By Ben Rosario What’s in a name? When a lawmaker proposes to change the name of a street or a locality, it is usually the subject of ridicule in the House of Representatives. But the bid of a neophyte solon to restore the old name of a historic town in Rizal is no laughing matter in the province and has sparked controversy. Newly elected Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles (FACEBOOK) Newly elected Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles filed a bill seeking to restore “Montalban” as the name of Rodriguez town, the northernmost municipality in Rizal so named in honor of the late Senate President Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez. But the move was met by strong opposition. “I don’t think that proposal will win the support of Rodriguez, even Rizal folk. He (Nograles) is not even from here,” said former Rep. Isidro Rodriguez, grandson of the late Eulogio. “This is purely politicking in the highest form,” Rodriguez added. Rodriguez town has earned the distinction of being the birthplace of the late Senate official, the longest-serving president of the Upper Chamber. The young Rodriguez lamented that as his first action in Congress, Nograles, a nephew of the late Speaker Prospero Nograles, chose to make an attempt to “erase the memory of Rodriguez” who made huge contributions to the development of the province. Montalban was renamed Rodriguez town in 1982 after Congress passed the bill filed by then Rep. Frisco San Juan. But Nograles justified his bill, saying his proposal is in support of the “prevailing sentiments of residents” of the first class municipality. “It’s fairly common knowledge that everyone still refers to Rodriguez as ‘Montalban’, but it was only recently that I learned that so many of my constituents really want the municipality to officially reclaim its original name,” said Nograles, who claims to be a native of Rizal. He noted that “it has been close to 40 years since Montalban was renamed, but the people of Rizal have continued to embrace and hold on to the original name of the town.” “The widespread use of ‘Montalban’ continues to this day. If you ask for directions in the area, you will be referred to signs pointing you to Montalban,” he pointed out. The name Montalban was derived from the Spanish word “monte” or mountain, apparently due to its mountainous expanse. The municipality used to be part of San Mateo but was transformed into an independent local government unit in 1909. “The fact that tourist sites here still carry the name of Montalban, like the Montalban Gorge, and that even their tourist office is called the Montalban Tourism Office, speaks volumes about what the name ‘Montalban’ means to my constituents,” said Nograles.