BRIDGING THE GAP
Business establishments at J.M. Basa St., 1920s
Since the 1870's, J.M. Basa Street which was formerly known as Calle Real, had been serving as the shopping and business center of Iloilo. Because of this, it was also referred to as the "Escolta" of Western Visayas. It was here were commercial establishments and even expensive residential structures congregated. J.M. Basa Street was actually the nerve center of Iloilo at a time when she was well-known as the "Queen City of the South". It must be recalled that she was already elevated into a city in 1889 by the Spanish throne because of her status as a commercial center and cultural capital of the region.
Although Iloilo City was reverted to a municipality when the Americans established their colonial rule in 1901, yet it continued to serve as the "Queen" of the region all throughout the U.S. Administration. And, still, J.M. Basa Street functioned as the nucleus of Iloilo's business life.
Based on the 1927 Iloilo Telephone Directory and other printed materials, there were many bazaars and department stores doing business in the town of Iloilo in the late 1920s. They were: Hoskyn's, the only real department store in the Philippines at that time; American Bazar; Bombay Bazar, evidently owned and managed by an Indian, or "Bombay", in popular parlance; New York Bazar, which was misleading because it was actually owned by the Chinese Ong Kim; as well as La Pepita and Que Soco Bazar which were also owned by Chinese. There were also those with apparently Japanese names like the Tokyo Bazar, Yamato Bazar, and Showa Bazar, although it cannot be ascertained whether they were owned by Japanese.
A good number of stores or establishments that are difficult to classify because some of them were engaged in selling a wide assortment of goods or offering a wide array of services were also available. The leading one was the Spanish-owned Ynchausti y cia that sold paints, roofing materials, industrial equipment, whisky, floor wax, and many more. There was also a French-owned store called Levy Hermanos, Inc. Evidently, most of them were Chinese-owned as reflected in their names, to wit: Hong Guan Co., Hua Lam & Co., Jap Chien & Co., La Flor de China which was owned by Tio Hong, Yu Jeco & Co. and Yu Keeco & Co. Other establishments had curious English names such as The Phoenix Store, The Sincere and The White House, except for one that had a Spanish name, Nuevo Siglo. Then, there was one owned by an Indian and was named as Vaswani & Co.
Still, other establishments and offices found at J.M. Basa Street were the Spanish-owned Juan Ysmael & Co. but the majority were Chinese-owned such as Bio Sing & Co., Chin Lee & Co., Sy Yambio & Co. and Woo Guan & Co. A number had Spanish names but still owned by the Chinese, among them: El Progreso de Yco owned by Kee & Co., El 99 of Yap Anching, and La Simpatica of Tiu Quioco & Co. There was also an establishment called La Villa de Panay.
Due to Iloilo's urban character, J.M. Basa Street also had a movie house, hotels and restaurants, fashion houses and hairdressing saloons. The cinema house was Cine Eagle, a theater that showed "Metro" and "Paramount" pictures. It advertised itself as changing its program thrice a week. The hotels and restaurants were the American Hotel and Restaurant and China Restaurant. The fashion houses, on the other hand, were La Moda del Pais and La Moda Filipina, given Spanish names to afford a degree of sophistication in the people's quest for fashionable attire. For hair grooming, there were the Modern Barbershop and the Philippine Hairdressing Saloon.
J.M. Basa Street also had a bank located off Plaza Libertad and this was the Philippine National Bank. Implying the great need for medicines, there were already four drugstores in the street in the late 1920s, namely Botica Antigua which was German-owned, Botica Consing, Salcedo's Drug Store, and Botica Zulueta, the latter three owned by Filipinos. Two photo stores and studios were also on hand – Casanave Art Studio and Iloilo Photo Supply and Stationery. Finally, there was a hardware store ( Coo Kun & Son Hardware Co.) a jewelry store (El Diamante de Juan Salvador), and a printing press (La Editorial).
All in all it can be said that J.M. Basa Street was, truly, a dynamic center of economic transactions and social interactions. The presence of numerous business establishments along its length in the late 1920s is a clear indication of its vibrant character as a shopping and entertainment destination in Western Visayas during that bygone era.