By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who hails from Negros Occidental, raised the issue of the recent series of accidents involving outdated military aircraft that resulted in numerous deaths and casualties.
A press statement to Daily Guardian said that Zubiri delivered a privilege speech on the matter during their session Tuesday.
His speech comes on the heels of the January 16, 2021 helicopter crash in Impasugong, Bukidnon.
A Philippine Airforce Huey helicopter nosedived onto a field, killing all seven passengers and crew. Smoke was reportedly seen coming from its engine before the accident.
Zubiri further enumerated similar incidents from the past year, identifying accidents involving another Huey last November 2020, an Air Force Sikorski air ambulance in September, and yet another Huey in July. Collectively, these accidents resulted in nine deaths, plus more injured.
“What happened in Bukidnon recently, and all the other military aircraft crashes which resulted in deaths of our military and civilian personnel, were senseless deaths. Avoidable accidents, if only we were serious about modernizing our military,” Zubiri said.
He further pointed out that the Huey helicopter is old, and no longer fit to serve the military.
“Huey helicopters are in the range of 40 to 50-year-old air assets . . . we need to modernize our military hardware and equipment, including our aircrafts. The Senate is prepared to listen to our military for what they need—what comfortable level of budget they need for 2022 and in the succeeding years to sustain their efforts in modernizing our military.”
