Military authorities remained clueless on what type of
aircraft reportedly crashed in the mountains of Sultan Kudarat on Sunday.
“We continue our search, our troops have not reached the
ground zero as of yet,” Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th Infantry Division
chief, told reporters.
“As of 4 p.m. our search teams, air and ground, have not
found any debris,” Pangilinan said, adding that thick clouds and gloomy weather
prevented the military air asset from coming close to an area in Sultan Kudarat
earlier reported to be the crash site.
Pangilinan said soldiers from the 33rd Infantry Battalion
based in Ampatuan, Maguindanao and elements of the 1st Marine Brigade based in
Lebak, Sultan Kudarat sent to check on the crash site have not found anything
yet.
He said heavy rains prevented ground troops and search and
rescue teams from the local governments of Esperanza and Lebak, all in Sultan
Kudarat from reaching the village
of Salumping
Capt. Joan Petinglay, speaking for the 6th ID, said all
information received by the 6th ID command center are being considered.
The local Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)
said no missing plane was reported in the country since Sunday, raising
speculations that the object that landed in the mountain, part of the Daguma Ranges
The netizens were abuzz with speculations, including the
possible return of a satellite known as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
(TRMM). But it was definitely not the source of the explosion because it was
still in orbit as of Monday (June 15), a National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) statement said as published in various media outlets.
The TRMM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency specifically designed to study rainfall for
weather and climate research. Started in 1997, the mission has been concluded
and all the satellite’s instruments switched off last April 8 and it has been
slowly returning to earth and expected to re-enter on June 16 or June 17, NASA
said.
“It could be but until we found debris, it will remain a
mystery,” Petinglay said of the incident that puzzled many residents of Central Mindanao region, including residents of the
hinterlands of Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.
Witnesses claimed they saw a huge flying object over the Daguma Ranges ,
which exploded in mid-air and crashed in the village of Salumping
But Mayor Helen Latog of the town told reporters the search
and rescue team reached the village but found no debris of any aircraft.
Petinglay appealed to the public to cease from spreading
false information through the social media about the incident and allow
authorities to make the official pronouncement to avoid confusion and fear.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=772721
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