C-130 cargo plane gets stuck at Borongan airport

MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine Air Force C-130 plane transporting relief goods to victims of Typhoon Ruby in Samar got stuck at the Borongan airport after one of its tires burst shortly after it touched down on Monday.

The Borongan airport has been designated as the government’s hub for relief operations in Eastern Visayas.

“No one was hurt in the incident and the military plane is now back in Cebu after Air Force technicians replaced its flat tire,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said.

Padilla said the cargo plane would again deliver additional relief goods for the evacuees in Samar and other parts of Eastern Visayas.

He said the incident could have been caused by several factors, including the heavy load of the aircraft and the runway’s rough surface.

Philippine and US military personnel conducted a disaster rapid assessment on a US plane over Samar island to determine the extent of damage caused by the typhoon.

AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang said that based on their assessment, Ruby has left minimal damage in the island province.

“Based on the monitoring, there were no major damages and the roads were not blocked,” Catapang said. 

 Meanwhile, the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) yesterday urged the New People’s Army (NPA) to help in the government’s rehabilitation efforts instead of attacking military camps.

“Instead of attacking soldiers on humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, they should help the typhoon victims in the spirit of bayanihan and Christmas,” Solcom spokesman Maj. Angelo Guzman said.

Guzman said a soldier was hurt after his team conducting humanitarian mission in Irosin, Sorsogon was hit by a landmine set up by NPA rebels.

The next day, an Army patrol base in Barangay Mapulot, Tagkawayan, Quezon was attacked by the NPAs.

Col. Rhoderick Parayno said the rebels fired rifle grenades at the patrol base but missed. No one was wounded in the attack. – Jaime Laude, Michelle Zoleta