Solon pushes NLEx name change

CITY OF MALOLOS—The North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) connecting Metro Manila to northern and central Luzon may be renamed the Marcelo H. del Pilar Expressway if Congress passes a measure pushed by a Bulacan lawmaker.

NLEx was originally called the Marcelo H. del Pilar Superhighway in the 1970s, according to Alex Balagtas, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) director for Bulacan and Zambales cluster. He is also the curator of the Marcelo H. del Pilar shrine in Bulakan town.

According to House Bill No. 3703, filed by Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado last year, NHCP allows the naming of roads, schools, buildings and other public structures after important Filipinos of historical and cultural significance.

Del Pilar, also known as Plaridel, is considered the father of Philippine journalism. He was born in Bulakan on Aug. 30, 1850, and died of tuberculosis in Spain on July 4, 1896.

Rodrigo Franco, president of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the NLEx operator, said the name change would honor one of the greatest sons of Bulacan and the country. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE