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PAANO NAGSIMULA ANG LRT-1 | Ang Kwento Sa Likod Ng Mga LRT-1 Stations

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LRT-1 is one of our main transportation here in Metro Manila. Even though

it is always crowded, many people still prefer to ride here because it avoids traffic and

the trip is faster. And if you are one of the frequent riders of LRT-1 and

also want to know where and from whom the names of its stations were taken. That's

what we're going to talk about in this video, guys. We will learn the

history of LRT Line 1 and the things you should know about it.

But before we start, I invite you to subscribe if you are new

to my channel and you like this kind of content. Please also click the

bell icon so that you are always updated when I upload my new videos.

Before there was LRT, there were already tram networks in Manila.

If you have watched my video about the Ayalas, you will remember that

their ancestor, Don Jacobo Zobel, founded Tranvia, the first

mass-transportation system in the country that produced tram cars in Manila. During

the Spanish era there were steam-powered trams but most were

pulled by horses. When the time of the Americans came, Tranvia went

under Manila Electric, Railway and Lighting Company or what

we know today as Meralco. It was here that electric-powered trams began,

numbering to 170 in 1924. Tranvia was able to connect

major streets in Manila and its neighboring cities. Unfortunately

World War 2 destroyed Manila's tranvia systems. It was abandoned

after the war and was quickly replaced by newer

public transport such as buses and jeepneys. The rights of way

used by the tranvia from Manila to Pasay were the

basis for the establishment of the first light rail transit or LRT system in the country.

In the late 1970s there was a study to build street-level

railways on Manila. But due to the number of intersections

in the city, it was changed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications

which later became the Department of Transportation or DOTr. Although more

expensive, it was decided to build elevated railways to

avoid hitting road intersections. On July 12, 1980, then President Ferdinand Marcos

created the Light Rail Transit Authority or LRTA which

gave way to the birth of what was then called "Metrorail". Former First

Lady Imelda Marcos became its chairman. Meralco's sister company Meralco Transit

Organization or METRO Inc. assists the LRTA in

its operations. To help get the project off the ground

we were loaned 300 million pesos interest free by the Belgian government which was

supplemented by 700 million pesos from four companies

also based in Belgium. It is expected that within 20 years

these debts will be repaid with the proceeds of the project. Construction of Line 1

began in September 1981. There was a test-run in March 1984 and

a few months later on December 1, 1984 the half of the line from

Baclaran to Arroceros which is now called the Central Terminal was opened.

Carriedo station was opened on April 14, 1985. And the remaining half of the

line from Doroteo Jose to Monumento was opened on May 12, 1985.

I remembered the first time I rode the LRT-1. It was late 90s,

I was in high school and we wanted to watch a stage play near the

United Nations. I used to only ride jeeps and tricycles, so

I was happy when I found out that my classmates and I were going to take the LRT. I

was like a child who was amazed at my first train ride. Back then we use token

as were just playing an arcade game. How about you guys,

do you remember when you first rode the LRT? Please share in the

comment section below. But I also noticed that the

LRT-1 seems to be old that time. Just a few years after it was opened, the line

experienced immediate damage due to the excessive number of passengers and

poor maintenance. So in 1994 it started its capacity expansion and rehabilitation

program with the help of Japan. And this is where they introduced the new

generation trains of LRT-1.

The 700 million pesos loan package from Belgian companies includes the

trains first used by LRT Line 1. The first generation trains of LRT-1 are called

LRTA 1000 class. They were made in Belgium and a total of

32 trainsets were built between 1982 and 1983.

The LRTA 1000 class were two-car trainsets. They also do not have

air conditioning and only use forced ventilation units. In

1990, due to the increase in passengers of LRT-1, it was necessary to increase

its capacity. As part of the capacity expansion program financed from

Japan's loan, the LRTA purchased four-car trainsets in

1996. The second generation of trains was called the LRTA 1100.

They were manufactured in South Korea by the Hyundai Precision Industry company

that produced 7 trainsets between 1997 and 1998. In 1999, the

second generation LRT-1 trains were first operated. And it added almost half to the

line's capacity. From its original capacity of carrying 18,000

passengers per hour in each direction, it has grown to 27,000 passengers per

hour. And unlike the old trains they are air-conditioned.

The LRTA also upgraded some first generation trains from

just two cars to three cars in a train set. In 2003

they also started installing air conditioning unit to the old 1000 class trains. On April

7, 2000, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation or JBIC loaned us

P8.8 billion for the second part of the LRTA's capacity expansion program. Japanese

companies Kinki Sharyo and Nippon Sharyo won the

contract to build the new trains. The third generation of LRT-1 trains called the

LRTA 1200 Class were produced in Japan. Like the 1100 class, the 1200 class has

four cars in a train set and 12 sets were built between

2005 and 2006. On December 9, 2006, the then

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the

inauguration of the 1200 class in a ceremony in Baclaran. When

the trains were deployed it increased the capacity of LRT-1 from 27,000 passengers

per hour in each direction to 40,000 passengers per hour. Due to the

Cavite extension plan and the obsolescence of the first generation

trains, it has been studied that the LRTA needs to add new

trains. Japan again loaned us 14.1 billion pesos for new trains.

The company Mitsubishi Corporation together with Construcciones y Auxiliar de

Ferrocarriles or CAF won the contract. LRTA 13000 is the name given to the fourth

generation and newest trains of LRT-1. They were made in Spain and

Mexico and a total of 30 train sets with four cars per trainset

were built. On July 20, 2023 the 13000 class train ran for the first time. Currently

29 sets of 13000 class are in service. It gradually

replaced the first gen 1000 class, which are now just school trains or the

trains used for training new drivers. In the second

generation 1100 class, four sets are still in service and eleven sets

in the third generation 1200 class. To be honest, guys,

I had no idea about LRT-1 trains either. But I'm sure that the first LRT-1 train I rode was

the first generation 1000 class because it didn't have air conditioning. Then when I

was riding the LRT-1 almost every day, I didn't even notice that their trains were

different and the numbers on the front of the train could tell what

generation it was. How about you guys, are you familiar with the different

generations of LRT-1 trains? Do you still remember which train you first

rode on? Also, which generation of their trains do you like the most?

Please share in the comment section below.

LRT Line 1 started with 18 stations from Baclaran to Monumento.

But because of the North and Cavite extension, the line now has 25

stations. The naming of LRT-1 stations is simple.

They simply based it on the area where the station stood.

So let's talk about the story behind these names.

It's a bit long, so join me,guys. If

you come from North Avenue, the very first LRT-1 station is

Fernando Poe Jr. station. You guys probably know Fernando Poe

Jr. or FPJ nicknamed "Da King" and an icon of Filipino cinema. He died

on December 14, 2004, just a few months after the controversial

2004 Election in which he ran and lost for the presidency. FPJ has made

over 300 films and as a tribute to him he was awarded the

National Artist for Cinema in 2006. But even before

the station was renamed after FPJ in 2023, it was previously known as Roosevelt

station which was named after Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United

States. He was the longest serving American president from 1933 to

1945. Roosevelt was known for his fight against the Great Depression and

his leadership in the US during World War 2. Aside from the FPJ station, Quezon City

also covers the second station, Balintawak station. Other than Balintawak,

the area is also known as Balingasa and Cloverleaf. One of the possible origins

of the name Balintawak is the traditional dress of the Filipinos that was a

shortened version of "baro't saya". The place is also known for the Cry of Balintawak

or Cry of Pugad Lawin where Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros tore up

their cedulas, which became a signal of revolution against the Spanish.

The third station is Monumento station which is now Yamaha Monumento

after Yamaha Motor Philippines acquired the naming rights for the

station. The place is called Monumento because of the famous landmark

Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan by National Artist Guillermo

Tolentino. The Monument was created in conjunction with the celebration of the 66th

anniversary of the birth of Andres Bonifacio on November 30, 1929. Fourth

is the station closest to us which is 5th Avenue station. If

you are also from Caloocan you are surely familiar with street names such as

9th Ave, 10th Ave, and 11th Ave. It is said that the streets are named like this because

this is their number from the border of Manila in the south. So the 5th Avenue is the

fifth avenue from the Manila border. The fifth station is the R. Papa

station in Manila that was taken from Ricardo G. Papa. Papa was a general and

police officer who served in the Philippine Army from the 1940s to 1963.

He became the Commanding General of the Philippine Army in 1963 and became the

Chief of Police of the Manila Police District in 1966. The sixth station was the Abad

Santos station which was taken over Jose Abad Santos. Abad Santos is the

fifth chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. During the

Japanese era, Manuel Quezon made him acting president before he left

for the US. Abad Santos became the president of

the Commonwealth for more than a month. He was also the commander-in-chief of

the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the height of World War 2 before he was

captured and killed by the Japanese in May 1942. He is also one of the three heroes

on the front of the old one thousand peso bill. With him are Josefa Llanes Escoda

and Vicente Lim. Seventh station is the Blumentritt station taken over from Ferdinand

Blumentritt. Blumentritt was an Austrian who became a close friend of

our national hero, Jose Rizal. Although he never went to the

Philippines, he believed in what Rizal and other Filipinos fought for.

He contributed greatly to the newspaper La Solidaridad which became

a voice for political reform in the Philippines. Blumentritt was also one of the

people Rizal wrote to before he was killed in Bagumbayan in 1896. The eighth

station is the Tayuman station. Tayuman is one of the busiest roads in

Manila. The name of the street comes from the purple plant called

"Tayum." It is said that there were many Tayum plants in the area, so

it was called "Calle Tayuman". Ninth is the Bambang station which is said to come

from an old word that means deep and long pit. It was said that the Katipuneros

built Bambang that they used to defend themselves against

the Spaniards and the Americans. After the war, these pits

served as canals for flood water, like our drainages or

sewers today. Tenth is the Doroteo Jose station which was taken from a

Filipino patriot during the Spanish era. Doroteo Jose was punished

by the Spanish after he led an action and petition

to depose a corrupt archbishop. This is the station that

I used to get off at when I was still working in Cubao because there is a bridge here

that connects to Recto station of LRT Line 2. The eleventh is the

Carriedo station which was taken over from the Spanish and former Captain General

of the Philippines, Francisco Carriedo y Peredo. When he retired as Captain General,

Carriedo donated ten thousand pesos of his own money for the construction

of a proper water system in Manila for the poor. When he died

in 1773, his last will included ten thousand for the

maintenance of the water system, funding a convent, a hospital

and providing free education to military officers. The water

system was completed in 1878 and Carriedo never saw it. Carriedo is the proof that

somehow there were Spaniards back then who really had a heart for the

Filipinos. The twelfth station is the Central Terminal which was also known as

Arroceros station because of its proximity to Arroceros Forest Park. Arroceros is

a Spanish word that means "rice dealers" in English. The place was the

former center of the rice trade in Manila. Thirteenth station is

the United Nations or UN station taken from the international organization.

The UN was established in June 1945 to maintain order and peace in the

world and provide assistance to countries in need. Today the UN

has 193 member states including the Philippines. Fourteenth is the

Pedro Gil station which was taken from former physician, journalist and legislator

Pedro Gil y Hernández. As a journalist he published the newspaper

Los Obreros which was for the workers. He served as a legislator of the

second district of Manila in 1928 where he focused on

lowering the price of electricity and gas to ease the lives of the

poor in the city. Fifteenth is the Quirino station that was taken from former

President Elpidio Quirino. Quirino was the sixth president of the country

from 1948 to 1953. He was known as the "Father of Industrialization in the

Philippines" because of his focus on the development of the country's economy

through industrial growth, infrastructure projects, and policies

to promote local manufacturing and attract foreign

investments. Sixteenth is the Vito Cruz station that was taken from

Hermogenes Vito Cruz. Vito Cruz is the former mayor of Pineda which is now

Pasay City. He led the katipuneros in Pasay who fought the

Spaniards and the Americans. Seventeenth is the Gil Puyat station. I remembered,

it was just last year when the street signs Gil Puyat Avenue were replaced with Gil

Tulog Avenue for an advertising campaign and it went viral . This angered

Gil Puyat's family as well as the then Mayor of Makati, Abby Binay, who immediately

removed the said signage. Gil Puyat Sr. was a politician and

businessman who was a Senator from 1951 to 1972. As a Senator

he promoted the reform of the public works fund. As a businessman,

he founded the Manila Banking Corporation which was sold to

Chinabank. He also founded the Manila Bankers Life Insurance Corporation and the

Loyola Group of Companies. Nineteenth station is Libertad Station.

It is named after the former Libertad Street which is now part of Arnaiz Avenue

in Pasay. Libertad is the Spanish word for liberty or freedom.

Eighteenth station is EDSA or Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. It was taken from

historian, journalist and civil servant Epifanio de los Santos y Cristobal.

De los Santos was considered one of the best writers of his time.

Other than that, he was also a member of the Malolos Congress and governor of

Nueva Ecija. As a lawyer, he became the district attorney of San Isidro, Nueva

Ecija and became the prosecutor of Bulacan and Bataan. He also became assistant

technical director of the Philippine Census and director of the Philippine Library and

Museum. As a tribute, one of the main roads in Metro

Manila that we know today as EDSA was named after him. This is where the historic

EDSA Revolution or People Power Revolution took place in 1986 that ended the

20-year dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Twentieth station is

Baclaran. Its name comes from the fishing equipment called

“baklad”. These are the rattan fences that are placed around the

fish to protect them. There were many Baklads in the area so

it was called "Bakladan" which soon became "Baclaran". Twenty-

first is the Redemptorist-Aseana station. It took its name from the nearby

Redemptorist Church, also known as Baclaran Church. The

Redemptorist is a religious congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus

Liguori in Italy in 1732. Aseana City or Aseana Business Park is the

place where the station stands. It is a mixed-use central business

district in Parañaque owned by DM Wenceslao and Associates Inc.

Twenty-second station is MIA Road or MIA station. It was named

after Manila International Airport Road or MIA Road which was the old name of

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Road or NAIA Road. The twenty-

third station is PITX which is also called the Asia World station. It is named

after its adjacent terminal Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange or PITX which

opened to the public in 2018. Asia World, also known as the Marina

District, is the property owned by the family of Tan Yu, who in 1997 was

included in the Forbes list as the tenth richest person in

the world with an estimated net worth of $7 billion. This means that he

was also the richest in the country at that time. Twenty-fourth

station is Ninoy Aquino Avenue. It was named after Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino

Jr. who became the governor of Tarlac and became a senator from 1967 to 1972.

Ninoy's death in 1983 became the spark of the EDSA revolution that

ousted President Marcos and returned democracy to the country. His wife

Corazon “Cory” Aquino succeeded Marcos and became the

eleventh president of the Philippines. He is the father of former president Noynoy

Aquino and the so-called "Queen of All Media" Kris Aquino. The

twenty-fifth and last LRT-1 station in the south is Dr. Santos

also known as Sucat station. It took its name from Dr. Arcadio Santos, who is

considered the first doctor of Parañaque. He is also the first

Congressman and Governor of Rizal from Parañaque. Under

his leadership, the Sucat road was opened to connect Parañaque and the village of

Sucat in Muntinlupa. Sucat comes from the Tagalog word "sukat" or measurement

in English. And that is the story behind the LRT-1 stations as of September 2025.

Additional stations might be added in the future because only Phase 1 of the

Cavite Extension has been completed and there are still Phase 2 and Phase 3.

When it opened in 1984, LRT-1 became the first light rail transit system

in Southeast Asia. Its stations were designed by National Artist for

Architecture Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa. His design was inspired by

the stone houses of the Spanish era that we can see on the

terracotta roofs of the stations. He also accompanied it with other

elements of the "bahay kubo" so the roof of another station is shaped like a

traditional "bahay kubo" roof. There is almost twenty years between

LRT Line 1 and LRT line 2 which opened in 2003. Today LRT-2 runs

from Recto in Manila to Antipolo. Line 1 was first called Yellow Line

while Line 2 was Purple Line. But since 2012 Line 1 has been

called Green Line in accordance with the color coding of Manila Light Rail Transit

System. On December 30, 2000, the horrific Rizal Day Bombing took place at the

Blumentritt station of the LRT-1. Although five places were bombed almost

simultaneously that day. Blumentritt station had the most

casualties. According to reports, 11 people died and 19 were injured in the attack

by suspected members of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Although the LRT-1 infrastructure is still owned by the government,

it is now operated by the private company Light Rail Manila Corporation or LRMC.

This is under the government's Public-Private Partnership program that aims to

attract billions of pesos of investment from the private sector to

improve the already poor condition of the LRT-1. According to the LRMC, in

November 2024 the average daily LRT-1 passenger will be 323,000.

Although it is not perfect, we cannot deny how the LRT-1 has facilitated

the travel of millions of Filipinos. It has been connecting places,

people, and possibilities within Metro Manila for more than four decades .

Thank you very much for joining us until the end of the video, guys,

What can you say about the story of LRT Line 1? Please share

your LRT-1 stories in the comment section below. Please also click the

Like button if you like this content. Until the next

video guys. Thank you for watching!

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YouTube Transcript:PAANO NAGSIMULA ANG LRT-1 | Ang Kwento Sa Likod Ng Mga LRT-1 Stations

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PAANO NAGSIMULA ANG LRT-1 | Ang Kwento Sa Likod Ng Mga LRT-1 Stations