MANILA, Philippines–As we commemorate the anniversary of the People Power revolution that centered on Edsa, we take a look at the road itself: How was it built, who was it named after, and what is its significance for the future?
The construction of the 24-kilometer “highway” we now call Edsa started in the 1930s under the administration of President Manuel L. Quezon. It was then simply called the “North-South Circumferential Road.”
It stretched from what is now the North Luzon Expressway and ended where the Magallanes Interchange currently stands. It was finished in 1940, shortly before the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
After the Philippines was granted independence, the road was renamed Avenida 19 de Junio, marking the birth date of Jose Rizal, the national hero.
Highway 54
The road came to be called Highway 54 in the 1950s, reportedly because the road was 54 km long (which it was not). Historians wanted to retain the 19 de Junio name, while then President Ramon Magsaysay wanted it named after Rizal himself. The Philippine Historical Committee, together with other associations, suggested the renaming of Highway 54 to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
Epifanio de los Santos was a Philippine historian, artist and writer. He was an associate editor of the revolutionary paper La Independencia circa 1898. A literary genius, he translated the classic “Florante at Laura” into Spanish. He later served as governor of Nueva Ecija and director of the Philippine Library. The road was renamed in his honor in 1959.
Now called Edsa, the road was extended to the north from the Apolonio Samson Road to Taft Avenue, and later to Roxas Boulevard on its southern end. It is the key part of the Circumferential Road 4 system. New industrial centers, formerly part of Rizal province, became part of the newly established National Capital Region.
With traffic jams starting to build up on Edsa, interchanges such as the Balintawak Cloverleaf and Magallanes Interchange were built to speed up traffic flow. Even in the 1980s, there were still grasslands and open spaces adjacent to Edsa.
Revolution
The Edsa took on historical significance when it became the center of a peaceful revolution that ousted then President Ferdinand Marcos. In February 1986, then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos took refuge in two military camps located along Edsa. Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, among others, asked the public to flock to Edsa in support of the revolution. The world was astounded by the response.
The People Power monument and Edsa Shrine were built at a corner of Camp Aguinaldo, and at the corner of Edsa and Ortigas Avenue, respectively.
Efficient mass transport on Edsa was made possible when the Manila Metro Rail Transit Line 3, or MRT 3, was first opened in 1999. The 16.9-km rapid transit system effectively bisected Edsa. The trains transport close to 600,000 passengers per day, much more than its 450,000 capacity. The line has lately been plagued by glitches and stoppages.
Edsa once again accelerated the ouster of another president, Joseph “Erap” Estrada, in January 2001, after he became entangled in a controversy involving money from illegal gambling. Hundreds of thousands of protesters converged on the highway, this time converging at the Edsa Shrine, to call for his ouster. The so-called “Edsa Dos” political protest led to the overthrow of Erap’s government, in favor of the ascendancy of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Edsa now
Unfortunately, all that historical significance and nostalgia goes out of the car window when you think of Edsa. The first thing that most people would think of when you mention Edsa is “traffic.”
Traffic volume on Edsa averages 350,000 vehicles, more than its capacity of 280,000 vehicles. Despite its six lanes on either side, it is perennially clogged. Buses regularly take up several lanes to load and unload passengers even in areas where these are not allowed. Average speed is 15 km per hour, quite a bit slower than the 23.11 kph average in 2003, and the 36.24 kph in 2009.
About 12,000 city and provincial buses ply Edsa every day, despite the maximum number of buses that can be handled by Edsa, being pegged at 1,600.
Thanks to smoke-belching buses, jeepneys and commercial vehicles, the pollution on Edsa is overpowering. The intersection of Edsa and Taft Avenue was found to be the dirtiest in Metro Manila, with more than triple the normal standard of total suspended particles—carbon monoxide and sulfur molecules mixed with dust.
And yet, it need not be ugly. Edsa is only as beautiful or repulsive as its surroundings. The sections where businesses have taken upon themselves to improve the landscape, in support of their commercial interests, show that there is still hope.
Edsa is scheduled to to undergo major rehabilitation of its road surface this year. This would be a good opportunity to spruce up the sidewalks and areas under the flyovers. Any administration that wants to improve business and quality of life, particularly in the crucial Metro Manila area, will have to deal with Edsa.
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