Kalayaan Avenue

This article is about the street in Makati and Taguig. Not to be confused with a street in Quezon City also called "Kalayaan Avenue".

Kalayaan Avenue is a major east–west route in Makati and Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. For most of its length, it runs parallel to Jose P. Rizal Avenue to the north from East Rembo near Fort Bonifacio to Barangay Singkamas by the border with Santa Ana, Manila. It is interrupted by Bel-Air Village between Rockwell Drive and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). The avenue east of EDSA is designated as a component of National Route 190 of the Philippine highway network.

Kalayaan Avenue

Kalayaan Avenue looking west from C-5 Road in West Rembo, Taguig
Former name(s)	Pasig Line Street Imelda Avenue
Length	6.3 km (3.9 mi)
Component highways	N190 from EDSA to J.P. Rizal Avenue Extension
Location	Makati and Taguig
West end	Zobel Roxas Street in Makati–Manila boundary
Major junctions	Chino Roces Avenue South Avenue Nicanor Garcia Street Makati Avenue Rockwell Drive – – Bel-Air Village – – AH 26 (N1) (EDSA) 32nd Street 8th Avenue N11 (Carlos P. Garcia Avenue with C-5–Kalayaan Interchange)
East end	J.P. Rizal Extension in Taguig

History

Kalayaan Avenue was formerly called Pasig Line Street as it mostly followed the defunct Paco–Pasig tram line of the Manila Electric Railway (operated by Meralco) for most of its length; the street in the district of San Andres in Manila still bears that name. The line was built in 1908 but was heavily damaged during World War II.^[1][2][3] Subsequent development of the Bel-Air Village by Ayala Corporation in 1957 has led to the closure of a segment of Pasig Line west of EDSA.^[4] During the term of President Ferdinand Marcos, the road was improved and was renamed Imelda Avenue after his wife and first lady, Imelda Marcos. Following the overthrow of the Marcos regime, the Makati local government renamed the avenue to Kalayaan (Filipino for "Freedom"). In 2023, ten barangays were removed by the Supreme Court from the jurisdiction of Makati, effectively placing parts of Kalayaan Avenue (straddling Pitogo, Cembo, West Rembo, and East Rembo) under Taguig.

Intersections

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Taguig – Pasig boundary				Buting Bridge over Taguig River
Taguig				J.P. Rizal Avenue	Traffic light intersection.
				N11 (Carlos P. Garcia Avenue) – Pasig, Quezon City	Other side is accessible via elevated u-turn slot.
				9th, 10th, 11th Avenues	Eastbound only, access to Bonifacio Global City.
				Lawton Avenue	Traffic light intersection.
				Acacia Street	Eastbound only.
Makati				Commercio Street	Traffic light intersection.
				Sgt. Fabian Yabut Circle, Anastacio Street	Traffic light intersection.
Taguig				Gen. Jacinto Street
Makati – Taguig boundary				Kalayaan Flyover entrance ramp (westbound)
				32nd Street	Traffic light intersection. No left turn allowed from westbound.
				Kalayaan Flyover exit ramp (eastbound)
Makati				Harvard Street	Traffic light intersection.
				AH 26 (26) (EDSA) – Pasay	Entrance ramp to EDSA southbound.
				AH 26 (26) (EDSA) – Mandaluyong, Quezon City	Western terminus of the East Kalayaan segment.
				Rockwell Drive	Eastern terminus of the West Kalayaan segment. Continues to Bel-Air Village as Mercedes Street.
				P. Burgos Street	Traffic light intersection; one-way road.
				Makati Avenue	Traffic light intersection.
				Salamanca Street / Durban Street	Traffic light intersection.
				Kalayaan Loop Road	Former traffic light intersection, Kalayaan becomes one-way eastbound; access to Century City Mall.
				F. Zobel Street	One-way road.
				Nicanor Garcia Street	Traffic light intersection.
				J.B. Roxas Street
				South Avenue	Traffic light intersection; one-way road.
				Zapote Street	Traffic light intersection; one-way road.
				Chino Roces Avenue	Former traffic light intersection.
				Pasong Tirad Street	One-way road, Kalayaan becomes a two-way road.
				Zobel Roxas Street	Western terminus, continues to Manila as Pasig Line Street.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

Route description

West Kalayaan

Kalayaan Avenue just west of Makati Avenue near Century City in Makati

The western section begins as a four-lane road at the intersection with Zobel Roxas Street at the border of Makati and Manila, continuing the Pasig Line Street in San Andres, Manila. It cuts across the northern portion of the city, traversing barangays Singkamas, Tejeros, Santa Cruz, Olympia, Valenzuela, Bel-Air, and Poblacion. Starting as a two-way road, it becomes a one-way eastbound road from Pasong Tirad Street in Tejeros. From South Avenue to Nicanor Garcia Street, Kalayaan bounds the Manila South Cemetery and the former Makati Catholic Cemetery to the south. It crosses into the western edge of Bel-Air and Población, where St. Andrew the Apostle Parish is located. Kalayaan then becomes a two-way road once again near Century City. Heading east towards the intersection with Makati Avenue, Kalayaan is dominated by the Century City and Picar Place developments on the northern side. At Makati Avenue, the road traverses a major entertainment and hotel district, with many nightclubs, bars and mid to low-range hotels in the immediate vicinity. The section of Kalayaan east of P. Burgos Street is home to many sports pubs. It ends at a merge with Rockwell Drive by the entrance to the gated Bel-Air Village, where it continues as Mercedes Street.

East Kalayaan

Kalayaan Avenue towards its intersection with Lawton Avenue in Taguig, north of Bonifacio Global City

East of Bel-Air, at the intersection with EDSA in Barangay Pinagkaisahan, the avenue picks up as a 6-8 lane divided highway. It runs underneath the Kalayaan Flyover, heading towards the entrance to Bonifacio Global City, entering Barangay Pitogo and, therefore, Taguig. It veers northeast at the junction with 32nd Street, bypassing Bonifacio Global City. The road continues as it heads into Guadalupe Nuevo, where it briefly returns to Makati before re-entering Taguig at Cembo. It bends eastwards just before coming to an intersection with 8th Avenue in West Rembo. The road crosses 8th Avenue and then Carlos P. Garcia Avenue (C-5) at the Circumferential Road 5–Kalayaan Avenue Interchange and ends at J.P. Rizal Extension in East Rembo. It then continues towards San Joaquin, Pasig as San Guillermo Avenue.

Landmarks

From west to east:

• Puregold Makati
• Manila South Cemetery
• Saint Andrew the Apostle Church
• Century City
  • Century City Mall
  • Trump Tower Manila
• Bel-Air Village
• Makati Science High School
• Kalayaan Flyover
• Santa Monica–Lawton Bridge
• Circumferential Road 5–Kalayaan Avenue Interchange

References

1. "Laguna Railways: Pasig Line". Railways and Industrial Heritage Society of the Philippines, Inc. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
2. "Pictures and thoughts from a break". Panaderos. Retrieved October 12, 2013.^{[self-published source]}
3. Manila and Suburbs (Map). July 25, 1944. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
4. bonitm History and Facts published by Barangay Bel-Air; accessed October 12, 2013.

14°33′42″N 121°1′58″E