Lito Lapid wants to rename Clark airport as Diosdado Macapagal International Airport

A bill seeking to rename the Clark International Airport in Angeles City, Pampanga after former president Diosdado Macapagal has been filed in the Senate.

Senate Bill No. 1861, authored by Senator Manuel "Lito" Lapid, wants it to be called the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Lapid, who also hails from Pampanga, said he found it fitting to name it after Macapagal since the latter was the first Kapampangan president of the country.

He said his bill aims to honor the achievement and legacy of the former president who served from 1961 to 1965.

A similar bill was filed in the House by Pampanga Representative Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. in July 2019. The measure is still pending at the committee level.

Last June, presidential son House Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte and two other lawmakers moved to rename the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Pilipinas, saying the proposed name "bears no color, no political agenda."

But Liberal Party president and Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said renaming an airport should be the least of the lawmakers' concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.—AOL, GMA News