Who was Epifanio de los Santos, the person after whom was named EDSA, the street bisecting Metro Manila that became world famous after the bloodless EDSA People Power revolt toppled Ferdinand Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as President?

First of all, EDSA was the former Highway 54 built by the Americans after Liberation so that war supplies and troops being trucked north and south of Manila skirted the narrow Rizal and Taft avenues. When a name was sought to replace Highway 54, the political leaders of Rizal insisted that it should be named after an outstanding citizen of Rizal Province.

Epifanio de los Santos was a revolutionary leader, a contemporary of Rizal, Bonifacio, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Antonio Luna and the others. He was a teacher, journalist and a librarian. He wrote in Spanish and Tagalog. After the Philippine Revolution, he became the first director of the Bureau of Public Libraries. The former Highway 54 was named after him.

It was here, in the stretch between Camps Aguinaldo and Crame, that the people massed in 1986 to protect Enrile, Ramos and the other rebels from the tanks and troops unleashed by Marcos, and where Corazon Aquino appeared at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue to cheer the people on.

After the funeral of former President Aquino, Sen. Mar Roxas thought of renaming EDSA after Cory. After all, EDSA was made famous by Cory and People Power, and he said so in a press statement. As the newspapers were preparing their next day’s editions, however, Senator Roxas changed his mind, and requested that the press statement be recalled. Why? What made him change his mind? Roxas himself explained at the Kapihan sa Manila last Monday, where he was one of the three guests (the two others were Assistant Transportation Secretary Arturo Lomibao, chief of the Land Transportation Office, and Bert Suansing of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

He was hasty, Senator Roxas admitted. While naming EDSA after Cory was meritorious, he told the Kapihan audience, he forgot that EDSA was already a part of history. They would just think of another street to name after her, he said.

“How about changing Roxas Boulevard to Cory Aquino Boulevard?” somebody asked. Laughter.

“Why not NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) which runs through Cory’s home province of Tarlac?”

“Or why not rename Tarlac Cory Aquino province, like the provinces of Rizal, Quezon, Aurora, and Quirino?” Maybe. We’ll study that, Roxas replied.

The senator then turned to his favorite subject, cheaper medicines which he made possible through the bill he shepherded through the Senate.

“The cheaper medicines that will become available on August 15 is only the first batch,” he said. “The Cheaper Medicines Act is a continuing law. There will be other batches whose prices would be lowered in the future, as they become necessary. The government will continue to watch the market and if it thinks some medicines are overpriced, it will not hesitate to impose price controls.”

By the way, the price of Amlodipine besilate, an antihypertensive, was listed in government newspaper advertisements as P22.85 for the 5 mg. tablet. But an ad by the generics pharmacy lists its price as only P6.50 for the 5 mg. tablet and P11 for the 10 mg. tablet. Norvasc, its imported counterpart, is much more expensive.

What about cement? Like pharmaceuticals, the cement industry is controlled by a cartel, a foreign one at that. All but one of our local cement factories are now owned by foreign companies that raise their prices even when there is an oversupply. Cement is a main ingredient in construction which has a multiplier effect on other industries and the economy. Expensive cement will mean more expensive infrastructure projects, more costly homes and fewer homes for the poor. Why is the government allowing this cartel?

“Don’t worry, there already is an anti-trust bill [filed by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile] pending in the Senate,” Roxas answered. “That will address not only the cement cartel but also the oil cartel, the pharmaceutical cartel, the rice cartel and other cartels.”

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On land transportation, the discussion was the traffic congestion, especially on EDSA. “Aren’t there already too many buses and jeepneys on Metro Manila’s streets?” Lomibao and Suansing were asked. “We have already stopped issuing new franchises,” Suansing replied. “And we are not renewing expiring franchises. Plus we are canceling the franchises of frequent violators.”

“Why are there more buses on EDSA now?” “Don’t look at us,” the two answered. “Look at Bayani Fernando [the MMDA chairman]. He allowed provincial buses to load and unload on city streets, even reserving one lane on EDSA for them and giving them loading/unloading bays and what amounts to terminals under the flyovers.”

“Aren’t provincial buses supposed to stay in the provinces?” “Under the terms of their franchises, yes,” said Suansing. “There should be a terminal for them outside city limits, at Valenzuela and Alabang.”

“Some provincial buses masquerade as city buses, picking up passengers inside the cities,” somebody said.

“That’s not allowed, and if they are caught their franchises can be cancelled.”

“But Bayani Fernando is allowing them to do that.”

“Well, he is running for President. He needs their votes.”

“Are you running for the House next year?” Lomibao was asked. “I am still reviewing the situation,” he answered.