Have you heard mysterious plane noises last week?
This was what a Filipino Reddit user had noticed for the past days in the city of Manila, particularly the area near the University of Santo Tomas.
Redditor “megayadorann” on Friday asked fellow Pinoys about the experience which has allegedly happened for four days.
“Anyone living around UST here? What’s with the increasing presence of jet planes/airplanes around the city?” the post’s title reads.
The online user gave more details on the post.
“A few days ago, I thought someone was pulling their luggage outside when I realized it was actually those planes making the noise,” the Redditor claimed on June 10.
“I didn’t have the chance to see if it was a jet or an airplane but the noise sounded like they were flying below the usual commercial altitude,” the user added.
It has happened “only during the mornings.”
Two fellow Redditors suggested that it might’ve been the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
“In preparation lang ‘yan sa Independence day celebration sa Sunday,” a user commented before. It was upvoted by eight people.
“Commercial planes ba? Baka iyan ‘yung practice ng mga plane na magsyo-show for Independence Day?” another Redditor answered.
The Philippine News Agency reported that last Friday, there were jet fighters from PAF that conducted a flyby exercise at the Rizal Park in Manila. The area is near UST.
“This is a preparation for the flyby of the PAF’s most modern aircraft on Sunday, in celebration of the country’s 124th Independence Day,” it said on June 10.
A news outlet similarly reported about the preparation last Wednesday. It happened in the same area.
The flyby exercise was for the country’s celebration of its 124th year of freedom from Spanish colonial rule on June 12, 2022. This was also known as the “Araw ng Kasarinlan.”
It was on June 12, 1898 when former president Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent from its centuries-long colonizers in Kawit, Cavite.
The date also marked the period when the National Anthem was performed publicly for the first time. It was also the first time that the Philippine Flag was displayed.