Wala sa tiyempo! Robredo scores Paolo Duterte’s proposal to rename NAIA: ‘Ngayon pa talaga?’

Photo from Inquirer and Manila Bulletin

Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday expressed her disappointment over the proposal of Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte to rename the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) into the Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas.

In an interview on CNN Philippines, Robredo said that this is not the right time to think about as the country is in crisis due to the pandemic.

“Nasa gitna tayo ng pandemya, ito pa talaga maiisip natin,” the vice president said

 “When I first read about it, iyong pinaka-tanong ko sa sarili ko: ‘Ngayon pa talaga?’ Ngayon pa talaga na dapat all hands on deck tayo na nagtutulong-tulong para masugpo iyong pandemya.” she added

Robredo also questioned the “sense of history,” of the presidential son saying that the reason why it was named after Aquino was well known.

On Thursday, the younger Duterte and House Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, and ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap have filed House Bill No. 7031 that seeks to rename NAIA  to “Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas”

“We need a more representative branding for the international gateway of our country, thus our proposal renaming NAIA to the Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas. Aside from bearing our country’s name, it is in our national language,” Rep. Duterte said in a statement

“We want it (national airport) to reflect the legacy of the Filipino people, our everyday heroes. The name bears no color, no political agenda. It only signifies our warmth as Filipinos in welcoming our own kababayans and foreign visitors,” Duterte said to justify the bill

NAIA was formerly known as Manila International Airport (MIA). It was renamed NAIA through Republic Act (RA) No. 6639 to honor Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated at Terminal 1 of the airport on August 21, 1983.

The late Sen. Aquino is the husband of the late former president Corazon “Cory” Aquino (who served from 1987 to 1992) and father of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III (2010 to 2016). Noynoy is the immediate predecessor of President Duterte.