Zablan Airfield

Military conversion and urban encroachment. Following World War II, the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and its main operational units were transferred to the larger, better-equipped Nichols Air Base (now Villamor Air Base). The land at the former airfield, then part of Camp Murphy, was repurposed to become the General Headquarters (GHQ) for the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). This conversion required the construction of administrative buildings, command centers, and other facilities directly on the old airfield grounds. Furthermore, the rapid urbanization of Quezon City around the camp made continued flight operations in the area impractical and unsafe.

The site of the former Zablan Airfield is now the heart of Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, the national headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The area where the runway once lay is now completely occupied by the AFP General Headquarters Building, the Camp Aguinaldo Golf Course, the AFP Commissioned Officers' Club, various military offices, barracks, and the main road network within the camp. There are no physical traces of the original runway left.

Zablan Airfield holds immense historical significance as the 'cradle of the Philippine Air Force'. It was established in 1935 as the first airfield and home of the newly formed Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC), the forerunner to the modern PAF. The airfield was part of a larger US military reservation known as Camp Murphy. It was named in honor of Lieutenant Porfirio E. Zablan, a pioneering Filipino aviator who died in a plane crash in 1935. When active, the airfield was the primary base for military aviation in the country, handling pilot training, reconnaissance missions, and air transport. It was a key strategic asset before and during the initial stages of World War II in the Philippines.

Zero. There are absolutely no plans or prospects for reopening Zablan Airfield. The land is fully developed with critical, permanent military infrastructure and serves as the nerve center for the entire Philippine military. Its location in the center of a densely populated, major metropolitan area makes any future aviation operations physically impossible, unsafe, and logistically unfeasible.