By Ariel Fernandez
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal said yesterday it is up to Congress to change the name of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to Pambansang Paliparan ng Pilipinas (PPP).
(Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
MIAA General Manager Ed Monreal said that it “is not within the purview of our mandate to give any reaction to this initiative by our lawmakers. We will just follow the law."
In 2018, several senators suggested that NAIA, the country's premier airport, should take its original name, Manila International Airport (MIA). This week, meanwhile, three members of the House of Representatives filed a bill renaming NAIA to Pambansang Paliparan ng Pilipinas (PPP).
Presidential son and Davao City Representative Paolo Duterte with Reps. Lord Allan Jay Velasco of Marinduque and Eric Go Yap (ACT-CIS) filed House Bill 7031 that seeks to change the name of NAIA.
The three lawmakers said that Republic Act 6639, enacted on Dec. 10, 1987, renamed then Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport during the administration of then President Corazon Aquino.
They explained that the proposed name is “more representative branding for the international gateway of our country.”
We want it to reflect the legacy of the Filipino people, our everyday heroes. The name bears no color, no political agenda. It only signifies our warmth as Filipinos in welcoming our own kababayans and foreign visitors,” the presidential son stressed.
The three lawmakers agreed that “there is a need to identify the same as belonging to the Philippines” and not to one person alone.
The proposed Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas is a name that "clearly represents the whole nation and brings pride to the Filipinos with the use of the national language,” they said.
They said the Filipino language should be the first thing visitors must see upon landing at the airport, an indication that Filipinos are proud of their heritage.
The proposed bill will be calendared for first reading and will be referred to the committee on transportation for deliberation.
Back in 1987, Manila International Airport (MIA) was renamed to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) through Republic Act No. 6639 which was enacted without executive approval on November 27, 1987.
Read more: Pulong files bill renaming NAIA to Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas