BRIDGING THE GAP
J. De Leon Street in Iloilo City
De Leon Street in Iloilo City is named after Juan de Leon, a municipal president of the former town of Iloilo, who fought against the Spaniards and the Americans during the West Visayan phase of the Philippine Revolution in 1898. At that time, Iloilo was made the capital of the Spanish administration in the Philippines after the Spaniards capitulated to the Americans in the mock Battle of Manila on August 13, 1898. When the Estado Federal de Visayas was re-organized to include Negros Island and the whole of Panay, De Leon became councilor for Northern Negros. (Serag 1977)
On December 25, 1898, Ilonggo troops, in marching formation, under the command of Gen. Martin Delgado of Santa Barbara entered the City of Iloilo. The Spaniards, through Mayor Vicente Gay and Governor Jose Maria Romero, surrendered Iloilo City. The surrender pact was witnessed by Ramon Avanceña, Jovito Yusay, Francisco de Leon, and Juan de Leon. (Ibid.)
De Leon Street connects Iznart Street with Jalandoni Street and cuts across Valeria, Quezon, Mabini and Fuentes streets. Most business establishments in the area deal with agricultural supplies, housing and construction supplies, groceries and lunchtime meals.
For many, the first thing that would come to mind when speaking of De Leon Street is the Iloilo Terminal Market, popularly called "Super Market" or "Super". It is a public market that is located at the heart of the street. This would explain the presence of a long line of carinderias and of parked jeepneys mostly from the interior towns. Vendors and wholesale buyers abound in the place due to the cheaper agricultural products sold in the area.
Practically, all public jeepneys plying the route to the Terminal Market come from agricultural towns, thus, justifying the presence of establishments selling agricultural supplies. These include Crown Agricultural Corp., Pacifica Agrivet, Panay Farmers Corp., to mention a few. Banking institutions that cater to the financial needs of businessmen and housewives alike are also present in De Leon Street. These include the Philippine National Bank located in front of the Terminal Market, and Bank of the Philippine Islands and China Bank at corner Iznart and J. De Leon Streets.
The pioneering supermarket in De Leon Street is the Ledi Supermart. Majestic Plaza was also a major landmark in the street, but was burned by a fire in the mid-1990s. Robinsons Place, the famous shopping mall, also spreads its wings in the street.
The principal business along De Leon Street is construction supply. When one is looking for nails, wood, G.I. Sheets, paint, cement, steel bars, electrical and plumbing materials, etc., it is the place to go. In fact, for most Ilonggos, De Leon Street has become synonymous with homebuilding materials.