Group wants airport’s prexy out

ANGELES CITY – A multi-sectoral group asks Malacañang to replace Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) president Victor Jose Luciano instead of pushing for the retention of the name of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA).
The Angeles City Multi-Sector Consultative Council (ACMSCC) in a manifesto denounced the move to rename the airport. It also requested President Benigno Aquino III to remove Luciano from his post as CIAC head.
According to the group, Luciano is being insensitive to the feelings of the Kapampangans and the Filipinos, who respect and hold high regards to the legacy of the late President Diosdado Pangan Macapagal.
In their manifesto, the group appealed to President Aquino not to be swayed by the proposals of Luciano.
“Rather than changing the name of the airport, the president should definitely consider replacing Luciano himself,” the group said.
“Ang panukalang ibalik sa Clark International Airport ang pangalan ng DMIA ay produkto ng sagad-sagarang kaisipang kolonyal (The move to restore the name Clark International Airport from DMIA is a product of colonial mentality) ,” Bhot Mangulabnan, a spokesperson of the group, said.
The group added that Clark Air Base is a former military installation of the United States, which became a symbol of incursion and American supremacy here in the Philippines and in Asia.
Covering 2,500 hectares, the Clark Aviation Complex used to be the central facility in the Clark Air Base of the United States Air Force until 1991 when the Senate ordered all US military bases in the Philippines closed and American troops pulled out.
Clark Air Base was named in honor of Major Harold Clark of the US Army Signal Corps who died in a seaplane crash in Panama Canal in 1919. In honor of this aviation pioneer, the American government changed the name of Fort Stotsenberg into Clark.
“Napalayas na natin ang mga Kano, kaya walang dahilan na panatilihin pa natin ang pangalang Clark hindi lamang sa airport, kundi sa buong lugar na ngayon ay ginawa na nating isang malayang kalakalan o Freeport zone (We have sent the Americans out, that is why there is no reason to keep the name Clark not just for the airport and for the place as well which is now a Freeport zone),” the group stressed.
At the same time, the multi-sectoral group said they will also conduct protest rallies and mass actions to prevent Luciano from implementing the CIAC board resolution renaming DMIA to CIA.
The CIAC board during its 10th special meeting on October 14, 2011 approved the resolution restoring the name of CIA.
The resolution states that it will restore the name “Clark International Airport” to refer to the Clark Civil Aviation Complex within the Clark Freeport Zone to enhance its international acceptance and to preserve its historical significance.
CIAC however clarified that it did not drop Macapagal’s name in the airport, noting that the Terminal 1 will be named as Diosdado Macapagal Terminal (DMT) to recognize the legacy of former President Diosdado P. Macapagal as the first Kapampangan to become the President of the Republic of the Philippines.
Clark International Airport was renamed to DMIA in July 2001 through a board resolution in honor of the late President Macapagal.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2012/03/06/group-wants-airport-s-prexy-out-209761