The Lahug, Cebu National Airport
President Manuel L. Quezon by virtue of Executive Order No. 154 signed on June 24, 1938 designated the Cebu Landing Field (Lahug) as a military airport.
After World War II, with President Manuel Acuna Roxas Sr. assuming the presidency on April 23, 1946 after defeating President Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. He issued Executive Order No. 75 titled “Designating the Cebu Landing Field as a National Airport”. The presidential order was issued on August 12, 1947.
The order reads:
“For the purpose of accelerating the development of civil aviation in the Philippines, I, Manuel Roxas, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby repeal Executive Order No. 154, dated June 24, 1938, and reclassify the Cebu Landing Field at Lahug, Cebu, as a National Airport under the supervision and control of the Bureau of Aeronautics subject to the following conditions:
“(1) That it shall be made fully available to the Philippine Air Force in times of emergency; and
“(2) That a detachment of the Philippine Air Force shall be allowed to operate at said airport during peace time in furtherance of Philippine Air Force missions, in accordance with agreements entered into by and between the Bureau of Aeronautics and the Chief of the Philippine Air Force.”
The airport operations in Lahug ended on April 27, 1966 when it transferred to Mactan. Among the private airlines that followed were the Filipinas Airways and Air Manila.
After EDSA, the newly-revived Congress enacted Republic Act 6958 on July 31, 1990 creating the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority. The congressional creation became the sole authority in the operation of the airport which became an international airport. In the book written by Prof. Lina Quimat titled “Glimpses in the History of Early Cebu” published in 1980, she wrote that Mactan, before the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, was called as Mat-an (meaning with eyes). It was named as such because of the reputation of the people of the island that they were shrewd and vigilant.
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