Brains behind Cebu City Charter unrecognized

CEBU, Philippines — For over 80 years now, the family of the late councilor and former The FREEMAN staff member, lawyer Gervasio Lavilles, has remained upset for not recognizing the latter as the “brains” of the Cebu City Charter.

Every 24th day of February, Cebu City celebrates its Charter Day and recognizes only the late senator, Don Vicente Rama, as the “father” of the Charter.

Lavilles’ daughter, Marietta Lavilles-de Egurrola, lamented that her father died on June 16, 1986 with hurt feelings for getting no recognition of his effort.

“Little acknowledgement lang, ako papa na hurt during that time, even during the inauguration, wa gi-invite,” said de Egurrola during the Kapihan sa Sugbo at Elegant Circle Inn yesterday.

“Bisan sa biodata ni papa wa gyud na niya gi-mention, because he was hurt,” she added.

In 2017, then mayor Tomas Osmeña had acknowledged and invited family of Lavilles in a gathering following the article written by The FREEMAN columnist, Atty. Clarence Paul Oaminal, entitled “Atty. Gervasio L. Lavilles, brains of the Cebu City Charter.”

“It is unfortunate that today’s city council has not remembered who is Atty. Lavilles and his contribution to the city,” Oaminal said.

A journalist who was once a staff member of The FREEMAN, then a weekly publication by the late Paulino Gullas, Lavilles authored Resolution No. 185 of the Municipal Board of the Municipality of Cebu which called for the Senate and the House of Representatives to enact a law creating the Cebu City Charter.

The resolution of Lavilles was signed by the President of the Municipality of Cebu, Fructuoso Ramos, on August 31, 1931.

It was Rama, then representative of the old Third District of Cebu, who fought for the cityhood in the National Assembly and on February 24, 1937, the City of Cebu was born by Commonwealth Act No. 58 signed by the late president Manuel Quezon.

Since then, Rama was recognized as the father of Cebu City’s charter.

“It is just befitting to call him the father of Cebu City’s charter,” de Egurrola said.

Cebu honors Lavilles with a street name, G. Lavilles St. parallel to MJ Cuenco and adjacent to V. Sotto St., after him formerly called “Bagumbayan” in Barangay Tinago where he lived for over 40 years,

“But the most fitting honor Cebu and every Cebuano can give Lavilles is to remember the name, Atty. Gervasio L. Lavilles, as the brains of the Cebu City Charter,” Oaminal suggested.  KQD (FREEMAN)