Air Force: Missing C-130 plane did not carry explosives

MANILA, Philippines - Amid speculations that the missing C-130 aircraft exploded in mid-air, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Saturday said the plane was not carrying any explosives. GMA News reporter Marisol Abdurahman, in her report over QTV’s Balitanghali , said that according to various accounts of fishermen, the plane hasn’t even risen that high yet when the aircraft exploded in mid-air last Monday night. Although pieces of body parts, boots, pieces of aircraft material and uniform were found in the sea, the Air Force said that search and recovery teams still couldn’t conclude that the C-130 really did explode. “Kung sasabog ho ang engine, dapat may makikita tayong mga (If it really did explode then we would have seen an) explosion o kung sakali mang sumabog iyon, dapat may (if it did explode) pieces of evidence na marerecover (would be recovered)," said Major General Jobito Gammad, head of PAF’s investigating team, in a press conference. The Air Force also assured the public that the missing aircraft was not carrying any explosives. It added that the two army soldiers who were on board the C-130, Corporal Bernie Sabangan and Master Sergeant Remijio Libres, were not carrying explosives either. The two were not included in the first list of passengers given to the media. Authorities earlier identified those on board the plane were Maj. Manuel A. Zambrano, pilot; Capt. Adrian de Dios, co-pilot; and its crew members — Technical Sergeant Lobregas Constantino and Staff Sergeants John Ariola, Gerry Denioso, Felix Patraica, Pedronelo Fernandez, Patricio Romeo Gaor, and Aldrin Illustrisimo. Sabangan and Libres were reported to have been only in charge of transporting portable communication equipment from Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to the Davao International Airport. “Hindi sila bababa dahil ang role nila (They wouldn’t go down because their role) is to go back. ’Yun lang ang ang role nila, mag-escort ng (That’s their only role, to escort) equipment," said Colonel Roy Deveraturda, PAF operations officer. Meanwhile, Task Force Hercules is focused on the rescue and retrieval of possible survivors and of the aircraft itself. A fish company also recently lent its echo finder to the navy which can help detect entities up to 2,000 feet underwater. According to the map that the task force plotted, their search would cover the area between Davao Del Sur and Samal, an island city of Davao Del Norte. A left foot with a pilot’s shoe was found in Davao del Sur while a right foot was found in Samal Island. Tire debris and oil slick were also found, making the task force believe that the crash site might be between the two areas, officials have said. Navy Captain Arnel Gonzales, in charge of the search operations, said that the debris found may have been carried by the high tide. - Kimberly Jane Tan, GMANews.TV