By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – Several United States aircraft are in the Philippines to help in the ongoing humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) missions amid the effects of inclement weather, a Philippine military official said Tuesday.
In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said the planes were “committed” by the US and are now just awaiting deployment in a local military base. “As far as the information that we got, there (are) aircraft that were committed by the United States to help in our HADR efforts,” Castillo said.
Castillo, however, said they do not have the details on when the American aircraft arrived in the country. “They] are both rotary and fixed-wing assets that are currently in one of our air base(s) for ready deployment,” she sshared, citing information received by PAF.
Asked on when and where the US planes will be deployed, Castillo said they will have to get guidance from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) first, as the agency is responsible for pinpointing areas in great need of help.
“And so the utilization of these foreign assets for the HADR mission will be on the direction of the OCD,” the PAF spokesperson said.
Earlier reports said the planes, seven in total, are from the US Marine Corps. (PNA)