Urgello Street, Cebu City

The street that traverses within Brgy Sambag I, passes the Southwestern University and ends at the President Sergio Osmeña Boulevard is named after a lawyer and a legislator.

Urgello Street is named after VICENTE S. URGELLO, born on April 22, 1875 to spouses Francisco Basa Urgello and Telesfora Canarias Sarmiento of Carcar, Cebu. Vicente was admitted to the bar on October 7, 1907. He was elected as Representative of the old 3rd Congressional District of Cebu in 1916, which was composed of Carcar, Minglanilla, Naga, San Fernando and Talisay. Vicente was reelected in 1919 and served the district until 1922.

Vicente married Ma. Visitacion Veloso Espina and had the following children: Manuel who married Milagros Valenzuela, the Carnival Queen of Cebu in 1937 and a child named Lucy married John Henry "Sonny" R. Osmeña, a grandson of Don Sergio Osmeña, Corazon "Nenita" married Jacob Tagorda, Lourdes married a Teves, Pilar married an Arcenas, Milagros, Angeles who died in March 2, 2002 married a Tongoy and Vicente Jr.

The wife of Vicente, named Visitacion was the daughter of Harriolfo Espina and Vicenta Veloso. Harriolfo, was the son of Eduviges Osmeña who married an Espina. Eduviges was the daughter of Pedro, one of the four sons of Don Severino Osmeña and Dona Vicenta Rita.

Vicente owned vast tracts of land in Cebu City, the street named after him is one of them. That is the reason why it is called Private Road then, for it is owned by a private citizen in fact the complete name of the road is "Urgello Private Road" however years later the road was opened to the public. Other lots of Vicente which after his death became subject of a legal controversy were lots passed on his daughters, is the supposedly expanded portions of the old Lahug Airport.

Vicente was a prominent lawyer during his time and most of his cases reached the Supreme Court. Among the many cases were the case of Tomas Delgado decided by the Supreme Court En Banc on November 17, 1917, the opposing counsel was Celestino Rodriguez. Another was the case against Smith, Bell & Co. Ltd., Vicente was one of the counsels who opposed the registration of the lot to the company. The subject lot was located in Barrio Agtiwi of Toledo. His fellow lawyers in that case were Jakosalem, Gullas, Briones, Cabahug and Agustin Y. Kintanar.

The case of Vicente Bargayo against Jorge Camumot also reached the Supreme Court, decided on March 12, 1920. He was also the legal counsel of Agustina Rafols, the wife of Tomas Osmeña in a civil case involving a real estate property dispute against Emilia Rafols, his opposing counsel was Pantaleon E. del Rosario.

Vicente's entry to politics started when Don Filemon Sotto, the incumbent Congressman of the old 3rdDistrict, who won in the election held on June 6, 1916 ran for the Senate on October 3, 1916. Filemon after winning the Senate Seat together with Celestino Rodriguez (the first senate election, senators elected by district, Cebu was 10th District) resigned. A special election was then held to fill the vacancy, which Urgello won. In the next congressional election held on June 3, 1919, Vicente ran for reelection and won.

The parents of Vicente's mother (Telesfora), who were Don Roman Sarmiento and Ana Canarias where the one who built the famous "Balay na Tisa" in Carcar, Cebu. Don Vicente S. Urgello died on May 3, 1952, remember him as you pass the street named after him.