Govt to get fuel from USA for C-130 flight to Japan

The Philippine government has made arrangements with the United States to supply fuel for its C-130 cargo plane to bring a search-and-rescue team and relief goods to quake- and tsunami-stricken Japan. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Thursday said the Philippines will later reimburse the US for the "fly now, pay later" plan. "We arranged for fuel to be provided by the US government. Of course we also have to reimburse them but the supply is available," Del Rosario said in an interview on dwIZ radio. He did not give further details about the fuel arrangements. The US maintains military facilities in Japan. Earlier, the Philippine government bared plans to use its C-130 to transport Philippine teams to Japan to help in search and rescue (SAR) efforts there. Del Rosario said they also plan to use the C-130 to bring Filipinos wanting to go home to the Philippines on the cargo plane's return flight. But for now, he said all they can do is wait for the Japanese government's go-signal for the Philippine teams to take off. "There are two SAR teams we have prepared for Japan. The teams are prepared to leave any time," he said. Also, he said the Philippines made offers on medical, paramedic teams and various other types of teams but Japan already has a sufficient number of medical teams in place. "At one point we were asked to see if we could send sniffing dogs. We were able to source the dogs and handlers but Japan responded quickly that many dogs had already arrived in Tokyo. But they said a SAR team would be helpful so we put up two teams. These are large 40-man teams, he added. For his part, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) head Benito Ramos said the teams are ready to leave with 300 protective suits from Canada. Ramos, in an interview on dzRH, also said the team members may undergo necessary immunization procedures before leaving. He said members of the two groups are from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Makati and Pasig rescue teams; Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; and Departments of Health and Social Welfare and Development. — LBG, GMA News