Kalye Impyerno lives out its name in urban legends
Published Oct 30, 2019 10:07 pm
By Minka Klaudia Tiangco
Tucked away at Barangay San Roque in Navotas City is a short and narrow alley infamous for its ominous name, Kalye Impyerno (Hell Street).
(Photo by Minka Tiangco)
Red graffiti bearing the alley’s name greets those who enter Kalye Impyerno. It is lined with wooden shanties and half-demolished houses and ends in a strip of coastline, where residents play basketball and chat with each other. Barangay officials said that it is home to about 50 people
The origin of Kalye Impyerno’s name remains a mystery, but many agree that the alley was a hotbed of crime and illegal drugs back when hundreds used to live there.
Barangay Secretary Francis Aguilar said they relocated most of the residents after a big fire, that killed 12 people and affected about 100 families, razed the area in 2011.
Since then, the crime rate in the area significantly dropped, which led them to change the name of the alley to Everlasting Extension to improve its image, but residents still frequently call it Kalye Impyerno.
The barangay secretary said there are some rumors that Kalye Impyerno was a dumping ground for corpses during the regime of former President and late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Legends also say that someone is killed in the area every last week of January, which coincides with the feast day of San Roque.
One of the most gruesome crimes at Kalye Impyerno happened on Friday the 13th on December 13, 2013.
Joecyl Denolang, an 18-year-old pregnant woman, and her parents Cecillo and Rosa Leticia, were gunned down by Jay “Jiji” Amar, her former live-in partner in a fit of jealous rage, police said.
A 62-year-old fish vendor and a resident of the area since 1995 told reporters that Amar, who they called “Bungo,” even bought fish from her before killing Denolang and her parents.
Pilipinas Tongco-Tehano, 50, said that no one lives in Denolang’s house anymore and that it was converted into a public restroom.
However, some say that they could still feel Denolang’s presence in the alley.
Just last year, 39-year-old Daisy Bautista, who was under the barangay’s drug watchlist, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds by her own son in their house along Kalye Impyerno.
A few months later, Romelyn Jane Sioson, 28, was shot dead in front of her 12-year-old daughter in their house. Police said Sioson was under the police’s drug watchlist.
Still, residents disputed claims that Kalye Impyerno’s name came from these horrific incidents, and said it is more likely that the name was born out of jest.
The fish vendor, who requested anonymity, said some residents might have complained of the heat in the area due to the proximity of the houses, and dubbed the alley Kalye Impyerno.
Edgar Leongson, 51, who claimed to be related to former Navotas City Mayor Alejandro Leongson, said he and his friends came up with the name Kalye Impyerno back in 1981 since there were areas called Kalye Langit and Kalye Banal in the city.
Tongco-Tehano expressed frustration with the name of the alley that became her home because it “sounds bad” and is “unfair” to the residents.
Leongson stressed that the residents of Kalye Impyerno are good people, but the area became a haven for drug personalities, holduppers, and other criminals, which tarnished the area’s image.
“’Yung Kalye Impyerno, hindi naman magulo, eh. Ang tao diyan, mahaharot, friendly ang mga tao dito (Kalye Impyerno is not a chaotic area. The people here are playful and friendly),” he said.
(Photo by Minka Tiangco)
Red graffiti bearing the alley’s name greets those who enter Kalye Impyerno. It is lined with wooden shanties and half-demolished houses and ends in a strip of coastline, where residents play basketball and chat with each other. Barangay officials said that it is home to about 50 people
The origin of Kalye Impyerno’s name remains a mystery, but many agree that the alley was a hotbed of crime and illegal drugs back when hundreds used to live there.
Barangay Secretary Francis Aguilar said they relocated most of the residents after a big fire, that killed 12 people and affected about 100 families, razed the area in 2011.
Since then, the crime rate in the area significantly dropped, which led them to change the name of the alley to Everlasting Extension to improve its image, but residents still frequently call it Kalye Impyerno.
The barangay secretary said there are some rumors that Kalye Impyerno was a dumping ground for corpses during the regime of former President and late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Legends also say that someone is killed in the area every last week of January, which coincides with the feast day of San Roque.
One of the most gruesome crimes at Kalye Impyerno happened on Friday the 13th on December 13, 2013.
Joecyl Denolang, an 18-year-old pregnant woman, and her parents Cecillo and Rosa Leticia, were gunned down by Jay “Jiji” Amar, her former live-in partner in a fit of jealous rage, police said.
A 62-year-old fish vendor and a resident of the area since 1995 told reporters that Amar, who they called “Bungo,” even bought fish from her before killing Denolang and her parents.
Pilipinas Tongco-Tehano, 50, said that no one lives in Denolang’s house anymore and that it was converted into a public restroom.
However, some say that they could still feel Denolang’s presence in the alley.
Just last year, 39-year-old Daisy Bautista, who was under the barangay’s drug watchlist, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds by her own son in their house along Kalye Impyerno.
A few months later, Romelyn Jane Sioson, 28, was shot dead in front of her 12-year-old daughter in their house. Police said Sioson was under the police’s drug watchlist.
Still, residents disputed claims that Kalye Impyerno’s name came from these horrific incidents, and said it is more likely that the name was born out of jest.
The fish vendor, who requested anonymity, said some residents might have complained of the heat in the area due to the proximity of the houses, and dubbed the alley Kalye Impyerno.
Edgar Leongson, 51, who claimed to be related to former Navotas City Mayor Alejandro Leongson, said he and his friends came up with the name Kalye Impyerno back in 1981 since there were areas called Kalye Langit and Kalye Banal in the city.
Tongco-Tehano expressed frustration with the name of the alley that became her home because it “sounds bad” and is “unfair” to the residents.
Leongson stressed that the residents of Kalye Impyerno are good people, but the area became a haven for drug personalities, holduppers, and other criminals, which tarnished the area’s image.
“’Yung Kalye Impyerno, hindi naman magulo, eh. Ang tao diyan, mahaharot, friendly ang mga tao dito (Kalye Impyerno is not a chaotic area. The people here are playful and friendly),” he said.