BRIDGING THE GAP
J.M. Basa Street
J.M. Basa Street, situated at the heart of the city, has been considered as the shopping center of Iloilo. In the past, it was popularly known as "Calle Real."
In the 1880s, J.M. Basa Street, also known at that time as the "Escolta" of Iloilo, was the site of most of the town's European and Chinese retail stores. Property values on it increased markedly moving eastward along its 800 meters length to the junction of Calle Santo Niño (now Guanco Street) at its middle point. Here the Englishman Henry Hoskyns paid P17,000 in 1887 for the house and lot which became the site of Iloilo's renowned department store, Hoskyn's (Foreman, 1899).
John Foreman (1899), in his visit to Iloilo in the closing decade of the 19th century, had this to say of the appearance of Calle Real at that time: "The Calle Real or High Street is a winding road, which leads through the town into the country. The houses (along it) are indescribable--that are of all styles--three or four architectural adornment. Some are high - others low - some stand back with a few yards of pavement before them - others come forward and oblige one to walk in the road... At the extreme end of Calle Real is the Government House built of wood and stone, and then in a very bad condition but the style is good and it has quite an appearance of an official residence. Before it a semi-circular garden, and in front of this there is a road fenced-in plot, in the middle of which stands a flagpole..."
In the 1930s, modern cinema houses such as Cine Eagle and the Cine Palace, restaurants and cafes, as well as business, professional and commercial establishments were located on it. Foremost among the commercial firms doing business in J.M. Basa Street were: Hoskyn's huge department store, Elizalde y cia, Francisco Campos y hijos, American Bazar, Miranda Book Store, and several Indian stores.
In 1987, based on a survey made by this writer, there were no less than 83 various business establishments lining both sides of J.M. Basa Street, ranging from bazaars to department stores and restaurants and from banks to drugstores. There were 25 bazaars or department stores, 13 garment stores, 15 restaurants and snack bars, 11 banks, and 8 drugstores. There were also 7 boutiques or gift shops, 6 optical clinics, 4 bookstores, 3 hardware stores, 3 tailoring shops, 2 grocery stores, 2 bakeries, and 2 stores selling school supplies. In addition, there were 2 movie houses, 2 insurance offices, 2 lodging houses, 2 mimeographing and white printing establishments, a printing press and a photo studio. Moreover, there were also a music house, a pastry house, 2 beauty shops, a gasoline station, an electronic store, a film processing establishment, a pawnshop, and a jewelry store, aside from a disco house and a pub joint.
As it was in the past, J.M Basa Street is still a lively place in the commercial district of Iloilo up to the present. However, because of the establishment of big malls, it is no longer attracting hordes of shoppers and visitors as it was during the pre-mall days, but it is a great point of interest for bargain hunters and pleasure seekers. More significant is the fact that J.M. Basa Street reminds us of the time when Iloilo City was known as the commercial center of the whole of the Visayas and that it served as the dynamic hub of the "Queen City of the South."