San Antonio street renamed in honor of ‘Tan Amalia’

Tan Amalia Badu’s grandsons, Anthony Taylor, in black shirt, and Jeremy Manalo, in red shirt, pose with, from left, Rep. Joseph Flores (Ind-Saipan), Rep. Angel Demapan (R-Saipan) Saipan Mayor David Apatang, Rep. Joseph Lee Pan Guerrero (R-Saipan) and Ed Propst at the new street sign. (LEIGH GASES)

The street originally named Laiguan Avenue between the basketball court four-way intersection in San Antonio is now known as the “Tan Amalian Badu Avenue.”

Renamed in honor of “Tan” Amalia Deleon Guerrero Diaz, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang led other officials in a renaming ceremony last Wednesday, dedicating the street to a woman who once lived along that street.

In Apatang’s speech prior to the unveiling of the street’s new name, he said the street is being renamed after a great woman who dedicated her life to making the village of San Antonio “an envy of the other villages.”

“When [Tan Amalia] lived in the house right on this street, families and visitors to San Antonio knew [she] always welcomed them into her heart and loving home. [She] dedicated her life to helping others in any way she possibly could. Indeed she was very generous at heart and cared for everyone she met. [She] was widely known as the most devoted person to the Parish of San Antonio Church. …I would say the church was her second home, if not her first.

Her faith in God made her smiles incredibly radiant. …To her grandchildren here today, the memories of Tan Amalia left for us lives in your hearts and ours. Thank you for keeping the memories of devotion alive in our hearts,” said Apatang.

Afterwards, the blue silk veil covering the street sign was removed by two of Tan Amalia’s grandsons, Jeremy Manalo and Anthony Taylor, revealing the new placard that states “Tan Amalian Badu Avenue.”

Aside from Apatang, Taylor, and Manalo, the occasion was also attended by the Saipan Mayor’s Office staff, Reps. Ed Propst (D-Saipan), Joseph Flores (Ind-Saipan), Angel Demapan (R-Saipan), and Joseph Lee Pan Guerrero (R-Saipan).

Taylor thanked the mayor and everyone in attendance for “choosing a wonderful person [to name the street after]. …She dedicated her life to not only her family, but to everybody here in this village. Everybody was her family. She was a devout Catholic, a devout family woman, and a person that was very, very selfless. She would massage people and give people free haircuts. …[She] was a wonderful wife to my grandfather… and she was with him through thick and thin. …So I’d like to say thank you, si yu’us ma’ase to everybody from the bottom of my heart, my family, my mother, my siblings, my cousins, and everybody else. We will be forever grateful for this.”