Private plane with 7 people reported missing

MANILA, Philippines - A private plane with seven people on board was reported missing yesterday after it failed to reach its destination on time, police said.

Cagayan Valley police director Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian said police rescue teams are coordinating with the Air Transportation Office (ATO) to locate the missing Chemtrad plane with tail number RP-C764.

Damian said the plane’s pilot was identified as Capt. Tomas Yañez and co-pilot Capt. Reiner Ruiz, with passengers Senior Police Officer 2 Rolly Castaños, Celestino Salacup, Abelardo Baggay, Joel Basilio and James Bakilan.

He said the airplane left Tuguegarao airport at around 8 a.m. yesterday bound for Maconacon, Isabela, which is just 30 to 35 minutes away by plane.

“The airplane didn’t reach its destination as of press time. This office is still verifying its present location per coordination with other concerned agencies,” Damian reported. “We are preparing for the worst scenario. There is an airstrip in Valley Cove. We are checking. ATO is silent. We are proceeding to Isabela.”

Director General Ruben Ciron of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said that as part of the effort to locate the missing plane, the agency’s Operations Center has called up neighboring airports such as those in Isabela, Cauayan, San Fernando, Clark, Subic and as far as Laoag airport to inquire whether RP-C764 had landed in their respective airports.

Officials from the nearby airports reported that the plane has not landed in any of the air terminals even as Tuguegarao authorities reported that the weather was fine when the aircraft took off yesterday.

Ciron said the Armed Forces Regional Command II from Tuguegarao, the Philippine Air Force, Technical Operations Center in Cauayan, Operations Center in Isabela, Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Interior and Local Government have deployed search teams.

The police sent foot patrols while the Air Force will deploy a UH-IH “Huey” helicopter from Baguio City to trace the route of the missing aircraft.   – With Rudy Santos, Charlie Lagasca