Bataan Street, Cebu City

Few years after World War II, the Cebu City Council, to honor the heroes of the Bataan Death March, named a street between Andres Abellana and Emilio Osmeña as "Bataan Street." This is within the Veloso Subdivision of Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

This is by virtue of City Ordinance No. 98 enacted on August 18, 1950. The  "Bataan March" was the march of the Prisoners of War composed of Filipino and American Soldiers held captive by the Japanese Army.

The march began on April 9, 1942 after the Fall of Bataan. The march started from Mariveles, Bataan then to San Fernando, Pampanga where 60,000 to 80,000 prisoners were carried in a train box to its final destination in Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.

The Cebu City Council then called the Municipal Board of Cebu City was composed of eight councilors majority of which were lawyers. One of them was Raymundo A. Crsytal, a lawyer, civic leader and youth molder. Raymundo was admitted to the Bar on April 9, 1940 (exactly two years before the Bataan Death March), with San Nicolas, Cebu City as his address.

It was upon the suggestion of lawyer Raymundo A. Crsytal, then a member of the City Council that Cebu City Mayor Carlos Jurado Cuizon issued Executive Order No. 13 on October 18, 1962. It is the order that gave birth to the Cebu City Zoo as it was when the Committee on Zoo was created. Resolution No. 1352 issued in 1962 authorizing the city mayor to allow the Committee on Zoo to occupy Fort San Pedro. Finally on August 8, 1964, Father Eleuterio J. Tropa, Founder of the Lamplighter World Peace Mission Inc. and the Committee on Zoo chaired by lawyer Crsytal entered into a contract that Father Tropa (the barefoot environmentalist and animal lover) take charge of the management of the zoo. The zoo was later transferred in a provincial lot in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City. The lot donation and allocation for Cebu Zoo was done during the term of Governor Rene Gandiongco Espina with an area of 7 hectares.

It was also lawyer Crystal who authored the Cebu City School Board's Resolution No. 81 dated April 28, 1970 to fund for the construction of the Cebu City National Science High School. Convinced of the idea of lawyer Crystal the Cebu City Council passed Resolution No. 772 on May 7, 1970 allocating the amount of P50,000 pesos for the construction of the city's science school. It was Dr. Aurelio A. Tiro, the Cebu City Schools Division superintendent who gave lawyer Crsytal the idea. The school was created on July 17, 1970. Its founding principal was Rosalina Kintanar who was succeeded by Mr. Tereso M. Edo in 1982. The school was nationalized in School Year 1974-1975

Lawyer Raymundo C. Crsytal was a scout leader. He was President of the Boy Scout Cebu Council. It was in 1966 that he led the greening of the Boy Scout's Camp in Capitol Hills, Cebu City.

The captives of the Bataan March include "Thomas Francis Breslin," an American Civil and Mining Engineer that married a Cebuana and made Cebu as its residence. A street in Barangay Kasambagan is named after him.

Another was Samuel Grashio, an American Air Force Pilot who was assigned in the 24th Pursuit Squadron who after the march was brought in Mindanao but was able to escape from his captors. Lieutenant Grashio joined the guerrilla movement of Lieutenant Colonel Wendell Fertig in Mindanao. Grashio was able to escape to Australia and retired in 1965 with the rank of Colonel.

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