Malacañang on Sunday confirmed the landing of Chinese military aircraft in Davao City.

In a statement, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go said the Chinese government’s request for landing was “received, processed and cleared by relevant Philippine government agencies.”

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“The landing was requested for the specific purpose of refueling and was granted and given with specific conditions for compliance by the requesting party,” Go said.

Photos of military transport plane IL-76 from China landing at Davao City International Airport circulated on social media last week.

The President’s aide said the Department of National Defense, Department of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines “work together to ensure that requesting parties comply with our domestic procedures and requirements.”

“Technical stops by foreign government and commercial planes, including for refueling purposes, are closely coordinated by our relevant Government agencies following established domestic procedure and in consideration of existing agreements,” Go said.

He added that the same courtesy is granted to Philippine government aircrafts if needed.

AFP spokesperson Col. Edgar Arevalo, noting China’s request for landing for a refueling stop, said refurbishment was a “perfectly legal reason” to land in Philippine airports.

“That being the case, it’s perfectly a legal reason to land in our airports — with appropriate permissions of course from appropriate government agencies,” he said.

“That is a privilege also accorded to us in other countries following the same protocols,” he added. /je

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