I am called many names. My parents and kins called me boy when I was still in shorts in my hometown of Porac. My playmates called me Doyk. Until today I don’t know why. I was the city information officer in 1968 under the administration of the late Mayor Eugenio N. Suarez. Whenever he summoned me, he called me Tatang Max. The office staff adopted it. I remember those legal staff of the mayor headed by then City Administrator Atty. Alfredo Pineda, lawyers Alberto Suller, Johnny Velasco, Jesus Arceo and Jun Del Rosario and almost everyone called me Tatang Max. Until today I am addressed this way. It is some kind of an endearment.
Former Governor Rafael Lazatin named his only son ‘Tarzan’ because when the latter was a toddler he was robust. No wonder the late Tarzan’s residence in Balite was called Jungle Base. Tarzan’s son Carmelo Jr is known to all as Pogi because he is real good looking. I don’t know how Councilor Arvin Suller got Pogs as a nickname. The late Ferdinand Marcos Sr was called Macoy. Fidel Ramos was called Tabaco. Lucio Tan is addressed Kapitan. Henry Sy Jr. is Big Boy. As William Shakespeare put it. ‘What’s in a name? A rose by any name will still smell sweet’.
Moneyed people when they convert their large estates into subdivisions, most likely the street names are of their kins. For example if there’s in Angeles City, the changes of the names of streets should have been done years ago. Example is the Leoncia subdivision in the city wherein all streets are named after all known cigarette brands. Not a single street was named after a distinguished person who have contributed to the history of the city.
Roads and subdivisions tell the history of a community. It is a homely description of their families. Like Carmenville Subdivision of the Tayags. It was named after Carmen Dayrit, the mother of the late writer Renato ‘Katoks’ Tayag. There is a street there named after Augustina Henson, the wife of PIo Rafael Nepomuceno of Tayabas, Quezon province. He was the first Nepomuceno to establish residence in the town of Angeles. Then there’s the gated Villa Teresa subdivision named after Teresa Gomez, the wife of Don Juan Nepomuceno and their heirs who are considered till today as one of the richest families in Angeles City.
Villa Leoncia was named after Leoncia Laxamana, the wife of Trinidad Lazatin, parents of the late former Mayor and Governor Rafael L. Lazatin. Rafael sisters also have subdivisions named after them. Villa Gloria, Villa Angelina and Villa Angela. Not to be outdone, Francisco Gopez Nepomuceno named several streets in the Nepo Subdivision like Sylvia, Edwina, Sandra and Gail streets among others. They are the Nepomuceno sisters.
Marisol Village is among the first fenced subdivision in Angeles City. It was named after Maria Soledad Dolor, a property developer from Batangas. For many years 98% of the tenants were American servicemen and their dependents. The Gis left already and the community was renamed Barangay Ninoy Aquino.The property was owned by Emiliano Valdez and Maria Soledad Dolor of Batangas was the developer. The Diamond Subdivision in Barangay Balibago was initially named Severina Subdivision and named after its developer Severina Lim but was renamed later. So if you look around looking for an address and saw a street post, for sure the name of that road there’s history behind it.
There’s a street in Lubao called Calle Cuco where people of consequence like former President Diosdado Macapagal, former Governor Jose B. Lingad, movie icon Rogelio De La Rosa and his brother Jaime lived. Socialites like Mercy Tuazon and Letty Arrastia, wife of matinee idol Mario Montenegro also were born and lived in that street jokingly called Cuco because many of the residents there were suffering from respiratory and pulmonary diseases.