FACT CHECK: Marcos has no plans of shutting down NAIA

Claim: A YouTube video claims President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. plans to shut down the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The false claim on YouTube was posted by Pinas News Insider with the title: “KAKAPASOK LANG OMG! NAlA lPASARADO na PRESBBM NAGTAYO ng BAGONG MANILA INTL AIRPORT MEDIA NAPATAMEME” (Just in, OMG! NAIA airport has already been closed and Pres. BBM established a new Manila International Airport The media is speechless) The video has 200,000 views and 458 comments as of writing.

What the video shows: The video shows the groundbreaking ceremony of Disiplina Village Arkong Bato in Valenzuela City on March 27, without any declaration from Marcos about his supposed intention of shutting down the NAIA terminals.

The video also includes a mirrored clip of Marcos’ press conference during the Pag-IBIG Fund Chairman’s Report, where he was not questioned about the construction of a new international airport and his plans for NAIA.

Instead, he was asked about – and he talked about – his plans to keep the Pag-IBIG fund sustainable, the government’s actions to address the upcoming water crisis by establishing a Department of Water, and the Philippine government’s appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the drug war probe. 

Marcos on NAIA and the new airport: Marcos said the Philippine government has no intention of privatizing the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s operations, despite rumors that arose after comments made by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista early this year. 

This comes after NAIA experienced an air traffic management system glitch that led to numerous flight cancellations, affecting around 56,000 passengers on New Year’s Day.

Marcos vetoed legislation that established the Bulacan Airport City Special Economic Zone and Freeport on his initial day in office. Among others, he said the proposed measure gives the proposed economic zone authority “blanket powers to handle technical airport operations in contravention of existing aeronautical laws.”

In May 2022, San Miguel Corporation and their consultant Palafox Associates revealed a preliminary blueprint masterplan for a proposed “aerocity.” The project will apply a build-operate-transfer model, wherein SMC will operate the New Manila International Airport for 50 years before transferring ownership to the government. – Jezreel Ines/Rappler

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