VP Sara Duterte thanks PBBM for use of PAF chopper so she can fly home to be with her kids at bedtime

In her birthday message to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos (PBBM) Jr. on September 13, Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday offered her greetings and gratitude for the chief executive’s understanding of a working mother’s need to be with her children as much as she can.

Duterte’s message to PBBM and accompanying photos were posted on her Facebook and Twitter accounts. She thanked him for letting her use his 250th Presidential Airlift Wing (PAW) so that she could be home in time to tuck her children to bed.

Duterte’s message reads, in full:

I told PBB, we need a selfie because the Social Media Team needs an obligatory birthday selfie, hence the smileys.

Thank you, PBB, and your 250th PAW for ensuring that wherever I may be found in the country during the day, I am home in time to tuck my children to bed. Thank you for putting a premium on the desire of a working mother to be present in her children’s lives. I wish God’s favor upon you as you celebrate your birthday and pray that you are given the strength and wisdom for the difficult road ahead.

Happy Birthday! I wish you good health and happiness.

From VP Inday Sara Duterte’s Facebook page

The 250th PAW, often known as the “Bluebirds,” is one of the Philippine Air Force’s best flying units.

It is mandated to provide air transportation for the president, immediate family members, visiting heads of state or government, and other local or international VIPs.

A tweet by Manila Bulletin journalist Raymund Antonio about VP Duterte’s message of gratitude to PBBM, garnered a deluge of reactions from netizens.

Many questioned the propriety of a government official using a government aircraft for a personal trip, while thanking the President instead of the taxpayers who pay for the aircraft’s upkeep.