The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has not reverted to its original name, Manila International Airport (MIA). A bill seeking to rename it remains pending in Congress.
Facebook user AJ Jimenez Jr. posted the false claim on April 20 in the Facebook group “BBM for President” along with a copy of House Bill 10833 filed in the House of Representatives.
The caption reads:
Sa Wakas NAIA renamed as Manila International Airport. Pinaghirapan ni Apo Lakay tapos sa Traydor ng Bayan lang Ipapangalan. Saklap (Finally, NAIA was renamed as Manila International Airport. Apo Lakay’s [Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s] hard work was named after the nation’s traitor. What a shame.)
Duterte Youth party-list Rep. Ducielle Cardema filed the bill, claiming that the name of the airport has been politicized.
In 1987, Republic Act No. 6639 renamed the airport after then president Corazon Aquino’s husband, former Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., who was shot dead on Aug. 21, 1983 at the airport’s tarmac during the dictatorial rule of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar has said congressional action is needed to repeal RA 6639. He also said the Supreme Court junked in 2020 a petition seeking to nullify RA 6639 for lack of merit.
The Facebook post has garnered 266 reactions, 62 comments and 34 shares. Facebook page BBM for president 2022, which posted a similar caption, received 238 reactions, 42 comments and 25 shares. (PA)