administration of the Director of Posts, subject to private rights, subject to private rights.
The site contained an area of 4.206 square meters. It is bounded on the north by Morga Street (now M.C. Briones St.), on the south by Cebu Harbor. The concrete monuments (which we call in Cebuano as "mohon") and the markings of the plan are based on the Bureau of Lands map approved as early as November 8, 1919.
The Cebu Central Post Office today still holds office on a portion of the lot reserved in 1939, and it is located along A. Pigafetta St., Cebu City near Fort San Pedro, Plaza Independencia and the Cebu Customs House or Cebu Port of Cebu Building.
Another parcel of land withdrawn from sale is the school site. President Manuel L. Quezon, months after it issued the proclamation reserving the post office site, issued Proclamation No. 367 dated December 17, 1938. It is entitled "Reserving for School Purposes a parcel of land of the public domain situated in the Barrio of Luyang, Municipality of Carmen, Province of Cebu.
The exact location of the parcel of land was described in the presidential order:
It is Lot No. 4C, situated in the Barrio of Luyang, Municipality of Carmen, Province of Cebu. Bounded on the North by property of Maximina Bonhok, and on the east by the properties of Ignacio Porsada and Victorino Pepito, on the South East by Lot No. 4-B, on the South West by the property of Tomas Osmena.
The school site contained an area of Forty-Two Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy Three (42,973) square meters. The subdivision survey was conducted on July 14, 1926.
A school building was then constructed and today the school still exists, with students in grade one to six. It has 22 classrooms the School Principal is Joselina M. Molde.
Interestingly, aside from the post office site and school site, President Quezon on the same year issued another order. It was numbered, Proclamation No. 308, entitled "Reserving for Offshore Patrol Purposes a parcel of land of the public domain situated in the City of Cebu, Island of Cebu. The order was issued on August 12, 1938.
The Offshore patrol was to be put under the administration of the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army it contained an area of 9,478 square meters.
It is bounded on the northeast, southwest and northwest by a proposed street (it is now the V. Sotto and Arellano Boulevard). The survey plan was conducted on February 16, 1938. The presidential proclamation mentions that the survey was situated in the former barrio of Tejero, Municipality of Cebu.
Incidentally, on the same year, President Quezon issued Executive Order 164 (September 4, 1938) entitled "Temporarily closing the Port of Cebu as Port of Entry to Immigrants coming to the Philippines". It was upon the report of the Secretary of Labor that the number of immigrants entering Port of Cebu far exceeds the facilities therein for adequate accommodation of detained immigrants and the proper administration of immigration of laws. The order was made to be effective on November 1, 1938.