Senator urges gov’t: Don’t be frugal on aircraft maintenance
Call came amid the FA-50 fighter jet crash in Mindanao
[FILE] A Philippine Air Force FA-50 multirole light fighter aircraft flies past at the Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga province on November 18, 2015.(Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP)
Senator Imee Marcos made this comment following the tragedy of the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) FA-50 fighter jet that crashed in Bukidnon and took the life of the two pilots onboard.
A day after the fighter jet went missing, the Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced on Wednesday that they found its wreckage within the Mount Kalatungan mountain range in Bukidnon, Mindanao.
READ:
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Missing FA-50 fighter jet crashed in Bukidnon, AFP confirms
PAF grounds FA-50 fleet after fatal Bukidnon crash
It went missing during a tactical night operation early Tuesday morning en route to Mactan Air Base in Cebu, said PAF spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo.
“Kung minsan, ang ating mga Air Force, nagtitipid sa maintenance. ‘Yan ang problema parating kulang ang budget. Kaya galit na galit ako nung tinanggalan ng budget ang ating AFP modernization,” Marcos said.
(Sometimes, our Air Force would save on maintenance. That is the problem, the budget is always lacking. That is why, I am angry when there was a cut in the budget for our AFP modernization.)
She added that the budget for the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must be increased.
Marcos also expressed her dismay when the budget for the AFP modernization program was cut down to P35 billion from P50 billion in the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the 2025 budget.
“Sabi ko, ano ba ito? Seryoso ba tayo i-modernize ang ating mga tropa o hindi? Kawawa naman yung ating mga piloto. Kasalanan na natin to,” she said.
(I asked, what is this? Are we serious in modernizing our troops or what? I pity our pilots. We are to blame for this.)
“Napakalungkot talaga ang pangyayaring ‘to. It’s really, really tragic. Our very young pilots are very well-trained and very brave,” Marcos said.
(This incident is really sad. It’s really, really tragic. Our very young pilots are well-trained and very brave.)
“I extend my condolences and prayers to their families and we will do our very best to take care of them,” she added.
Marcos also mentioned that climate change could also pose danger for pilots flying on air.
“May nararamdaman ka paglumilipad ka sa eroplano, na kung minsan, naiiba. Dapat extra careful tayo,” she said.
(You feel something different when you fly in an airplane, that sometimes, there is something different. We should be extra careful.)
Marcos was here in Cebu as guest of honor in the Liga ng mga Barangay (LNB) Romblon Provincial Congress along with senatorial candidates Manny Pacquiao, Camille Villar, and Benjur Abalos. | with reports from Inquirer.net
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