TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE — Handa nang lumapag sa airport ang isang C-130 Hercules ng Malaysian Air Force na may dala-dalang relief goods para sa mga survivor ng Super typhoon Yolanda noong Huwebes pero sinabihan na lumipad muna sa Mactan airport sa Cebu upang pagbigyan ang isang pribadong eroplano na may sakay na walong VIPs (very important persons).
Walong araw makaraang bayuhin ng malakas ng hangin at mataas na tubig-dagat ang buong siyudad at magresulta sa kamatayan ng libu-libo katao, hindi pa rin umano maayos ang mga aid missions dahil sa ganitong klase ng problema.
Matatandaang inutusan ni Interior Secretary Mar Roxas ang Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) na i-prioritize ang malalaking eroplano na may dala-dalang relief goods kesa maliliit at pribadong eroplano upang maiwasan ang pagkaantala ng distribusyon ng tulong.
Inutusan din niya si CAAP area manager Efren Nagrama na siguruhin na ang lahat flights na mayroong dalang relief goods ay makararating sa Tacloban matapos malaman na inuna pang pagbigyan ang isang charted Beechcraft King Air kesa sa C-130 ng Malaysia.
“There are relief flights which were not allowed to land because of the air traffic,” ani Roxas. “You have a King Air carrying eight persons and a C-130 carrying tons of relief items. Which one would you let in first?
Unfortunately, the C-130 had to return to Cebu.” “Whoever executive was on that King Air flight, you should have ordered him to go to Cebu and wait for clearance to return,” dagdag niya.
Hindi naman isiniwalat ni Roxas kung sinu-sino ang sakay ng nasabing chartered flight, pero sinabing mga lider ito ng isang private volunteer organization.
“While the government was thankful for the private group’s help in gathering support for the survivors, private flights should not hamper the delivery of aid,” dagdag ng opisyal.
Ipinunto rin niya na isang grupo ng mga doktor mula sa ibang bansa ay hinihintay pa rin hanggang noong Huwebes dahil hindi pa naililipad ang mga medical equipment.
“We need to prioritize flights which are directly involved in the relief operations,” dagdag ng opisyal.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Bandera. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.