House Bill No. 321, filed in July 2013 by Pampanga Rep. Joseller “Yeng” Guiao, seeks to rename Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) into the Corazon C. Aquino International Authority (CCAIA).
A technical working group (TWG) has been created to study the bill following preliminary deliberations on Feb. 19 by the joint committee on government enterprises and privatization, and transportation.
In the bill’s explanatory note, Guiao stressed the need to develop a more stable and streamlined authority to manage Clark International Airport since plans to develop it into a world-class international airport has been hampered by the “inadequate powers and functions” exercised by CIAC.
The lawmaker said the creation of CCAIA will “ensure the development of [Clark International Airport] as the Philippines’ next premier international airport.”
No statement has been provided in the bill, however, to explain why the airport should be named after the President’s late mother.
Guiao has not yet issued a comment on his bill as of posting time.
Clark International Airport was previously renamed into the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The airport was reverted back to its old name in 2012.
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the country’s premier international airport, was named after Pres. Aquino’s late father, Benigno Aquino Jr., who was assassinated at the tarmac of what used to be called the Manila International Airport in 1983. — Xianne Arcangel/KBK, GMA News
