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.
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.
