President “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was escorted by the two FA-50PH fighter jets on his flight to New York, United States on Sept. 18, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) announced.

In a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Tuesday, Sept. 20, PAF said the fighter jets escorted Marcos Jr. from Polillo island all the way up to 200 nautical miles.

“Fighter escorting, more than just a tradition, is an essential standard operating procedure to clear and secure our air space for the arrival and departure of the President of the Republic and other visiting heads of state,” the PAF said.

“The said procedure is similarly practiced in other countries for added security of their presidential flights,” it added.

The escorting only lasted for a few minutes.

Afterward, PAF said the two jets continued their regular maritime patrol to secure the country from unauthorized intrusions within the Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone (PADIZ), and monitor developments and illegal activities within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Marcos left the country on Sunday to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) wherein he is set to deliver a speech in a high-level general debate.

In 2016, the two FA-50 fighter jets first escorted former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III on his flight from the United States to the Philippines, after attending US-ASEAN Summit held in California.