At least three Catholic bishops have expressed their opposition to a proposal to rename the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila to the “Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas,” or Philippine International Airport.
The church leaders said there are far more important issues that the government should address during the coronavirus pandemic, like poverty and hunger, than the renaming of an airport.
“The people have no work, and many are hungry and sick. Let us not be distracted by discussions on changing names,” said Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Bishop Pabillo said the proposal shows “how disconnected the politicians are to the plight of the people.”
“We should focus more on things that are important, like the situation of the poor people, jobless drivers, overseas Filipino workers,” said Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao.
Bishop Arturo Bastes, retired prelate of Sorsogon, said the country “owes much to the sacrifices” of for senator Benigno “Ninoy Aquino,” who was killed at the airport in 1983.
The assassination of Aquino triggered the 1986 people power revolution that ousted former president Ferdinand Marcos.
“Let us keep the memory of Ninoy Aquino, our national hero martyred in that airport by the dictatorship,” said Bishop Bastes.
Rep. Paolo Duterte, son of President Rodrigo Duterte, has filed a bill in Congress last week seeking to change the name of the airport ostensibly to get rid of the bad image attached to the country’s leading airport and give the facility a fresh start.
A law enacted on Dec. 10, 1987, renamed then Manila International Airport to Ninoy Aquino International Airport during the administration of former president Corazon Aquino.
Duterte 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 foreign visitors,” said the son of the president.
