Thursday, November 06, 2008
THE NAME GAME
While the Yuchengcos had successfully petitioned the Atienza administration to replace a historic street name with theirs, The Tys (founders of Metrobank), on the other hand, are patiently waiting for the Lim administration to have not one but two street names -- Condesa and Oriente -- to be changed to theirs. This may be the era of brazen glorification of our city's taipans.
Conrado de Quiros makes his sentiments known about the naming of our streets after politicians (as the excerpt below suggests), but I wonder how he'd react to this shameless trend of renaming our city streets after business tycoons?
The following is an excerpt from his article "What’s in a name?":
But I agree wholeheartedly with not renaming streets after politicians -- most assuredly not the worst of them. That is adding insult to injury. The point of naming streets is to remind us of this nation’s accomplishments, not to oppress us with our rulers’ villainy. Why on earth should any road, least of all the most expensive one in the world per square inch, be named Diosdado Macapagal Avenue? To this day, we still have all sorts of avenues, boulevards, and streets named after Ferdinand and Imelda. I agree they should not be forgotten, but I argue they should not be extolled. Having infrastructure named after them is extolling them -- and persecuting us.
If we are going to rename streets at all -- and certainly if we are going to name new ones -- I earnestly suggest we name them after artists, scientists and philosophers, such as we have produced philosophers. There is something deeply wrong with a country that values its public officials more than its artists and scientists. Artists and scientists enrich a country’s spiritual life and leave lasting legacies, politicians only impoverish a country’s physical life and leave lasting legacies of destruction and desolation. The only place they deserve to have their names affixed to is the toilet, preferably on the flush of the bowl.
By Conrado de Quiros
Inquirer
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Labels: life in Manila, street name change
posted by Señor Enrique at 7:40 AM
15 Comments:
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Sidney said... I have a better idea... let's rename the streets after some bloggers or blogs.
What about a street name called "Wish you were here!" or "My Sarisari Store".... hmmm...doesn't sound bad at all ! ;-)-
nutart said...
Conrado de Quiros is my man! ;-)
Who else can afford to buy all those street plates and have their forefathers' names registered in the...where are these registered? :-Z
Here in the province, when you ask for directions, they either say by the big sampalok tree...or just a cigarette away..or ask if you are on the right track the next person you see. Or a handsignal that points somewhere that/this direction. No politicians still in the boondocks to name after. Of course, for a former urbanite like me, I go bonkers at times and hope for street names (I don't care whose anymore)...!-
Dennis Villegas said...
The street where I'm living should be renamed...New York, Cubao...hmmm...sounds too foreign to me...
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NOYPETES said...
Amen to Conrado de Quiroz's comments on his article.
Yung legacy na gusto nilang iwanan sa Maynila ay di dapat sa pag-palit ng pangalan ng mga kalsada.
Ika nga ng mga politiko diyan.."weather-weather lang yan".. O di pag may bago na-naman'g administrasyon, panibagong palitan at kanya-kanya na-naman'g pag singit ng mga maka-sariling layunin at impluwensiya ng mga nag bigay suporta sa mga naka-upong walang sariling paninindigang politiko.-
said... The street name change is just the same with politicians vandalizing the walls of all government offices. They are eye sores really. Señor, I am with Conrado de Quiros' suggestion regarding artists, heroes, scientist who we should really pay homage rather than these mongrels.
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Photo Cache said...
When will the wrangling ends? Leave the streets alone!
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Señor Enrique said...
Lol ... that'd be fun, indeed, Sidney!
But in the process, would we want those who live or had lived or worked or even visited frequently the streets with names we're replacing to be stripped of such fond memories?
The name of the street I grew up on was replaced and I can't tell you how much it seemed to have been taken away from me.
As you had once commented, it's nothing more than "vanity of vanities" to crave for someone's name seen on street name posts.-
Señor Enrique said...
Hi Bernadette,
Folks in your part may be more comfortable with landmarks instead of street names, but imagine how they'll react if the names of those landmarks were to be arbitrarily replaced.
I think changing the name of a street or town somehow strips away its soul, too.-
Señor Enrique said...
The thing is Dennis, those names may appear incongruous, indeed; however, if you've grown up in one of those streets and had collected fond memories associated with it, suddenly replacing the name will have adverse effect, one way or another, I'm sure.
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Señor Enrique said...
Ayon na nga, Pete!
Tulad sa ngayon, ang pamilya ng mga Romulo gustong palitan ang UN Avenue to Carlos Romulo Avenue. Wala talagang katapusan 'yan, di ba?-
Señor Enrique said...
Yes, I also agree with Conrado de Quiros to exult our artists, scientists, and heroes by naming streets, plazas or towns after them instead of those has-been politicians. But if anything, leave the street names as they are and just create plazas or monuments or libraries and name them after these honorable citizens of ours.
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Señor Enrique said...
I agree with you, Photo Cache!
Instead of changing their names, how about changing the light bulbs from the lamp posts, or fixing the potholes.
Better still, how about installing more lamp posts on our streets and naming them after these tycoons and politicians?-
nutart said...
just to add, Eric...sorry for my irresponsible comment!
Yes, i'm all for street names after artists, scientists etc other than tycoons and politicians. With your past posts about Padre faura, etc I was just amazed at the other many contributions these people gave manila. And a street sign is surely giving them a sign in posterity and the soul of the place! But then, without your posts and infos, i would have just taken it at that---a street sign!
Cheers!-
Señor Enrique said...
Didn't take it as irresponsible at all, Bernadette :)
Nowadays, I find myself asking why some streets were named such and such, and my curiosity is most often welcomed by residents -- it demonstrates my interest in their neighborhood, daw -- who'd gladly share with me whatever they know about it.
And a couple of years ago, I retraced the path I used to take when walking to my elementary school from home. Sadly, four of the street names I used to pass by were changed, including the street were we used to live :(-
said...
Gosh.. naming streets after politicians because they are public figures is just plain bad taste.
Street naming must be reserved for someone who has done an outstanding accomplishment for the nation - world class athletes, national artists, illustrious politicians, scientists, writers - who brought tremendous pride and service to the nation are the natural candidates. Of course , for someone to be honored with a street name it has to go through an impartial voting process, much like how they award hall of fame accolades.
