There has been a buzz on Philippine social media recently about the supposedly humorous changing of the street name Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue to Gil Tulog Avenue. It’s a pun for the Filipino words “puyat,” which means sleepless or not having enough sleep, and “tulog,” which means asleep.
There is nothing fun about the stunt, really, given the deep significance of the street’s name. Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue is a tribute to the former Philippine Senate president Gil J. Puyat, a figure of historical importance in Philippine politics. The new name, Gil Tulog Avenue, tampers with this tribute and undermines the respect we owe to our public memory spaces.
I even asked my friend living in Makati if this news was real. Unfortunately, my friend confirmed it by taking a video as proof. We laughed at first, but then I became speechless after a few seconds of verifying. I searched for more details because changing street names in the Philippines is complicated and needs the authorities’ approval. The naming and renaming of public places in the country must be approved through a proclamation, legislation, or city ordinances. Then, I stumbled upon some posts online suggesting this might be a marketing strategy for a melatonin product, given the connection between the new street name and the product’s purpose of inducing sleep, potentially increasing its sales.
As someone who majored in history, specializes in public memory and memory spaces, and shares the name with former Philippine Senate president Gil J. Puyat, I can’t help but comment on this matter.
As a child, I was often teased because of my first name. Whenever I introduced myself, the name Gil Puyat would always come up. In fact, that was how the man’s name sparked my curiosity. I’m sure many other Filipinos, also named Gil, have had a similar experience that has piqued their interest. This personal connection makes this news even more poignant and underscores our need to preserve and respect our public memory spaces.
Gil J. Puyat started his public service as a senator in 1951 and served until 1973. He became the Senate president from 1967 to 1972, making him the last Senate president before Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. declared martial law in the country. As a legislator, he was known for reforming how public works funds were managed.
Before becoming a senator, and given his impressive academic background and early exposure to the business world, he was named dean of the College of Business Administration of the University of the Philippines at 33. He was recognized by various organizations, making him a champion in business, civics, and charity.
To honor Puyat, Buendia Avenue in Makati (pronounced by most Filipino commuters and bus conductors as “Bwenja”), which hosts business and educational institutions and other notable landmarks, was renamed two years after his death on March 23, 1980. Through Batas Pambansa Blg. 312, Buendia Avenue (named after Nicolas Buendia, a former senator and Katipunero from Bulacan) was changed to Senator Gil J. Puyat Avenue on November 14, 1982.
As of this writing, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay has apologized to the people and the family of the former Senate president, and instructed that the “Gil Tulog” signs be taken down. She said the application for a permit to replace those street signs did not reach her office — or she would have rejected it — and emphasized that the city officials who issued the permit should have exercised prudence on this matter.
Although this might be an amusing story for some, it shouldn’t be. Street names are more than just signages. They are considered repositories of a city or country’s history, culture, and collective memory. This straightforward change of the street name from Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue to Gil Tulog Avenue easily erases a significant part of our memory. It undermines the respect we owe to our public memory spaces. It shows how easily history, represented by public spaces such as streets, can be swiftly erased and changed in the country for social media clout.
This should not be taken lightly, especially when our historical memory has been continuously challenged. Our street names are not just random labels. They are living testaments to our past, present, and future, connecting us to our roots and shaping our collective identity as Filipinos.
In a world full of pranks and clouts, we must respect and preserve our public memory spaces, leaving them untouched by this nonsense gimmick. It’s time to know our boundaries on pranks and jokes and appreciate our spaces of public memory. These spaces hold significance, not just for the name, and we must be responsible for protecting and taking them seriously.
After this blunder, I hope the city officials who approved the new name will sleep well tonight, knowing they have learned the importance of their responsibility towards our public memory spaces. — Rappler.com
Gil D. Turingan has a history degree from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He is currently based in Bangkok, specializing in public memory and memory spaces. He will receive his PhD this October at Chulalongkorn University. His doctoral thesis, successfully defended last November 2023, focuses on the importance of public monuments in the discourse of democracy and student movement in Thailand.
