THE Lapu-Lapu City Council will draft an ordinance today (Wednesday) to support the renaming of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to the Lapu-Lapu International Airport as proposed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
City Councilor Harry Don Radaza, Sports and Tourism committee chairperson, said, he would sponsor the draft ordinance supporting the proposed renaming of the airport.
Radaza said that renaming the airport Lapu-Lapu would honor the first Filipino hero who is already recognized nationally as a hero and considering the airport is also located in Lapu-Lapu City.
He said he would appeal that this would be the name of the airport just in case the NHCP would have another idea to rename it with another name.
“Mas maayo siguro kung Lapu-Lapu International Airport nalang gyud ang i-pangalan sa airport in honor of the great Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu,” said Councilor Radaza.
(It would be better if they will just name it the Lapu-Lapu International Airport, in honor of the great Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu).
He said that city officials had always been trying to uplift the name of Lapu-Lapu, from changing the old name of the city from “Opon,” (the nickname of Lapu-Lapu) to Lapu-Lapu City, the creation of a bill recognizing Lapu-Lapu as national hero which was eventually made into law, approved by the Malacañang and had its own national holiday and even the creation of an ordinance prohibiting restaurants, eateries, hotels, resorts and markets naming the Pugapu fish to Lapu-Lapu.
Mayor Radaza
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said she was happy to learn about the NHCP proposal to rename the airport to Lapu-Lapu International Airport.
“Since Datu Lapu-Lapu was already recognized nationally as a hero and was already given a holiday, it will be another victory for the people especially the Oponganons,” said Radaza.
She emphasized that Oponganons would be most glad if the airport would be named after the first Filipino hero Datu Lapu-Lapu to remember his exemplary leadership and heroism.
She was thankful to the city council for creating a local ordinance supporting the NHCP proposal.
She said that this would have a great impact to the Filipinos and foreign countries to recognize Lapu-Lapu and would make them curious about what the city would offer considering it to have a world class airport, where a new terminal had just been completed.
She also said that with the new terminal the tourism boom was seen with thousands of room accommodations of different hotels and resorts.
“Hinoon, ang atong mga airline companies kanunay naman nilang i-announce sa mga pasahero sa domestic ug international nga niabot na sila sa Mactan-Cebu International Airport sa Lapu-Lapu city,” added Radaza.
(However, the airline companies have always been announcing to domestic and international passengers that they have arrived at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Lapu-Lapu city).
She was tasking Hembler Mendoza, the City’s Tourism Officer to coordinate with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for the development of the proposal.
Vice Governor Magpale
Meanwhile, Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said she would also support the move to rename the airport.
“I am actually in favor (to change the name of the airport). I have not discussed this with the tourism council but, in my personal opinion, I’m all for it,” said Magpale.
She said it would be proper to honor the country’s first ever hero.
She also said that she heard that there were those opposing the renaming of the MCIA, because they believed that it would not “sound good or not be attractive enough” to hear or would not be easy to remember.
But Magpale said that constant use of the name Lapu-Lapu International Airport would make it familiar to the people.
Cebu City officials
For Cebu City officials, several had backed the proposal to rename the airport.
Councilor Margarita Osmeña, who chairs the council’s committee on tourism, said naming the world’s first resort-airport after Lapu-Lapu would be appropriate.
But she said it would be better if Cebu would be retained.
“I am for it but I read a comment earlier that they should not forget (on putting) Cebu in it because they may not know who Lapu-Lapu is,” Osmeña said.
“We should give what we should to one of our heroes. And the name Lapu-Lapu identifies it more but keep Cebu there because (the airport) is the gateway to Cebu,” she added.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgar Labella also supported NHCP’s initiatives.
“After all, he is the first Filipino who fought foreign subjugation. He was the trendsetter. And he was the one who really showed our independence, courage and bravery that we should not be occupied by colonizers,” said Labella.