Wazzup Pilipinas!
The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, or EDSA, never fails to elicit a groan from drivers and commuters who have to traverse it every day. Due to its problematic traffic situation, it’s a pain to travel through, especially during rush hour.
But before it became the bane of Filipino motorists’ existence, the road was best known for being part of one of the most significant parts of our history. In 1986, EDSA literally and figuratively became the way to freedom when over two million civilians, politicians, and religious figures stormed the highway in a peaceful protest of the Marcos regime, and proved what a unified nation can do.
In honor of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, MyProperty.ph offers 10 quick facts about the historic main thoroughfare of Metro Manila.
1. From
end-to-end, EDSA is around 23.8 kilometers. That’s roughly the length of 1,561
professional basketball courts, or 14,691 Filipino males (who are said to be
162 centimeters tall on average) who play in them.
2. EDSA
passes through six cities of Metro Manila: 11 kilometers of the road is within
Quezon City, and the rest is divided among Caloocan, San Juan, Mandaluyong,
Makati, and Pasay.
3. EDSA
has gone through many name changes over the years. It started out as the
“North-South Circumferential Road” during its construction back in the 1930s.
After the country’s independence in 1946 from the Japanese occupation, EDSA was
briefly named “Avenida 19 de Junio” or June 19 Avenue, the birth date of
national hero José Rizal. Another former name was “Highway 54,” due to the
misconception that the avenue is 54 kilometers in length. It wasn’t until 1959
that Republic Act 2140 was passed declaring it the Epifanio de los Santos
Avenue after the Rizaleño historian, jurist, and scholar.
4. In
its conception, EDSA’s northernmost point was only supposed to be the
Balintawak terminus and the southernmost end the South Luzon Expressway. But in
1965, the northern tip was extended to the Apolonio Samson Road, and the
southern part to Roxas Boulevard until 2006, when it was further extended to
the SM Mall of Asia.
5. EDSA
touches three of the country’s busiest financial and business hubs: the Makati
Central Business District, Ortigas Center, and Araneta Center.
6. There
is currently a petition pending in the House of Representatives to rename EDSA
“Corazon Aquino Avenue” in honor of the late president, who led the 1986
revolution.
7. Since
the People Power Revolution, EDSA has been the site of many other protests
against succeeding administrations. EDSA II was a four-day rally in January
2001 that successfully ousted former president Joseph Estrada. In 2006, various
groups picketed along EDSA to protest then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s
declaration of a State of Emergency. During the 29th anniversary of the first
People Power Revolution, a demonstration was staged at EDSA Shrine against
current president Benigno Aquino III and the supposed inadequacies of the
government.
8. In
a 2013 piece by columnist Botchi Santos for the Philippine Daily Inquirer
(PDI), he revealed that over 360,000 vehicles use EDSA every day. An
unfortunate number, because according to PDI’s Rene S. Santiago, under ideal
conditions, EDSA should have a capacity of only 200,000 vehicles a day.
9. Speed
limits are implemented along EDSA: 40 kph for cars and motorcycles, and 30 kph
for trucks and buses. But due to the number of vehicles traversing the
thoroughfare, traffic moves at an average speed of 15 kph.
10. There
are at least 10 condominiums built right along EDSA, including DMCI’s Zinnia
Towers and New San Jose Builders, Inc.’s Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City;
Avida Towers Centera in Mandaluyong; Empire East’s San Lorenzo Place in Makati;
and SMDC’s Shell Residences in Pasay.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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