All US gov’t aircraft secure diplomatic clearance before entering PH — embassy

The United States Embassy in Manila said on Thursday that it has been coordinating with the Philippine government to permit the entry of any US government aircraft into the country.

“The Embassy coordinates with the Philippine government to receive diplomatic clearance for all U.S. government aircraft that enter the Philippines. We refer you to Philippine authorities for further information,” Acting US Embassy spokesperson Stephen Dove was quoted in a tweet by GMA Integrated News’ Joseph Morong.

The US Embassy made the statement after Senator Imee Marcos filed a resolution that sought to investigate the alleged unadvised arrival of a US military plane in the Philippines on June 26.

Marcos' Senate Resolution 667 questioned the purpose of the arrival of a Boeing C-17 strategic transport aircraft operated by the US military in Manila when its main destination was Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Citing a source, Marcos said the Manila International Airport Integrated Command and Control Center was not given any advisory on the arrival of the aircraft.

The lawmaker said verification with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) revealed that the US Embassy issued an advisory to the Department of Foreign Affairs that an aircraft registered to the US military would enter and exit the territorial airspace of the Philippines in line with the KAPIT BISIG activities.

GMA News Online has reached out to CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio to verify the information that Marcos cited in her resolution, but he referred the query to the Department of National Defense, the Philippine Air Force, and the DFA since the aircraft involved was a military plane.

The DND, PAF, and DFA have yet to respond to GMA News Online's queries on the matter. —VBL, GMA Integrated News