The Philippine Air Force (PAF) confirmed Tuesday the arrival of military aircraft from the United States (US) in the country to augment disaster response and relief operations in areas ravaged by recent typhoons and the intensified southwest monsoon (habagat).
“Yes, as far as the information that we got, yes, there are aircraft that were committed by the United States to help in our HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster response) efforts, and these are coming from both rotary and fixed-wing assets,” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said during a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.
Although Castillo did not specify the exact date of arrival, she confirmed that the US aircraft are now stationed at one of the PAF’s air bases and are ready for deployment.
She stressed that the deployment of these US air assets is being closely coordinated with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), which is leading the national response efforts.
“As far as the utilization of these US assets, we get guidance from the Office of Civil Defense because they are the ones who pinpoint the areas of great concern,” Castillo said.
Castillo stressed that the airlift missions underscore the PAF’s vital role in connecting government agencies and local government units, enabling them to provide assistance and demonstrate solidarity during times of need.
“PAF’s role in bridging agencies and local government units as they extend help and show concern to each other in times of need fosters the spirit of bayanihan and further shows the immeasurable investment we can make to propagate values and resilience in Filipino communities,” she said.
In his television interview on Monday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. revealed that seven aircraft from the US Marine Corps are currently working with PAF assets, including C-130 transport planes and helicopters, to reach remote communities cut off by landslides, flooding, and damaged infrastructure.
“We are also trying to push needed goods and services, plus connectivity to La Union and other areas in Region 1 and in the Cordillera, which were badly hit,” Teodoro said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart on Monday.
The US assistance is being carried out under the framework of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allows for joint humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations between the two long-standing allies.
“So, might I say too that there are already seven US Marine aircraft, together with our own fleet of C-130s and other aircraft and helicopters, [deployed] in order to bring goods to communities which cannot be serviced by the road networks right now,” Teodoro said.
As of the latest situational report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the combined impacts of tropical cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong—exacerbated by the habagat—have left at least 34 people dead. Eighteen others were injured, and seven remain missing.
The severe weather events have affected more than 6.6 million individuals, or 1.8 million families, across nearly all regions of the country, excluding Eastern Visayas.