Anything Under the Sun
Salvador Infante -- last capitan of Iloilo
Very few Ilonggos of today know much about the Infantes of Molo except perhaps the Infante Avenue which we just learned is now changed to West Avenue.
This road was donated to the pueblo de Yloilo by Salvador G. Infante -- the last capitan of Iloilo before it became a city in 1889. Now, his name is stricken off that street. What an injustice!
The street was named after him by the City Council of Iloilo sponsored by Councilor Evelio Zaldivar before the war.
Born on December 25, 1840, Salvador G. Infante was noted for his fairness, incorruptibility and intelligence. For all these, he was highly respected in the community.
At one time, the Spaniards had a quarrel among themselves. They chose Infante -- a Filipino, to mediate for fear that a Spanish mediator might play favorites.
He had also helped many fugitives from justice especially the bandits (buyong) in the interior of Panay to return to the folds of the law.
A highly intelligent man, he spoke fluently in Spanish, Latin and English.
During the Philippine revolution, he was placed in an embarrassing situation before the Spanish authorities when his two sons -- Julio and Carlos who were students in Manila joined the revolution in Luzon. But Capitan Infante simply replied that it was their right to do so.
Julio became the best regimental commander of President Emilio Aguinaldo while his elder brother Carlos, was a captain under him.
Salvador G. Infante died in 1926 at the age of 86.