EDITORIAL - Let’s not go that far

There is now a proposal by former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña to rename the Mactan-Cebu International Airport after the late Cebu City north district congressman Raul del Mar. 

Osmeña’s move is not a totally bad idea. After all, it was Del Mar who authored Republic Act 6958, which paved the way for the creation of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority.

“He is responsible of the creation of the Mactan airport authority some 20 years ago. All other airports are under the national government except Mactan under the special law. Without that, we will not have that airport as what we have today,” Osmeña is quoted as saying in a report in this newspaper.

It’s a sound idea, yes. But perhaps we should not go that far and leave the name of the airport alone.

There are practical reasons for naming an airport after the place it is located in. For one it makes locating it easier.

For example, how many people, if they heard it for the first time, would know where Jorge Chavez Airport is? What about the Abdullahi Yusuf International Airport? The Julius Nyerere International Airport? Or the Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport? Where in the world are those airports?

For another reason, the name of the airport is a kind of advertisement for the place it is located in. The name of the present airport has two things going for it. First there is the word ‘Mactan’, which is known all over the world for its great beaches. Those who don’t know where Mactan is can be guided by the presence of the second word ‘Cebu’. Cebu is also known all over the world because of its being a historical and cultural center, home of lively parties, as well as the cradle of Christianity in this part of the world.

So when the people hear the word Mactan-Cebu International Airport, they will immediately know what and where it is.

What about those who don’t know where it is? It will intrigue them enough to search online what Cebu is really about. And that usually results in good things for our tourism.

Don’t take this the wrong way; this is not to disparage the name of the late great congressman. In fact we acknowledge that many things, projects, infrastructure, and programs not just in Cebu City but also in Cebu Province would not have been possible without the efforts of Del Mar. Practically millions have and continue to benefit from them.

By all means, name something after Del Mar. In fact it would be a huge injustice not to do so. But perhaps, for practical purposes, it would be better to leave the name of the MCIA alone.