| Country: | PHL |
| Type: | N |
| Route: | 5 |
| Image Notes: | Southern terminus of Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue, looking north in Mandurriao |
| Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue | |
| Alternate Name: | Iloilo Diversion Road |
| Length Km: | 16.62 |
| Length Round: | 2 |
| Length Ref: | [1] |
| Maint: | the Department of Public Works and Highways |
| Allocation: |
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| Direction A: | North |
| Terminus A: | Airport Access Road in Cabatuan |
| Junction: |
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| Direction B: | South |
| Terminus B: | in Iloilo City |
| Cities: | Iloilo City |
| Towns: | Cabatuan, Santa Barbara, Pavia |
| Restrictions: | No tricycles, pedicabs |
| Boroughs: | Jaro, Mandurriao |
Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue, formerly known as Jaro West Diversion Road and still colloquially referred to as Diversion Road,[2] is a major bypass highway in the Iloilo metropolitan area on the island of Panay in the Philippines. It constitutes the southern section of National Route 5, which connects the province of Iloilo to the province of Capiz.[3] The avenue serves as the primary thoroughfare from Iloilo City to Iloilo International Airport and passes through the municipalities of Pavia, Santa Barbara, and Cabatuan. It was named after Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr.,[4] a former senator who played a significant role in opposing the regime of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue begins at the junction of General Luna Street, Infante Avenue, and Marcelo H. del Pilar Street, located at the boundary of Iloilo City Proper and Molo.[5] The avenue traverses the Iloilo City districts of Mandurriao and Jaro, as well as the municipalities of Pavia, Santa Barbara, and Cabatuan.[6] It is a 16.62abbr=NaNabbr= highway featuring six to eight lanes, complemented by a two-lane service road and a protected bike lane.[7] [8] It includes two four-lane flyovers that cross over President Corazon C. Aquino Avenue and Felix Gorriceta Jr. Avenue in Pavia.
Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue was constructed in 1975 and originally known as Jaro West Diversion Road. It was built as an alternative route to downtown Iloilo City, as Lopez Jaena and E. Lopez Streets in the Jaro and La Paz districts were experiencing heavy traffic due to the presence of numerous institutions in the area. The initial stretch of Jaro West Diversion Road was a 5abbr=NaNabbr= route that began in Barangay Sambag in Jaro and ended in the then-swampy barangays of Bakhaw, Bolilao, and San Rafael in Mandurriao.[9]
With the construction of the new Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, the road was extended and has since become the main thoroughfare from Iloilo City to the new airport. It has been widened to accommodate six to eight lanes, featuring two-lane service road in its section within Iloilo City, along with a protected, tree-lined elevated bike lane. The section in Mandurriao has evolved into a major business district in Iloilo City.[10]