By Deighton Acuin

PHOTO: Philippine Flight Network

Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. has ignited the long-term debate of whether the Ninoy Aquino International Airport must be changed or not by filing House Bill No. 610, which seeks to rename the Philippines’ busy airport to “Ferdinand E. Marcos International Airport.”

To argue his proposed measure, Teves said the airport was built during the late dictator’s term although facts say it was not.

THE FACT: Manila International Airport (MIA) was created in 1948 through an executive order signed by late President Manuel Roxas. While its international runway and associated taxiway were built in 1983, a control tower as well as the terminal dedicated for international travelers were completed in 1961. Marcos Sr.’s two-decade term started in 1965.

In 1972, Marcos Sr. ordered for the rehabilitation and improvement as MIA was blazed in fire. Terminal 1 was created in 1981, paving the way for the establishment of Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), an agency responsible for implementing safety measures and airport’s management, in 1982.

Moreover, former president Corazon “Cory” Aquino signed Republic Act No. 6639 in 1987 that renamed MIA to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to serve as a tribute to the 1983 assassination of her late husband and senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., which led to the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986 that ousted Marcos Sr. and his family.

Marcos supporters have been supporting the renaming proposal, saying ‘Ninoy’ is not a hero.

With these developments, do you agree that NAIA deserves to be renamed before ‘Macoy’?