‘…EDSA is more than a road; it’s a living timeline. From sunrise to sundown, it witnesses everything: commerce, crisis, protest, progress. It hosts malls and military camps, condos and shrines, crossings and collisions.’
THEY say all roads lead to Rome, but if you find yourself inching forward on the traffic-choked lanes of EDSA, you might start asking: Will I ever get to the Eternal City or will it take me an eternity?
EDSA, or Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, is a modest 23.8-kilometer stretch that serves as the backbone of Metro Manila. It’s shorter than a marathon, yet it often feels longer than the 500-kilometer Appian Way of ancient Rome, especially when you’re stuck behind a bus, a sea of jeepneys, and what seems like an endless swarm of motorcycles.
A foreign ambassador once quipped, “My tour of duty in the Philippines was four years, two in Manila, and two stuck on EDSA.” It’s a joke that hits too close to home. Manila consistently ranks among the world’s top ten most congested cities. A drive that should take 30 minutes can easily stretch into an hour or more, and during rush hour or worse, the rainy season or the holidays it turns into a test of patience and spirit. It’s ironic, isn’t it? The Appian Way was a marvel of Roman engineering, designed to unite an empire. In contrast, EDSA often feels like a purgatory for commuters, an asphalt halfway house where time, tempers, and fuel tanks go to die.
Yet, EDSA is sacred ground. It was on this very road, in 1986, that Filipinos gathered in a peaceful sea of unity, reclaiming their democracy during the People Power Revolution. Amid the deafening horns and political noise, the people found clarity. We joke about getting lost on EDSA, but history reminds us: on this road, we found ourselves.
In the 1930s, it was simply the Manila Circumferential Road, built to support the capital’s expansion and to connect the planned new city, Quezon City. It was later renamed Highway 54, then Avenida 19 de Junio, in honor of José Rizal’s birth date. Eventually, at the urging of residents from Rizal Province (back when EDSA ran through their towns), it was renamed Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. A tribute to a Rizaleño scholar, writer, and patriot from Malabon.
Today, EDSA is more than a road, it’s a living timeline. From sunrise to sundown, it witnesses everything: commerce, crisis, protest, progress. It hosts malls and military camps, condos and shrines, crossings and collisions. It’s where our national pulse beats loudest.
EDSA also forms part of the 3,500-kilometer Pan-Philippine Highway (AH26), which links Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Follow it long enough, and while you won’t reach Rome, you will find rice fields, coastlines, mountain passes, and the warm Eden we call home.
Just when we thought the long-dreaded EDSA rehabilitation would finally begin, the President hits the brakes. The reason? A need for more “thorough study and planning.” Understandable, even commendable. After all, shutting down parts of Metro Manila’s main artery for two years isn’t something you dive into without a map. The ₱7.3 billion plan, halted for the time being, may seem like a relief to some. But to others, it feels like pressing snooze on a ticking time bomb. Make no mistake: this is a mere interlude. The day will come when jackhammers sing and orange cones rise like mushrooms after rain. Are we ready? One can only hope the administration has a better answer than “we’ll cross that bridge when we dig it up.” In the meantime, options are being tossed. Alternate routes are being mapped, while tollways may be made free. The Department of Labor and Employment has even suggested flexible work arrangements to ease what they’re calling a “traffic Armageddon.” It begs the question: are we prisoners of our roads? Maybe we are captives, stubborn, poetic, and hopeful, choosing every day to stay on the broken, familiar road that still leads us home.
So, the next time someone casually declares, “All roads lead to Rome,” just smile and remember that in the Philippines, all roads eventually lead to EDSA and from there, to a Jollibee, a fiesta, or a surprising adventure. Not as grand as the Colosseum, but just as warm as the Pope’s embrace. And that’s the point. Because, as they say, it’s better to journey hopefully than to arrive. Even especially on EDSA.
