Nalzaro: Naming the MCIA after Del Mar

Nalzaro: Naming the MCIA after Del Mar

In my previous column, I already suggested to the incumbent leadership at the Cebu City Government and various institutions like the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) to honor the late Cebu City North District Rep. Raul del Mar. I urged the City Council to name a street after him. (Renaming a national street needs congressional approval). Sculptures or human-size statues of del Mar should be installed at the CPA and the airport. An annex building inside the VSMMC compound should be named after him.

I think I can say this without fear of contradiction that del Mar introduced developments in his district, specifically, and in the entire city, in general. He brought in both hard (infrastructure) and soft (livelihood and assistance) projects in his district. He authored and crafted laws of local and national significance that benefited his constituents and various sectors in the community. Prominent of those laws he principally sponsored were the creations of the MCIAA and the CPA, which acquired their own respective charters and became autonomous from the control of National Government agencies.

Former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña suggested naming the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) after del Mar. Why not? I fully support Osmeña’s call to honor the late congressman. Again, del Mar was the main author of the law creating the MCIAA.

The former Manila International Airport was renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in honor of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was murdered right at the tarmac upon his return from the United States in 1983. Ninoy was later proclaimed a national hero. There are so many airports in the world named after politicians (even living politicians) because of their contribution to these facilities like the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the US from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.

There are airports that bear the names of famous politicians, such as the Ronald Reagan National Airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport and La Guardia, which was named after a New York City mayor.

In June 1996, Mactan Air Base was renamed Brig. Gen. Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in honor of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) commanding general by virtue of General Order 76 of the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. General Ebuen was a distinguished former chief of the PAF, who died in a plane crash in 1957 along with President Ramon Magsaysay in Mount Manunggal here in Cebu.

But I understand. Changing the name of the MCIA to the Raul del Mar International Airport needs a congressional act, considering it is a National Government facility. I am afraid that politics or maybe personal issues will come into play. MCIA is located in the lone congressional district of Lapu-Lapu City where the incumbent representative is Paz Radaza. I have learned that under House rules, if a local bill is filed, the concerned representative of the district should be consulted or he/she should be the one to file the bill. So, in this case, Radaza should initiate the filing of the bill or she should be among its original authors. Will Radaza do that? I doubt it. She is not a fan of Raul. She even complained before that under the MCIAA law, there is no representative from the City Government sitting at the MCIAA Board. Her husband Arturo “Boy” Radaza and daughter Aileen, who also became the lone district representative, tried to amend the law to include a City Government representative but nothing happened.

If the MCIA is to be named after del Mar, I have another suggestion. Why not rename Plaza Independencia to Plaza Del Mar, not including the historical Fort San Pedro. Plaza Independencia is a generic name. It is one of the most significant sites in the history of Cebu. It is a symbol of independence and freedom from all the conquerors that tried to take over the island. Its century-old trees are witnesses to what the plaza went through during colonial times. Del Mar was also a freedom fighter during the Marcos years.

Or rename the Malacañang sa Sugbo (formerly the Bureau of Customs building) to Casa del Mar. Anyway, the building is now idle as the President does not stay there every time he visits Cebu. Nobody holds office there. Plaza Independencia and Malacañang sa Sugbo are ideal places to be renamed to Plaza del Mar and Casa del Mar, respectively, because they are near the sea. Del Mar is Spanish for “of the sea.” La memoria (in memory of) del Mar.

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