AFP PLANE CRASH KILLS AND INJURES MILITARY PASSENGERS

49 were killed while 47 were injured when a C-130 Hercules military plane crashed into the nearby
town, Patikul, Sulu in the morning of July 5, 2021.

Major General, Edgard Arevalo confirmed that there were 96 passengers on board the C-130. A
considerable lot of the travelers are recently recruited privates for organization to Sulu from the
Philippine Army's eleventh Infantry Division as a feature of a joint team battling illegal intimidation in
the Muslim-larger part locale.

The plane had been conveying troops from Cagayan de Oro when it skidded past the runway and
crashed into the nearby town as it attempted to land at the Jolo Airport.

General Cirilito Sobejana, who, in retrospect, served as the Joint Task Force Sulu Commander, will be
joined by the Air Mobility Command, together with the investigating team.

He immediately ordered the guarding of the area to preserve the evidences from the flight data
recorder. Information from the eyewitnesses and flight data recorder aka “Thee Black Box” of the C-130
aircraft shall be taken into account. The Armed Forces assures everyone, especially the victims’ family
that unless information gathered in sensitive to National Security, the AFP will release the results of
their investigation.

General Edgard Arevalo, the AFP Spokesperson, says all perspectives of the accident will be investigated
from the states of the plane just as the air terminal's runway, the climate and surprisingly the abilities of
the pilots. In the interim, it may take some time before the tactical delivers the rundown of names of
those on board the C-130.

“We are saddened by this plane crash incident and we are doing what we can to ensure that this won’t
happen again in the future,” said Arevalo.

“Some C-130 are undergoing repairs and refurnishing of parts to make sure that these are current and
evident standards. Our pilots are seasoned and experienced pilots like the ones who ran the aircraft.”

There has been a misconception that the AFP are buying defective aircrafts as stated by Sen. Richard
Gordon on his twitter account. He questioned the quality of the air assets acquired by the Philippine
Armed Forces after a series of AFP plane crashes, this, being the fourth in the year 2021.

“The aircraft followed the specified protocol regarding the approach speed, the landing spot and the
area that part of the runway where it landed followed all those protocol per available information so
there’s no truth to the rumor that this aircraft is defective. Is it in tipped up deep shaped condition and
the pilots are all rated, seasoned and experienced, in flying this kind of aircraft.”

The Armed Forces is now focused on identifying the dead bodies, relying on dental records and forensic
experts. Apparently quite a number were charred beyond recognition. This is crucial in the military
protocol, so that the next kin could be properly informed and process the necessary benefits and
assistance to the grieving families. The procedure can be tedious and there’s the need to practice
restraint in releasing the list of names to the public to show respect and compassion to the victims’
families.