RENAMING MACTAN AIRPORT GETS CEBU OFFICIALS’ SUPPORT
Capitol and City Hall officials support the plan to change the name of Mactan Cebu International Airport to Lapu-Lapu International Airport to give honor to a local hero. A Cebu City councilor said, though, that the official name of the airport should st
Saying it’s about time the first recorded Filipino hero is recognized, Cebu officials and tourism stakeholders support the proposal to rename the Mactan Cebu International Airport to Lapu-Lapu International Airport in honor of Datu Lapu-Lapu.
Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella shared the sentiment, saying it’s time for the rest of the country and the world to know about Lapu-Lapu.
“I’m in favor of that. After all, he is the first Filipino who fought against Spanish subjugation. He was a trendsetter and fought for independence with courage and bravery,” he said.
For Councilor Margarita Osmeña, head of the Cebu City Council’s committee on tourism, it might be practical to retain “Cebu” in the airport’s name.
“I read a comment to not forget about Cebu because they might not know where LapuLapu is. But we have to also give what we should give to a hero, and it also happens that the airport is in Lapu-Lapu City. It’s just appropriate and identifies it more than Mactan, but keep Cebu there. It is the gateway to Cebu,” Osmeña said.
Taking the cue from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte said last Monday that the MCIA should be called Lapu-Lapu International Airport instead, to honor the valiant Cebuano datu.
On April 27,1521, Lapu-Lapu led the tribal men who fought and won against Spanish invaders led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, who chairs the Provincial Tourism Commission, said she supports the proposal as it will increase interest in Lapu-Lapu’s life, especially among the youth.
“I support it. It will allow the young to remember the glory and gallantry of Lapu-Lapu,” Magpale said.
For Joselito “Boboi” Costas, head of the Provincial Tourism Office, renaming MCIA to include Lapu-Lapu’s name is “long overdue.” “Personally, it’s an affirmation of the Filipinos’ respect for the first Filipino heroes. It’s also common knowledge that some airports all over the world are named after famous people,” Costas told reporters yesterday.
He said that by renaming the airport after Lapu-Lapu, local and foreign tourists will be interested to know about the first Filipino hero’s life.
Costas added that renaming the MCIA is also timely since the Philippines will celebrate the 500th year of the discovery of the country by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
Steve Dicdican, general manager of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), said the MCIAA Board has yet to discuss the matter.
“We are always open to suggestions that would recognize and promote local history and culture. I would certainly like to hear the public sentiment on the matter,” Dicdican said in a text message.
Meanwhile, MCIAA Assistant General Manager Glenn Napuli said that under Section 3 of Republic Act (RA) 6958, the authority’s Charter, the airport’s official name is Mactan International Airport and not Mactan-Cebu Inter-
national Airport.
They supposed that former MCIAA officials added Cebu to the name to avoid having the same acronym as the Manila International Airport (MIA).
Napuli said that changing the name of the airport will require an amendment of RA 6958 by Congress.
Tourism stakeholders in Cebu also expressed support for the plan.
“I am open to the name change. It gives the airport more character,” said Jonathan Jay Aldeguer, president and CEO of the Islands Group.
Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association of Cebu (HRRAC) said “aligning the airport’s name with its historical affiliation isn’t bad at all.”
He, however, would want to endorse the discussion to the right people.
“For sure they have their strategic plans and vision that would align to their project,” he said.