By Fernan Angeles
AMID criticisms, the government pushed through with a deal that would see President Rodrigo Duterte don a P2 billion ($37 million*) jet in going to and from his home in Davao City.
The new G280 Gulfstream jet, which would serve as presidential plane, however didn’t have the Malacañang chief executive as passenger for its inaugural flight yesterday after its September 17 turnover in Dallas by the plane’s manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.
The inaugural flight carried personal protective equipment and top government officials to Davao City.
The passengers included Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Health Secretary Francisco Duque, coronavirus policy chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr, and other officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force against the coronavirus.
The jet is expected to be used more by Duterte, Cabinet, and military officials in moving between Metro Manila and Davao City.
Duterte, who was mayor of the southern city for a total of over 20 years, visits Davao to see his family when he is homesick. This did not change under the pandemic.
Interestingly, the procurement of the jet was met with nasty remarks and public outrage describing the purchase as sheer extravagance. However, the Philippine military defended the purchase, saying that it could be used as an “airborne command post” in the event of a crisis situation.
Lorenzana earlier said the jet was “necessary for a 24/7 real-time command and control, especially during crisis situation.”
The G280 has a maximum range of 3,600 nautical miles/6,667 kilometers at its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.80, and a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.84. The aircraft can fly 8 hours nonstop, according to Gulfstream.
Aside from command and control, the G280 can also be used in airborne early warning, medical evacuation, high-altitude atmospheric research, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
3:10 PM