EMONG'S JOURNALS

Everyone knows Tandang Sora Avenue. That stretch of road starting from Quirino Highway in Novaliches, crossing the main thoroughfares of Mindanao, Visayas and Commonwealth Avenues until it reaches its eastern terminus at Magsaysay Avenue in Pansol and U.P. Campus in Diliman, Quezon City. But there's a history here. Tandang Sora Avenue is named after an actual person: Melchora Aquino, one of the most preeminent women in the chronicles of Philippine history.  Let's talk about her life. On this day and month in 1896, the 84-year-old revolutionary heroine "Tandang Sora," or Melchora Aquino in real life, was jailed by the Spanish government at the old Bilibid prisons in Manila for refusing to disclose the hiding place or places of "Katipunero" leader Andres Bonifacio and his men. Philippine history books said that prior to her incarceration, the then 84-year-old woman, also commonly called as the "Mother of the ...

Many of the younger millennial generation have heard of locations mentioned in old books, articles and documents relating to the city of Manila that are no longer on the map. This is because several names of streets in Manila had since underwent a name change in the past, following nearly four centuries of colonial occupation. Take for example the Raon Street, that famous road that houses gazillions of electronic gadgets, speakers and TV sets which is now called Gonzalo Puyat Street and Divisoria that is now called Salas Street. Dakota is now Adriatico Street and Herran is now Pedro Gil Street. Find below the list of renamed streets in Manila. Original name New name District Calle Aceiteros M. de Santos Street San Nicolas Calle Aduana/Calle Claveria A. Soriano Avenue Intramuros - Port Area Calle Agno Fidel A. Reyes Street Malate Calle Albuquerque Raja Matanda  Street Tondo Calle Alejandro IV (Calle del Gral. Camba) M. V. Delos Santos Street Sampaloc Calle Alix Le...