Gulfstream G280 arrival to satiate Duterte’s penchant for luxurious private jet flights
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today criticized the consummated purchase of the ₱2-billion Gulfstream G280 business jet ordered by Rodrigo Duterte and Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana from the US in October 2019. Theaircraft landed at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga last weekend. The jet plane had its inaugural flight to Davao City last September 21 to ferry cabinet executives scheduled to attend a meeting with Duterte and purportedly to deliver personal protective equipment.
“The dream of Duterte and his close cohorts of having their own luxurious jet has come true,” said CPP Chief Information Officer Marco L. Valbuena. “Their Gulfstream G280 is finally here! Now, they can ride in comfort in their Manila-Davao sorties, while delivering PPE [personal protective equipment] to boot… while the rest of the Filipino people suffer from their daily commute problems.”
The dream of Duterte and his close cohorts of having their own luxurious jet has come true. Their Gulfstream G280 is finally here! The regime justified the P2-billion waste of people’s money by claiming it will used for the AFP’s “command and control.”https://t.co/JoQ2aQI3uY
— Marco L. Valbuena (@marco_cpp) September 24, 2020
The said aircraft was procured under the Horizon 2 of the AFP Modernization Program under the guise of boosting the airborne command and control operations of the military. Experts, however, pointed out that the jet is not equipped and unsuitable for such purposes. The CPP believes that the jet was actually bought by the regime to satiate Rodrigo Duterte’s penchant for luxurious private jet flights.
The luxury jet was purchased by the Philippine government under the US Foreign Military Financing program of the State Department.
“Not only is this jet plane costly in itself, but so is its operation,” pointed out Valbuena. “The flight cost per hour for the aircraft is P194,996 ($7,177) per hour. If it were to be used on a regular basis flying up to 450 hours per year, the regime is set to squander up to ₱88 million annually. This is extremely extravagant especially that the aircraft is only capable of transporting up to 8 passengers per flight.”
READ: Duterte must answer to people for his secret trip—CPP
“Ever time that Duterte rides his Gulfstream, he is proving himself a liar and demagogue for breaking not only his campaign promise to stop the use of luxury vehicles for official use and his vow not to receive anything from the US,” added Valbuena.
Gulfstream G280 jet planes are manufactured by Gulfstream Aerospace, a US company company which forms part of what is known as the military industrial complex of big monopoly capitalists who make billions of dollars in profit in US wars of aggression and proxy wars around the globe.