Phl cancels sending of rescue team to Japan

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government has cancelled the deployment of its search and rescue team to Japan and will instead donate relief goods to the quake-hit country.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Benito Ramos said P1.3-million worth of relief goods from the social welfare department will be flown to Japan today via a commercial flight.

“The relief items they requested will be brought to Japan via Philippine Airlines for free. These consist of food and non-food items,” Ramos said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City yesterday.

Ramos declined to state the reasons that prompted the government to scrap the sending of a rescue team to quake-hit areas.

“The rescue team will no longer be sent to Japan. The Department of Foreign Affairs can answer that. I did not ask why,” he said.

Ramos had previously said many countries have already sent their respective search and rescue teams to Japan. 

He said he is not sure if another batch of relief goods would be sent to Tokyo.

“We are ready. It’s not me who will decide on that but DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and Malacañang. We will follow their orders,” the NDRRMC official said.

The relief packages will be sent to Tokyo and distributed by a six-man team led by Col. Danilo Estropia. 

Ramos said the six-man advanced party went to Japan last week and belied speculations that Japan refused to accept the Philippines’ offer of assistance. 

He said they are not slighted by Japan’s decision not to give its go-signal to the rescue team.

“If they refused our assistance, then they should not have accepted our relief items. What is important is we offered help,” Ramos said.

The NDRRMC initially formed a 46-man search and rescue contingent composed of representatives from the Army’s 51st engineering brigade, Bureau of Fire Protection, Makati Urban Search and Rescue team, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Pasig search and rescue teams.

The team was supposed to be transported by the Philippine Air Force’s lone C-130 cargo plane.

Last Tuesday, Ramos said the rescue team has been downsized to 18 to accommodate relief goods donated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the private sector.

He said the downsizing of the team will allow the C-130 to carry the relief goods which include biscuits, canned goods, bottled water, coffee, sleeping bags, eggs and vitamins.

Ramos said various private groups and individuals have expressed interest to send their donations to the earthquake victims.

Latest reports said the death toll from the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit parts of Japan last March 11 has exceeded 9,000.