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Opinion

B.M. Dimataga Street, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu

CEBUPEDIA - Clarence Paul Oaminal - The Freeman

It is the street where the old municipal hall stands situated within barangay Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City. At the back of the street is where the Cebu-Mactan Ferry Terminal is.

The initial B.M. stands for BARTOLOME MANGUBAT, therefore the street's official name is BARTOLOME MANGUBAT DIMATAGA, named after the 5th municipal president of Opon, now called Lapu-Lapu City. He served from 1911 to 1918 as chief executive of Opon. Bartolome married Leoncia dela Serna, the brother of the latter Pascual dela Serna was also a municipal president of Opon who was elected in 1905. Pascual, was the first elected municipal president of Opon.

The son of Bartolome became the last municipal mayor of Opon and its first city mayor when it was converted into a city on June 17, 1961 by virtue of Republic Act 3134. The name of his son is Mariano, and fondly called "Dodong Oping." The wife of Mariano, Augusta, earned her Masters of Education at the University of the Visayas on March 31, 1960. The guest speaker during the 36th Commencement Exercise was President Carlos Polistico Garcia, who was met by U.V. President Vicente Gullas at the Bantolinao Port in Liloan. President Garcia was aboard the RPS Lapu-Lapu. The others who welcomed the president were Cebu Governor Jose Briones, Congressman Manuel A. Zosa (the author of the bill converting Opon into Lapu-Lapu City), and Don Gil Garcia.

Bartolome's daughter, Leonila, married Pres. Garcia, both were present during the inauguration of Lapu-Lapu City on December 31, 1961. Bartolome's son, Mariano by operation of law, automatically became the first city mayor of Lapu-Lapu City. Rosita, another daughter of Bartolome, married Josefino Durano Almendras. Josefino is the father of Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Vice Governor Agnes A. Magpale. The brother of Josefino, Alejandro, was a senator, and her sister, Cecilia Almendras de la Paz, became Governor of Davao del Norte. Their father, Paulo, was mayor of Danao and son of Juan Almendras.

Mariano, the son B.M. Dimataga, holds the title as the longest reigning mayor of Lapu-Lapu until he retired on December 30, 1967. He was mayor for 30 years. Mariano was elected mayor in 1938. It was interrupted in 1941 at the start of World War II. Replacing him as mayor was Teodulo Tomakin, then Eugenio Araneta, and then Jorge Tampus. Mariano resumed his term in 1945 after the war and since then served as mayor until 1967.

The mayor of Opon before Mariano who was elected in 1938 was Pascual Patalinghug. It was not only Bartolome of the Mangubat clan that served Opon, there was Lorenzo Mangubat who was its "cabeza" sometime in the 1700's during the Spanish period.

BANTOLINAO PORT

BARTOLOME

BARTOLOME OF THE MANGUBAT

CEBU GOVERNOR JOSE BRIONES

CEBU-MACTAN FERRY TERMINAL

CITY

LAPU

LAPU-LAPU CITY

MARIANO

MAYOR

OPON

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