Four decades after the historic People Power Revolution, the 23.8-kilometer stretch of EDSA remains a symbol of daily suffering and unfulfilled promises for millions of Filipinos, a commuter safety group said Sunday.
In a statement marking the 40th anniversary of the 1986 uprising, the Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LCSP) argued that the primary legacy of the highway today is the severe inconvenience experienced by motorists and commuters.
“What happened to the hope of EDSA 40 years ago?” said LCSP chairperson and founder Ariel Inton. “Just like the daily experience of motorists, it got stuck in traffic and never reached its destination.”
Inton criticized the “traffic of promises” delivered by successive leaders over the last 40 years. He suggested that it is not only vehicles that are stalled on the capital’s main artery, but also the fundamental changes promised during the revolution.
The group pointed to the persistence and expansion of political dynasties, systemic government corruption, and widespread poverty as evidence of this stagnation.
Inton also took aim at the current organizers of the anniversary commemorations, claiming that selective restrictions on political slogans have deepened divisions among democratic forces.
“EDSA used to be a symbol of unity,” the LCSP statement said. “But now, because of the statements of self-proclaimed organizers and certain officials, the result is the fragmentation of democratic forces, depending on each group’s political agenda.”
Despite restrictions on certain rallies at the historic site, the group vowed to continue seeking avenues for reform and change.
“If we are barred from EDSA, there are other ways to express our desire for the change promised back then,” the group said. “And perhaps there, we will not experience such traffic.”