FACT CHECK: Lawmaker’s Claim that NAIA Was Built Under Marcos Sr.’s Term Is False, Misleading

Claim: Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. filed House Bill No, 610, which seeks to rename Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. International Airport, saying “it is more appropriate to rename it to the person who has contributed to the idea and execution of the said noble project.”

He also said the airport was “done during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.”

Rating: False, misleading

Facts: According to the Official Gazette of the Philippines, the construction of the airport, then known as the Manila International Airport (MIA), started in 1947 under the presidency of Manuel Roxas.

Its first international runway was completed during Elpidio Quirino’s term in 1953.

Marcos Sr. assumed office as president 12 years later in 1965.

Its origin goes back. It was used as the commercial airport of the Philippine Aerial Taxi Company (later Philippine Airlines) in the 1930s. In 1937, it was named the Manila International Air Terminal.

The official page of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) also states that the airport was a United States Air Force base until its turnover to the Philippine government in 1948, and at that time, it only had a domestic runway and a small passenger terminal.

In 1953 upon completion of the international runway, the airport started taking international flights as the MIA.

In 1961, a control tower and separate terminal building exclusively for international flights were built.

Again, this was all before Marcos Sr. became president in 1965.

What can be attributed to the late dictator’s efforts was the issuance of an executive order in 1972, which authorized the rehabilitation and development of MIA. This came after the international terminal was gutted by fire in the same year.

MIA Terminal 1, which currently handles the majority of international flights, was completed in 1981, while MIAA was created to administer and operate the airport in 1982. Both of these also happened under Marcos Sr.’s term, but this does not mean that the airport project as a whole was built under his rule.

The MIA was renamed NAIA in 1987 after the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr. through Republic Act No. 6639.

Aquino was assassinated at the airport during the Marcos dictatorship in 1983. The killing at the airport was the sparkplug of the resistance that eventually led to the downfall of the Marcoses in 1986.

Why this matters: Similar claims have been debunked multiple times by independent fact-checkers and #FactsFirstPH partners.

The erroneous information was also notably used by a lawmaker to make a legislative proposal in the lower house of Congress.

Moreover, the measure drew flak among other lawmakers and on social media due to the historical context surrounding the airport’s current and proposed name.

This article is a combination of stories that originally appeared on News 5 website and the Baguio Chronicle’s Facebook page. OneNews.PH is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, e-mail [email protected].