House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—With the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and two pilots, isn’t it about time the government purchased aircraft for the exclusive use of the President and other ranking government officials?
House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez on Saturday urged the government to buy “three to four” new airplanes to beef up the existing fleet of the Philippine Air Force Airlift Wing.
And if administration officials are reluctant to come forward with the suggestion for fear of being criticized, Suarez said the minority would make the proposal.
Branded as extravagant
“If his allies are sensitive and they don’t want to be branded as extravagant, well, it’s the minority that is suggesting it,” the Quezon representative said.
He said the aircraft purchases could cost as much as $85 million, if two helicopters are added to the three or four airplanes being suggested.
“We are expressing our concern for the safety of the President and his (official) family because, as we are all aware, our country does not have a dedicated presidential plane and he takes chartered flights for official travel,” Suarez said in a separate statement.
Widely criticized
In 2009, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo flirted with the idea of buying a presidential jet, which her allies said would have actually benefited her successor. But she was forced to shelve the idea when it was widely criticized.
Suarez, an Arroyo ally, said purchasing new aircraft “could not be avoided in an administration that is so active.”
Older than Aquino
He noted that the PAF Airlift Wing maintained a fleet of aircraft “most of which are older than the President.”
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Saturday expressed support for the purchase of new planes “for senior officials of the government.”
“We are an archipelago… you traverse jungles and large bodies of water, especially when you travel by helicopter. If the helicopter crashes in the sea, there is zero survivability,” Enrile told reporters.
Told of the criticism it might engender, Enrile said: “That is the burden of leadership. You expect criticism because you cannot please everybody when you make a decision.”
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said it was the obligation of the government to ensure the safety of its executives when they were on official business, and the proposed purchase of new aircraft “should be looked into.”
But Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago doubted the government had the money to buy new planes.
“So they (government officials) will just have to take their chances,” she said.
“But in order to honor (Robredo’s) memory, the government should at least provide a pension for his wife and the children because no one will support them anymore,” Santiago said. Christian V. Esguerra and Norman Bordadora