US, Philippine troops frequent Davao Gulf

Speedboats carrying Philippine and Americans soldiers are spotted frequently in Davao Gulf off island of Samal and Davao City. Hundreds of US troops are deployed across Mindanao and Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces and helping the local military defeat terrorism. (Photo by Jonald Mahinay)

Davao Officials Allay Fears Of Contamination, Poisoning After Plane Crashed At Sea

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 28, 2008) – Local officials on Thursday allayed fears of poisoning after a Philippine Air Force C130 cargo plane crashed at sea off Davao City.

Local council man Leonardo Avila said even fishes are safe for human consumption as the military continued searching for the ill-fated aircraft that went down on shortly after take off late Monday at the Davao City International Airport, killing all 9 passengers.

Avila, chairman of the City Council’s committee on environment, said no oil spill or contamination also was noticed from the site where the plane crashed. “If it is an oil tanker, then have something to fear about,” he said.

Divers and villagers have recovered body parts and debris of the plane, but Avila said there were no reports that fishes have eaten human flesh.

Col. Isagani Silva, commander of the Philippine Air Force Tactical Operations Group-11, said they are still investigating what caused the tragedy.

Witnesses claimed to have seen the plane crashed after a lightning strike, but Silva said the air craft had a lightning arrester, a device which is connected in an electric wiring system to protect the system from damage from lightning or any other abnormally high surge of voltage.

“The lightning rod attached to the aircraft will protect the airplane if it is hit by lightning,” Silva said.

”We are also looking into human error, mechanical troubles and other angles as cause of the crash,” he said.

Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog said the aircraft was piloted by Captain Adrian de Dios and Major Manuel Sambrano and was carrying seven crewmen and on their way to Iloilo province in central Philippines to pick up members of the Presidential Security Group after Monday's visit by President Gloria Arroyo.

The Philippine Air Force has only two ageing C130 aircrafts in their fleet of mostly old OV-10 fighter planes and UH-1H helicopters. (Romy Bwaga)

Philippine Air Force Official Discloses Cause Of Crashed Plane

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua / August 27, 2008) - A senior Philippine Air Force official on Wednesday said material failure and pilot errors are likely to be the main cause of a military plane's crash soon after takeoff Monday evening, leaving 9 people on board missing.

Air Force Chief Lt. General Pedrito Cadungog said investigators are also looking into "weather phenomenon" as there was an eyewitness who said there was a lighting strike.

But he was also saying that the plane was not likely to have been sabotaged and there was no indication of an explosion before the crash.

The C-130 plane, acquired in 1983 through the United States financing program, had taken off from the Davao City airport at around 08:00 p.m. Monday night local time and was on its way to Iloilo City to fetch personnel from Presidential Security Group. It had two pilots and seven crew members.

By late Wednesday, rescuers have yet found any sign of survival at the suspected site of the crash. Body parts, plane parts and debris were recovered at the sea surface.

Navy Captain Rosauro Gonzales said the wreckage of the C-130 was located 2.5 nautical miles southwest of Samal island and at the depth of 600 feet under water, a distance too deep for rescuers to dive.

Cadungog said that salvaging the wreckage of the aircraft may not be only difficult but also very impractical.

"Basically, we have no visual (of the wreckage). Our divers have not seen it," said Gonzales, adding that the present search is presently concentrated on the debris and body parts.

Gonzales said rescuers have recovered more body parts in the second day of the rescue operation. "They are just inside black plastic bags, the body parts. We also recovered a seat of the aircraft in the area...We have no recovery of body or even a torso, they are all small body parts," he said.

C-130s provides the military a heavy-lift capability and are a big help in offensives, specifically in the transport of government troops and logistics, and in the transport of relief goods to disaster-stricken areas.