Malacañang on Tuesday defended the purchase of a P2-billion American aircraft for President Rodrigo Duterte and other senior officials amid criticisms that the twin-engine business jets were luxurious.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the purchase was justified since the jets could be used during times of crisis.
“In times of crisis, you need it. That’s why it’s crisis, then there is necessity. If necessity, how can you call it luxurious?” he told Palace reporters.
This came after the Department of National Defense said that the Philippine Air Force bought two aircraft—a C295 and a G280—from the United States at $36.999 million.
DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the aircraft will both function as command control and as airborne command post that will carry government leaders during a major crisis.
The jets are expected to be delivered to the Philippine Air Force by August 2020.
It can be used by the President, the Defense secretary, and the country’s major service commanders.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana approved the acquisition of the business jets in November last year, Andolong said.
Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes criticized the purchase.
“When you spend millions of dollars for the comfort of officials, while ordinary folks carry the daily burden of the #TransportCrisis,” Reyes wrote in a tweet.
In response, Panelo said President Duterte is frugal and will spend on important matters only.
“You know the President. He’s very frugal. He doesn’t spend unless necessary,” Panelo said.
The status of the procurement of the C295 command and control aircraft and the G280 are already in the contract implementation phase, the DND said.
C295 has a longer range and is suitable for maritime patrol missions as well as for transporting supplies and troops.
The G280 is a smaller aircraft which flies faster and can be used as an airborne command post.
It is also capable of landing on short runways, which cannot be done by our other aircraft at the moment.
Duterte, who said he prefers to take economy flights in his travels, earlier said the government will no longer buy military equipment from the United States after it threatened to impose sanctions on countries buying arms from Russia.