Italian-made SF 260 jet planes fly in unison in the skies of Quezon City in preparation for the Edsa People Power 30th anniversary tomorrow. (INQUIRER PHOTO)
Baguio City — Sen. Grace Poe finally named yesterday at least two companies that own the private jets they use in their campaign; one of them, she said, is sometimes also being used by President Benigno Aquino III himself.
Poe identified the two as the Helitrend and the San Miguel Corp. (SMC), which she said provide the jets for them either on lease or borrowed.
“Sa ngayon, halo ‘yan; may mga nagpapahiram sa amin, merong iba namang nirerentahan.Wala naman kaming tinatago ukol dito,” she said when asked during a press conference here to reveal the name of the companies that provide the jets.
“Maraming iba’t ibang kompanya. ‘Yung ibang nirerentahan namin. Si Helitrend, ‘yun ang talagang kanilang negosyo at hindi lang kami ang nanghihiram dun. Maraming humihiram dun; malalagay naman ‘yun sa SOCE (Statement of Contributions and Expenditures).”
One of the two firms, Poe said, is also lending their jets to President Aquino.
Asked later which company she was referring to, the senator said it was the SMC. “Not regularly, but if it’s needed; like kunyari, may engagement si President at hindi pwede yung . . . I don’t know, meron ba silang special plane . . . ?”
As to the companies that are providing jets for her and her team during the campaign, Poe explained that the arrangement was that they just pay at “a very discounted rate.”
“Or ‘yung gasolina, we have to pay for, and the pilot,” she said. “Very discounted, but we need to declare it in the SOCE, how much we paid for the gas, and for the pilot. Very discounted.”
Asked if there would be no conflict of interest since they are getting discounts from the two companies, Poe said: “Kasi hindi naman kompanya ang nagdo-donate sa amin e. First of all we need to pay for that…”