Oh, EDSA. Where do we even begin.
People like EDSA. They really, really, really like EDSA that every day, about 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night, and on Fridays, and on pay days, and on Saturday nights, many people go there just to sit comfortably inside their cars observing the line of gigantic billboards, watching the glistening city lights, listening to the MRT rumbling as it passes overhead, and just…relaxing. It’s the time of the day motorists look forward to. Commuters, most especially!
But here’s another reason to love EDSA. Facebook user Jethro Trogo recently shared this story, “Ang Alamat ng EDSA,” [The Legend of EDSA] and it’s so good it just has to be shared. Here is what he wrote:
“Ang Alamat ng EDSA:
Once upon a time there was a farmer named Eduardo and a haciendera named Saturnina. Eduardo lived with the northern families while Saturnina lived with the Southerners. One day during a town fiesta, Eduardo met Saturnina and the two fell in love instantly. They met in secret for fear of getting caught by Saturnina’s strict parents. Because of this, the only time they could be together is when Saturnina ventures to the North for her studies escorted in secret by Eduardo and when Eduardo goes south to sell his produce, accompanied by Saturnina in disguise. One day, Saturnina got caught while she was up north and was summoned to go back south. Eduardo knew they’d never see each other again, so he wished that their journey south would take as long as a lifetime so that they can be together forever. A diwata heard Eduardo’s wish and felt bad for him. With one enchantment, the Diwata cast a spell on the road so that they can keep moving to their destination forever in each other’s company. Eduardo and Saturnina never reached the south. Some say that Eduardo and Saturnina are still traveling the road, which people renamed after the two – the Eduardo Saturnina road which was later shortened to EDSA – forever bearing the enchantment that anybody travelling there will take forever to get to their destination – a symbol of Eduardo and Saturnina’s unmoving and unending love for each other.
That is why, some nights you will still hear the cries of Saturnina’s family in anguish when traveling that very same road. “Hayop ka EDSA, gumalaw ka naman!”
The end.”
So the next time you’re having the time of your life in EDSA, just think about the lovers Eduardo and Saturnina, and know that every time you are spending precious time in that [in]famous highway, you are actually honoring their eternal love.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, this story is only a work of fiction intended merely for fun. EDSA is acronym for Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, named after Filipino historian and scholar Epifanio de los Santos in April 7, 1959.
Have your own funny version of EDSA’s origin? Share them with us.
