BRIDGING THE GAP
Business establishments at Muelle Loney & other streets, 1920s
In the 1920s, based on the 1927 Iloilo Telephone Directory and other printed materials at that time, many commercial establishments at the pier and even on the shorter side streets of the city advertised themselves. In Muelle Loney, the leading firms were the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas, Lizarraga Hermanos, Koppel Industrial Car & Equipment Co., Pacific Commercial Co., Warner Barnes & Co. Ltd., Smith Bell & Co. Ltd., Sing Joco & Co., and the Visayan General Supply Co. Inc. They were either Spanish, Chinese or European-owned.
Calle Progresso (now De la Rama St.), on the other hand, was the site of the oldest banks in the country -- Banco Las Islas Filipinas and the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank. The other business firms operating in the street were: F.E. Zuellig Inc., Lizares & Co. Inc., De la Rama Steamship Co., Strachan & McMurray, Vacuum Oil Co., Warner Barnes & Co. Ltd., and Wise & Co. Ltd. (Texas Co. P.I. agent).
Other business establishments and agencies that advertised themselves were those found at Ortiz, Arroyo, Solis and Arsenal streets. Those at Ortiz Street were the Asiatic Petroleum Co., Certeza Surveying Co., Iloilo Business Agents Inc., Iloilo Club, Ker & Co., Kuenzle & Streiff Inc., and Nestle & Anglo-Swiss Milk Co. while those at Arroyo Street were the Bio Guan & Co., Chian Sing Co., Kian Chiong Co., V.Y. Suajico & Co., and Woo Sing & Co. which were all Chinese-owned. Only one at Solis Street advertised itself and this was the Asian Lumber while two were at Arsenal Street — Kwong Wah Yuen & Co. and Teal Motor Co. On the other hand, McLeod & Co. Inc. which was engaged in machinery, shipping, and insurance, and the Visayas Printing Co. were situated at Blumentritt Street. The Singer Sewing Machine Co., on its part, was operating at General Hughes Street.
The perimeter around Plaza Libertad was the location of many business establishments. Among them was the Manuel Trading & Supply Co., distributor of Lincoln and Ford cars, as well as Fordson tractors. Then there were the Ayala Distributors, Bachrach Motor Co., Dollar Steamship Line, Centro Catolico de Iloilo, Iloilo Sheet Metal Banks, and Woelti & Habluetzel. The two prominent hotels -- Iloilo Hotel and Plaza Hotel -- were operating here, together with the Plaza Cafe. There were also two firms engaged in transportation found in the area -- the Manzano Garage and the Vidal E.B. Service Garage.
Connected to a point in Plaza Libertad is Calle Rosario. It was here that the famous exclusive club, the Casino Español, was found. Two other transportation firms were operating here, the Oriental Park Stable & Garage and the Park Livery Stable & Garage.
Meanwhile, a number of Chinese-owned establishments were doing business at Aldeguer Street. They were Hong Wo & Co., Kuan Wing & Co., Kwong Sew Wing & Co., La Manzana (owned by Guando & Co.), Tan Boon Kong & Co., and Wong Ahang & Co.
Finally, in Calle Santo Niño (now Guanco Street) can be found Cine Lux, the House of Universal Pictures. It was also where Clarkes Inc., Filma Mercantile Co. Inc., Iloilo Ice Cold & Storage Co., Menzi & Co. Inc., Panay Telephone & Telegraph Co., and Standard Oil Co. were doing business.
As gleaned from the above, there were so many business establishments operating in Iloilo during the 1920s, even in the less prominent streets of the city. These are indications that business opportunities were at their peak during this time when Iloilo was the "Queen City of the South". Many of the commercial firms were owned by foreigners -- Americans and Europeans -- an implication that, indeed, Iloilo at that time was a very attractive investment area in the Philippines.