JV Ejercito: PNP air unit must stay
January 22, 2026
Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito asserted that the Philippine National Police (PNP) should retain its air unit, emphasizing that helicopters remain essential in a calamity-prone country and that funding support should not be an issue.
“Ang helicopter ay hindi lang po iyan para sa VIP transport. Kapag dineploy sa mga region, puwede iyan sa medical evacuation, surveillance, police presence, at search and rescue operations,” Ejercito said.
“Calamity-prone po ang bansa natin. Kaya hindi po natin pwedeng tipirin ang kakayahan ng ating kapulisan na rumesponde agad.”
As chair of the Senate Committee on Peace and Order, Ejercito said he supports the PNP’s modernization efforts, including the acquisition of drones but stressed that while these can serve as “an eye in the sky” they cannot replace manned aircrafts.
“Dahil mataas daw po ang maintenance ng air assets ay mag-drone na lang. Pero I don’t think that a drone can match or do the tasks of a helicopter,” he said, responding to proposals to dissolve the unit.
Ejercito noted that the PNP last acquired air assets in 2006 or 2007. He said procurement stalled for several years after that period, which forced the police to rely on external support during major operations and emergency situations.
He pointed to the 2015 Mamasapano incident involving the fallen Special Action Force (SAF) as an example.
“Humingi sila ng air support noon pero natagalan dahil walang sariling air assets ang PNP,” said Ejercito, adding that police operations at the time were heavily dependent on external assistance.
“Ayaw na po nating maulit yan. Kaya minabuti na dapat may sariling helicopter ang PNP. That’s why we funded the revival of the air unit. Para wala nang sisihan tungkol sa pagpapahiram at para handa agad ang PNP kapag kailangan.”
On maintenance costs, Ejercito said funding considerations should not outweigh the need to retain police air assets.
“Huwag niyo pong problemahin ang pondo. Kami mismo ang hahanap ng pondo. Ang problemahin niyo po ay ang operations,” he said.
Ejercito added that Congress has already allocated funds for hangar facilities in strategic locations such as Davao, Cebu, and La Union to allow faster response during emergencies.
