Named after the icon of Philippine cinema.
On Sunday, August 20, there will be a major change in tjhe current northermost stop of Manila’s Light Rail Transit system Line 1, Roosevelt station in Muñoz, Quezon City.
Beginning on the said date, it will formally be rebranded as ‘Fernando Poe Jr.’, the name of the Filipino cinema icon. The renaming coincides with FPJ’s 84th birth anniversary.
The move is in line with the renaming of a portion of Roosevelt Avenue to Fernando Poe, Jr. Avenue, as per Republic Act 11608 enacted in 2022. FPJ’s residence was located on the said avenue.
To commemorate the said occasion, a ceremony will be held at the station, led by FPJ’s daughter Senator Grace Poe.
Poe is regarded as one of the country’s National Artists, having been awarded posthumously the status National Artist for Cinema in 2006, over a year after his death in December 2004.
His career spanned several decades, and he made over 300 films. Outside of the entertainment scene, he had also tried to dabble into politics. He contested for the Presidential seat in the controversial 2004 national elections, which ultimately gave former President Gloria Arroyo her second term in office.
Speaking of the station itself, Roosevelt station was opened in 2010. It was initially supposed to be part of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3, but was later changed to be included instead in the Line 1 system.
Once the unified grand terminal at the site between Trinoma and SM City North EDSA is completed, the Roosevelt / FPJ station will become the penultimate stop in the northern portion of the LRT-1 map.
Meanwhile, the LRT-1 management has also made an announcement regarding their operations on Sunday. The line will only operate from 4:30 am to 12:00 nn.
This is to give way to signaling works that will be conducted in preparation for the upcoming southern extension to Cavite. The phase 1 from Redemptorist to Dr. Santos station in Parañaque is expected to be completed and opened in the latter half of 2024.