EDSA

Photo: © Nacho Hernandez

EDSA is a key word in Manila, for various reasons. It stands for Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and is one of the main traffic arteries in the city (a pretty clogged artery in fact).

But for Filipinos EDSA is today also synonym of People Power, the mass protests that in 1986, by filling this same avenue with millions, led to the toppling of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Fifteen years later, in 2001, EDSA II overthrew President Joseph Estrada (who is now trying a comeback). Still one more EDSA a few months later tried to topple current President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (although some claim that this one didn't deserve the title of EDSA). Anyway, this avenue has had a lot of traffic, both literally and figuratively.

In the photo, a figure of the Virgin Mary carried on an armored vehicle during the celebrations of the 24th anniversary of the original EDSA (last February).