Air traffic forces AFP to celebrate anniversary outside the metro

MANILA, Philippines — The military will celebrate its 80th anniversary next week in Clark, Pampanga, the first time such event will be held outside Metro Manila.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said Clark was chosen as venue for the Dec. 21 event to prevent air traffic congestion when the military shows off its newly-acquired air assets.

"For the first time, we will celebrate our anniversary outside Manila. Before, we used to hold it at Camp Aguinaldo or Luneta. This year, we will hold it at Clark Air Base," Padilla told radio station dzBB on Sunday in Filipino.

"It will be hard to conduct a long flyby (of air assets) here in Manila. Traffic jam is experienced not only in EDSA and other roads in Metro Manila but also in our airways," he added.

Padilla said some passengers have been complaining that the one-hour trip from Cebu to Manila now lasts for one and a half hour because of air traffic congestion.

Padilla gave assurance that the military anniversary would not disrupt flight schedules. He said commercial traffic in Clark usually peaks in the afternoon or in the evening while the armed forces' anniversary will be held in the morning.

President Benigno Aquino III, the commander-in-chief of the 125,000-strong armed forces, is expected to attend the event.

"This is his (Aquino) last AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) day as president because there will be a change of leadership in the country in July. This will serve as our testimonial for the commander-in-chief," Padilla said.

"To thank him for his support, we will show that we have acquired a lot of equipment for the armed forces. This capability was not matched by the three previous administrations. Everything then was lip service. Now, they became a reality," he added.

During the event, the military is expected to display its newly-acquired air assets including the two FA-50 lead-in fighter trainer jets that were delivered on November 28.

The military has acquired 12 jets from South Korea's Korea Aerospace Industries for P18.9 billion, making it the largest item in the armed forces' modernization shopping list.

The two jets, along with a C295M medium lift fixed wing aircraft, and six AW-109E attack helicopters were formally turned over to the Philippine Air Force early this month.

Another C295 aircraft was also scheduled to arrive from Spain last weekend.

Earlier, The STAR reported that Spanish firm Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence & Space) won the bidding for the purchase of three medium lift fixed wing aircraft. The winning bidder submitted a bid of P5.29 billion, well within the P5.3-billion budget ceiling.

The first of the three C295 planes arrived in Clark in March while the second was delivered in Mabalacat City also in Pampanga in September.

Also to be displayed during the anniversary are the 77 M113 armored personnel carriers that were delivered on Wednesday. Padilla said the armored personnel carriers were acquired from the United States through the excess defense articles program.

"We will also display artillery pieces, mobility equipment, trucks, tanks we acquired the other year, and HADR or humanitarian assistance and disaster response equipment like rescue vehicles," Padilla said.

"We want to show our countrymen that the funds allotted for the modernization of the armed forces were spent properly," he added.