SEN. Imee Marcos is pushing for an investigation into the landing of a US military aircraft at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport that was not properly coordinated with authorities.
In filing Senate Resolution No. 667 last Tuesday, Marcos said the US government apparently lacked coordination with the Manila International Airport Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of National Defense prior to the plane’s landing in Manila.
“According to a source, the Manila International Airport Integrated Command and Control Center was not given any advisory on the arrival of the aforesaid aircraft,” Marcos said in the resolution.
A Boeing C-17 strategic transport aircraft owned and operated by the US military landed at the NAIA at around 8 a.m. on June 26, with CAAP saying it had nine crew members and a passenger.
The plane came from Guam, with Puerto Princesa City in Palawan its destination.
Marcos said proper coordination should have been made since Section 28 of Article VIII of the Philippines-United States Visiting Forces Agreement states that aircraft operated by or for the United States armed forces may enter the Philippines upon approval of the Government of the Philippines and shall observe local air traffic control regulations while in the country.
She added that Section 28 of the Constitution also provides that the State “adopts and implements a policy of full disclosure of all its transactions involving public interests, subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law.”
However, Marcos said that upon verification with CAAP, “it was revealed that the Embassy of the United States issued an advisory to the DFA that a plane registered to the US military will enter and exit the country’s territorial airspace in direct support of KAPIT BISIG activities and under diplomatic clearance number DSN-0659-KB-JUN-US-2023.”
“CAAP revealed that the alternate airport ‘for contingencies’ en route to Manila was Clark International Airport,” Marcos added.
CAAP said the US military plane left NAIA on the same day (June 26) at 6:10 p.m. or 10 hours after its arrival. The aircraft reached Puerto Princesa City at 7:08 p.m.
Marcos said the landing of the US military aircraft raises “several questions” that need to be answered during a Senate inquiry.
She said the issues that need to be cleared include whether the MIA Integrated Command and Control Center was given prior notice on the arrival of the aircraft, why the plane landed in Manila even if its destination was Puerto Princesa City, why the aircraft stayed in Manila for 10 hours before leaving for Puerto Princesa City;
What cargo the plane carried and whether part of it was offloaded in any place other than Puerto Princesa City, the real number of its passengers and their identities should be known, whether the plane landed somewhere else other than Manila and Puerto Princes City, and why there was an apparent lack of coordination between local authorities.
“In light of the recently revealed US request for the Philippines to temporarily house Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants, the continued escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, and the re-emergence of internal security threats, it is crucial for the State to carefully scrutinize the activities of foreign militaries in the country, particularly those which appear questionable or which are shrouded in secrecy,” Marcos said.
