President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is allowed to use the Gulfstream G280 command and control (C2) aircraft of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to fly to any destination whether he is "on state functions or otherwise."
This was the response of PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo when asked by reporters whether or not Marcos flew onboard the Gulfstream presidential jet to attend the recently held Singapore Grand Prix 2022.
"The PAF, through the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing (250PAW), is mandated to provide safe and secure air transport to the President for all his movements as directed by higher office. It is the 'rason d etre' or reason for being of the 250th PAW, thus, all its air assets are dedicated for the use of the President and the First Family," Castillo told reporters on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
"It is in the performance of the mandate of the 250th PAW, PAF as directed by higher office," she answered when pressed if Marcos used the business jet for the racing event.
The PAF spokesperson added that the Gulfstream "allows the President to perform his very critical function as Commander in Chief, AFP, while airborne, wherever he is around the globe; whether on state functions or otherwise."
Marcos attended the Singapore Grand Prix 2022 which was held from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. It marked the return of Formula One (F1) to Asia since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Flight tracker website "Flightaware" reportedly monitored the arrival of the PAF Gulfstream G280 jet at Singapore Changi Airport at 4:16 p.m. of Oct. 1, three hours after it departed in Manila at 1:03 p.m.
The Gulfstream G280 was acquired by the Department of National Defense (DND) on Sept. 21, 2020 primarily to transport senior military leaders and commanders "especially in the event of a crisis."
Aside from command and control operations, the aircraft can also be used for airborne warning system, medical evacuation, high-altitude atmospheric research, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance (ISR) missions.
The aircraft is also designed to allow top officials to conduct time-sensitive decisions while airborne "especially during operational exigencies and emergencies."
The aircraft was purchased for P2 billion from Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, an American aircraft company, through the Foreign Military Sales Program of the United States government with the Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG). The acquisition was approved in November 2018 as part of the revised modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Gulfstream said the G280 has a maximum range of 3,600 nautical miles at its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.80 and a high speed cruise of Mach 0.84, which means that it can fly non-stop for eight hours.
Marcos' Singapore trip was the second since last month when he visited the country from Sept. 6 to 7 for an official visit.
Malacanang said that Marcos' trip was "productive" since he met business leaders on the sidelines of the race.