2 cities, 22 towns, 2 provinces named after ex-PH presidents

MANILA — As Quezon City, the erstwhile Philippine capital marked its 80th founding anniversary on Saturday, this writer decided to take a look at the country’s national and regional maps to find out how many places nationwide–provinces, cities, towns–have been named in honor of past Filipino presidents.

The random search has shown that at least two of the present 145 cities, 22 towns out of a total of 1,489 and two of the 81 provinces as of 2016 have been named in honor of seven former presidents–Emilio F. Aguinaldo (1898-1901), Manuel L. Quezon (1935-1944), Jose P. Laurel (1943-1945), Manuel A. Roxas (1946-1948), Elpidio R. Quirino (1948-1953), Ramon F. Magsaysay (1953-1957), and Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-1986).

A glance at the map of the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila shows that among its 16 cities and one town, only one–Quezon City–has been named after the late Commonwealth President Quezon.

A similar scan of the 16 other regions reveals that just one other region–Region 6 (Western Visayas)–has Roxas City in Capiz province named after President Roxas.

Two of the country’s 81 provinces at present–Quezon in Region 4-A (Calabarzon) and Quirino in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley)–have been named in honor of Presidents Quezon and Quirino, respectively.

Calabarzon stands for the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon while Cagayan Valley consists of the five provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.

Based on the 2015 Manila Bulletin Yearbook published on Feb. 2, 2015, in observance of that publication’s “115th Years of Service to the Nation,” a total of 22 towns in 18 provinces have been created in honor of seven deceased former presidents.

There are two towns named after President Aguinaldo. These are located in the provinces of Cavite of the Calabarzon region and Ifugao in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

There are six towns named after President Quezon in the provinces of Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya (Cagayan Valley), Nueva Ecija (Central Luzon or Region 3), Quezon (Region 4-A), Palawan (4-B or Mimaropa), and Bukidnon (Region 10 or Northern Mindanao).

One municipality in Batangas (Region 4-A) has been Laurel after President Laurel.

President Roxas has been honored with four towns–one each in Isabela (Region 2), Oriental Mindoro and Palawan (Region 4-B), and North Cotabato (Region 12).

There are three towns named after President Quirino in the provinces of Ilocos Sur (his home province in Region 1), Isabela (Region 2), and Sultan Kudarat (Region 12).

President Magsaysay has five towns named after him. These are in Occidental Mindoro and Palawan (Region 4-B), Lanao del Norte and Misamis Oriental (Region 10), and Davao del Sur (Region 11).

One town in Ilocos Norte, the home province of President Marcos in Region 1, has been named in his honor.

Four other dead former presidents–Sergio S. Osmena Sr. (1944-1946), Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961), Diosdado P. Macapagal (1961-1965), and Corazon C. Aquino (1986-1992)–have yet to be honored with a town, city or province named after them.

Four living former Philippine presidents–Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998), Joseph E. Estrada (1998-2001), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010), and Benigno S. Aquino III (2010-2016)–also have no places named after them. This is in view of the existing policy of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines that no town, city, place or structure can be named after a living person.

The country’s current chief executive, its 16th since 1898, is President Rodrigo R, Duterte who will govern until June 30, 2022.