Anyone who either grew up in Metro Manila or have been living here for quite some time have at least experienced both the highs and woes that the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, known to Filipinos as EDSA, has to offer in terms of everyday commuting or holiday road tripping.

For foreigners who wish to visit the Philippine’s busy metropolis, a quick research will tell them that EDSA is a limited access circumferential 23.8-kilometer freeway that will take you around the capital, Manila. In addition, it is the main channel that will guarantee even a neophyte driver or anyone unfamiliar to the roads of the big city that they can find their way around six (6) of the National Capital Region’s (NCR) seventeen (17) local government units from south across north: Pasay, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Quezon City to Caloocan City.

Everything about EDSA can easily be looked up online or anyone who has been living in the metro for a long time. However, two interesting questions that a culture enthusiast might ask are, why is it called, “EDSA” and not any other name? Who was Epifanio de los Santos? [Read more…]