Ambassador Goldberg cancels Leyte trip due to plane ‘engine trouble’

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 11): Ambassador Goldberg cancels Leyte trip due to plane ‘engine trouble’

United States Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg has cancelled his trip to the province today due to “engine trouble” by his private plane before it took off Manila this morning.

Hundreds of children, their parents, and local officials turned quiet when they heard the news that the ambassador cancelled his Leyte trip.

Children bearing US and Philippine flags went out of their classrooms shortly before 9 a.m. anticipating that the US envoy and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Gloria D. Steele are coming.

The official was supposed to lead the inauguration of a 6-classroom school building in San Joaquin Central School this town.

Nikki Meru, USAID Rebuild project media liaison officer told reporters that the ambassador decided to call off the trip due to engine trouble of their private plane. The official was reportedly at the Manila airport when crew found out the engine problem.

Meru said that Steele will try to attend other activities in Tacloban today through a commercial flight.

The activity proceeded despite the absence of Goldberg and Steele. Local officials addressed the crowd gathered, expecting to see the visiting US envoy.

“My sincerest thanks to Sir Philip and Ma’am Gloria for your magnanimous heart that lift a part of San Joaquin Central School. Your commendable leadership and support shall always inspire us as we continue our life after Yolanda,” said school principal Liberato Cobacha.

The school lost 67 enrolled children when super typhoon Yolanda struck. The catastrophe totally “washed out” several classrooms.

Grade 5 learner Reymark Avila, 13 who lost his younger sister during the onslaught of super typhoon, thanked the US government for the new classroom.

“Even if I’m the only learner in this school in our family, I am motivated to study because of their generosity,” Reymark shared. Yesterday, children prepared colorful “Thank you” cards for the US envoy and USAID officials.

Following the inauguration, officials are scheduled to proceed to Utap village in this city to turn over 40 sari-sari stores to small entrepreneurs whose means of livelihood were shattered by the 2013 super typhoon.

After lunch, Goldberg and Steele are supposed inaugurate a two-storey health facility that houses a tuberculosis treatment clinic and the Tacloban City Health office, which serves about 39,000 residents from 45 villages.

These projects are part of the U.S. Government’s USD143 million relief and rehabilitation assistance for Yolanda survivors.

This is the second time that the US ambassador cancelled his Leyte trip. The first was in July 2014 due to threats of typhoon Glenda.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=743396