Pedro Lopez St. (Part 2)

It is the street with one end at Magallanes Street and the other end at Colon Street. It is named after Pedro T. Lopez, a lawyer, congressman and writer, who was admitted to the Bar on September 28, 1946. He died on March 17, 1957 with President Ramon Magsaysay in a plane crash in Gaas, Balamban, Cebu (CEBUpedia’s first article on Lopez St. was on February 2, 2014). It is the street where the Order of Augustinian Recollects-run school of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (formerly Colegio de San Jose Recoletos) is located.

It was five years after his death that the City Council enacted City Ordinance No. 378 on May 15, 1962 renaming “Carmelo Street” to Lopez St. He founded the magazine “Nasud”, its maiden issue was on December 11, 1929. It lasted until during the start of the war in 1941. Those who became editors of the magazine were Florentino D. Tecson (a street in Barangay Kamputhaw is named after him, CEBUpedia featured an article on the street on January 3, 2014), Eugeniano O. Perez, Tomas Violanda, Vicente C. Padriga (born on February 5, 1895 educated at the Colegio de San Carlos and Liceo de Manila. He was commissioned to translate the writings of Jose Rizal), Ramon Abellanosa (a drive in Pardo, Cebu City, is named after him, CEBUpedia featured him on July 22, 2013), and Leodegario Salazar. The book “Cebuano Literature” written by Professor Resil Mojares provides more information on these personalities.

Lopez served as President of the Cebu Press Association and the Cebu Lawyers League. After World War II he served as Associate Prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal in Tokyo.  The earlier name of P. Lopez Street which was Carmelo Street is named after a priest, Miguel Nellas Carmelo, who was also a writer like Lopez. He wrote a book on St. Ignatius of Loyola. He was curate of the Parian Church then as Secretary of the Bishop of Cebu.

Carmelo Street also had a previous name and that is “Calle Luisa” during the Spanish Regime. Succeeding the advocacy of Fr. Carmelo as priest-writer was Jose Ma. Cuenco, the son of Don Mariano Albao Cuenco. He was born in Carmen, Cebu, on May 19, 1885. He finished Bachelor of Laws and Doctor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, taught at the Cebu High School (now Abellana National School) for two years then decided to enter the seminary and was ordained as a priest in 1914. Father Jose Ma. Cuenco was installed as Archbishop of Jaro and died there on October 8, 1972.