‘Gorio’ may bring more rains, landslides; flooding alert raised
More rains over a large part of Luzon and Visayas are expected to last until the weekend after “Gorio” intensified into a storm while it slightly slowed down, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Wednesday.
The formal turnover and blessing ceremony of the two Cessna-208B Caravan ISR Aircraft, each valued at $2 million, will be held at the Villamor Air Base grandstand in Pasay City, at 2:30 p.m. today, with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana invited to the ceremony, Air Force spokesman Major Aristides M. Galang said.
Also expected to attend are US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim and officials of the Philippine Air Force, led by Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restito Padilla said the Cessna 208B planes will be a big help to the AFP in detecting ships and other craft intruding into the country’s territorial waters.
“These ISR aircraft can conduct photo-recon missions along the country’s coastal zones,” Padilla said. “They can be used to track down or locate lawless elements who are attempting to infiltrate the Philippines’ southern maritime borders.”
General Padilla said the Cessna 208B has a cruising speed of around 170 knots and has a range of over 1,000 nautical miles. It can transport close to a dozen people, including the pilot.
In an interview on Tuesday, Secretary Lorenzana said the planes can be used in taking photographs of maritime domains and borders which have great importance to the country.
“These are actually long-range patrol planes which we can use in the Sulu Sea, in our West Philippine Sea, and also in Benham or Philippine Rise to get photos of the area,” Lorenzana said. (Francis T. Wakefield)