Duterte to grace anniversary of 250th Presidential Airlift Wing

From Malaya Business Insight (Sep 13): Duterte to grace anniversary of 250th Presidential Airlift Wing

PRESIDENT Duterte will grace the 48th foundation anniversary today of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

The mission of the 250th PAW is to “provide safe, secure and effective air transportation” for the President and the immediate members of his or her family, and for visiting heads of state, state guests and other VIPs.

After the anniversary celebration, the President will preside over his first command conference with the Air Force leadership. The command conference will be attended by other military and defense officials.

“He will be engaging with Air Force personnel and their dependents through the ‘talk to the airmen’ and boodle fight that will follow,” said Air Force spokesman Col. Araus Robert Musico.

This will be the second major Air Force event that the President will attend since assuming office on June 30.

The first was last July 5 during the celebration of the PAF’s 69th foundation anniversary in Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Before assuming as President, Duterte criticized the acquisition by the Air Force of FA-50s as a “waste of money.” What should have been bought, he said, were helicopters with night-flying capability.

The previous administration acquired 12 FA-50s for P18.9 billion from the Korean Aerospace Industries. Two of the aircraft were delivered last year while the rest are due for delivery this year and next year.

The acquisition of the fighter jets signaled the return of the Air Force to the supersonic age since the decommissioning of a fleet of F-5s in 2005 due to old-age and costly maintenance.

Last Friday, Duterte said the US sold the Philippine military the fighter jets.

He said: “We have received so many things from America. Thank you for your generosity. What they sold us, two, only two FA-50 (fighter jets). It’s FA-50 but they never gave us the missiles and the bullets and the cannons to fight. For ceremonial lang (only).”

In an interview yesterday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana acknowledged the President made a mistake by saying the FA-50s came from US.

“Nagkamali lang siya, yung FA-50 is from Korea. Sabi niya dalawa lang binigay, hindi e, labindalawa yan, yung sampu ide-deliver pa lang,” Lorenzana said in an ambush interview in Maguindanao.

Lorenzana defended the acquisition of the fighter jets by the previous government.

“Ang nakita kong justification nung pagkuha nung past administration is that lead-in fighter kasi `to. Ibig sabihin pwedeng gawing trainer, pwede ring gawing fighter,” he said.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/duterte-grace-anniversary-250th-presidential-airlift-wing