MANILA – A party-list lawmaker has filed a bill seeking to rename Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) back to its original name, Manila International Airport.

In filing House Bill 10833, Duterte Youth Rep. Ducielle Cardema said the name of the international gateway of the country should not have been “politicized in the first place”.

The bill was filed on April 11 and was released to the media on Monday.

Cardema said the airport was named NAIA in 1987 during the time of then President Corazon Aquino through Republic Act 6639.

Cardema described the move as a “self-serving and highly-politicized act” in connection with Aquino’s husband, Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983 at the Manila airport.

“Our country is named the Philippines and our capital is named Manila, therefore the country’s international gateway to the world must be known as the Manila International Airport,” Cardema said.

She said renaming NAIA would make it easily identifiable for foreigners and would give Filipinos a sense of pride.

“Common sense dictates, that it is easier for foreigners and tourists who travel across the world, to locate our country and our international gateway if it is named after our country’s capital, and it gives a sense of national pride for the millions of Filipinos to call it again as the Manila International Airport,” she said. (PNA)