DAVAO CITY – A US Navy ship has found the wreckage of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force C-130 cargo plane that plunged into the waters of Davao Gulf last Aug. 25, officials said.
Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao chief Navy Capt. Rosauro Arnel Gonzales said the US Navy survey ship USNS John McDonnel pinpointed the exact location of the wreckage of the cargo plane at a depth of about 130 meters (426 feet).
Gonzales said the US Navy ship located the wreckage late Thursday, four days after it arrived here last Sept. 1 to help in the search of the missing cargo plane.
The wreckage area pinpointed by the McDonnel was almost the same spot earlier cited by local divers.
Gonzales said the US Navy ship was also able to detect other major parts of the aircraft in the seabed of Davao Gulf.
The 41-year-old US made cargo plane made last contact with air traffic controllers shortly after take off from Davao airport on its way to Iloilo City.
The aircraft was piloted by Maj. Manuel Zambrano and Capt. Adrian de Dios, with crewmen that included Sgt. Petronilo Fernandez, T/Sgt. Lobregas Constantino, S/Sgts. John Ariola, Gery Denosio, Romeo Gaor and Aldrin Ilustrisimo.
Army Cpl. Bernie Sabangan and Army M/Sgt. Remegio Libres were among the passengers of the ill-fated aircraft.
They were all presumed dead several days after search and rescue operations were called off.
The PAF has earlier ruled out the possibility of sabotage, limiting their investigation to material error and pilot fatigue.
Gonzales said the Philippine Air Force would decide what to do with the wreckage, pointing out the expensive effort that would require professional salvage firms to retrieve the cargo from the ill-fated plane.
He said Navy divers, with their limited resources, could only go as deep as 45 meters (150 feet).
Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo admitted it would be quite difficult for divers to get to the wreckage due to its depth.
“The intention is to retrieve the wreckage because it would help in the investigation, but our present capabilities are limited for that operation,” Arevalo said.
He said the next move would be to look for other agencies and private firms that have the expertise and equipment to bring the wreckage up to the surface.
‘US spying’
Former Bayan Muna representative and the group’s southern Mindanao chairman Joel Virador, however, accused the US Navy of spying and using the search for the cargo plane as an excuse for extending its stay in the Philippines.
According to Virador, the McDonnel is using its sophisticated equipment to survey the country’s natural resources and possible oil deposits.
The US Embassy in Manila yesterday denied the spying allegations.
Press Attaché Rebecca Thompson said the US only responded to the Philippine military’s request to locate the wreckage.
“USNS McDonnel, an oceanographic survey ship, arrived in Philippine waters on Sept. 1 at the request of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to help locate the wreckage of the downed Philippine Air Force C-130. That is its only mission here,” Thompson said.
Officials said that the US ship left Philippine territory last night. –With James Mananghaya, Pia Lee-Brago