abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 11/24/2011 5:33 PM | Updated as of 11/24/2011 5:36 PM
mula sa: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/11/24/11/corys-uncle-helped-rename-edsa-highway-54
MANILA, Philippines – Not many Filipinos remember but it was an uncle of the late former President Corazon Aquino who pushed for the renaming of Highway 54 into Epifanio delos Santos Avenue.
Carmen Suva is the granddaughter of Filipino scholar Epifanio delos Santos.
She said Aquino’s uncle, Rizal Rep. Juan Francisco Sumulong, helped sponsor a bill pushing for the renaming of the highway after the scholar, journalist and historian from Malabon. The bill was approved on April 7, 1959 and became Republic Act 2140.
“The irony of that, si Don Juan [Francisco] Sumulong na tiyuhin ni tita Cory na siya ang nagpipilit na ipangalan kay Epifanio delos Santos ang EDSA,” Suva told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda."
EDSA significance
While Aquino’s contributions to the country cannot be dismissed, historian Jonathan Balsamo from the Philippine Historical Association said changing the name of EDSA at this point in history would be hard.
Balsamo explained that the Filipino people already have some affinity to the name EDSA. He said thousands of Filipinos gathered on EDSA during the 1986 People Power revolution to remove President Ferdinand Marcos from power.
“Napakahalaga niya sa kasaysayan ng bansa dahil alam natin na 2 o 3 himagsikan ang naganap sa EDSA at sa contemporary history, pagkatapos ng panahon ni Marcos, ang EDSA ay katumbas na ng pagbabalik ng demonskrasya,” Balsamo said.
“Kung papalitan ang EDSA sa pagiging Corazon Aquino Avenue, sa tingin ko maaaring magdulot ito ng kalituhan o pagbabago sa maraming bagay,” he added.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman echoed Balsamo’s opinion on the issue.
He recognized the noble motives of Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos, author of House Bill 5422 which seeks to change the name of the 24-kilometer road, but said “such good intentions cannot justify the alteration of history.”
“EDSA must not be changed as it is a constant reminder to the tyrannical tendencies of national leaders, now and in the future, and to uphold at all times the supremacy of the Constitution and the ascendency of the rule of law,” he said.
Heritage Act of 2009
Carminda Arevalo, officer-in-charge of the Research, Publications and Heraldy Division of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), noted that the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 already considers EDSA, being over 50 years old, a “historical street”.
The law states that historical street names “shall not be allowed to be renamed by a local or national legislation, unless approved by the National Historical Institute, and only after due hearing on the matter.”
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