Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Abducted surveyors: We don’t operate US-like spy drones

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 3): Abducted surveyors: We don’t operate US-like spy drones

The Skyeye UAV has brushed aside speculations it is operating a US-like drones in conducting aerial validation of the government’s P1-billion National Greening Program (NGP), saying “our drones are Styrofoam-based specialized for auditing and tracing survivability of plants.”

Chief Executive Officer Matthew Cua, whose Skyeye UAV team were abducted by the New People’s Army (NPA) on May 31 in Barangay New Leyte, Maco town, Compostela Valley while conducting validation of the NGP, said his firm uses specialized bare bones drones specially designed for the NGP to audit, count and see survivability of the plants.

Cua, who was not among those taken by the NPAs, said their drones used for NGP are customized with a two-meter wing span drones. These cannot fly on mountains but only over plantations.

Earlier, the NPA said the surveyors were held for their “culpable violation of the policy of the People’s Democratic Government for bringing in surveillance gadgets, for undertaking reconnaissance of base guerrillas of the New People’s Army and, thus, abetting the enemy’s counter-revolutionary campaign against the revolutionary forces and environmental plunder.”

Cua said his team Ken Wong, Chrisandro Favila, Tim Sabino and Nico Lasaca, who were abducted by the rebels, explained their technology when they were questioned during their abduction.

He stressed theirs was purely validating the NGP program; and, despite the abduction, Skyeye is committed to help the DENR in all its programs, particularly the NGP.

Cua, together with DENR XI Regional Director Joselin Marcus Fragada, held a press conference to explain their contract with the DENR and the drones Skyeye is using.

According to Cua, they are operating a new equipment that could have caught the attention of the people in an area which is not used to such technology.

He said it raises eyebrows of people on what they are doing. Thus he said, on Friday afternoon his crew were approached and questioned by armed men.

Cua said the NPAs were asking mostly on what the team is doing.

“Our team is primarily for the NGP auditing,” he reiterated.

Cua confirmed that some of their equipment were destroyed mainly due to mishandling. He does not know yet whether the validation could be used for their reporting to DENR.

In a statement earlier, the rebels said they have confiscated one sky surfer drone and two multi-rotor drones, two laptops and one GPS.

“I still need to do inventory of our equipment,” Cua told reporters, emphasizing that his priority concern upon the release of his team was to see their condition.

He said the personal belongings of his team were recovered.

In light of the abduction, Cua said he will continue to support the DENR.

He said he knew the area is an NPA lair.

While they are following procedures, Cua said it might not have been enough.

On the other hand, Fragada said the incident should serve as warning for everybody, including all DENR contractors, on the need for proper coordination when operating in areas territories.

Both Fragada and Cua expressed thanks to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who facilitated the release of the Skyeye crew and one rented car driver on Monday afternoon.

Cua said his colleagues are in good spirits, safe and were not hurt during the 72 hours in captivity by the NPA.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=649786

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