Capas mayor blames Philippine Air Force for Pinatubo deaths

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines — Mayor Rey Catacutan of Capas, Tarlac blamed the Philippine Air Force (PAF) contingent stationed at the foot of Mt. Pinatubo in Capas for allowing foreign tourists and their Filipino guides to drive to the volcano’s crater lake that resulted to the death of three foreigners and two others after mudflows triggered by heavy rains swept the mountain slopes last Thursday.

Catacutan denied that he nor the Capas municipal tourism officer was aware that the foreign tourists and their guides on board four-wheel drive jeeps were allowed to drive through the rough trail Barangay Sta. Juliana in Capas to the Mt. Pinatubo crater, which has become a popular tourist attraction after the volcano erupted in 1991.

He said that the unit from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) 600th Air base Wing manning a checkpoint at the foot of Mt. Pinatubo at Crow Valley in Capas, gave the final go-signal to the tourists, that included seven French, three South Koreans and one Belgian, to drive to the crater lake early last Thursday morning.

Brig. Gen. Alejandro Camagay, former commander of the 600th Air Base Wing and currently chief of the PAF’s Air Reserve Command, said that the Air Force personnel should not be blamed and he also claimed that Catacutan has been seeking the ouster of the PAF station in Capas for preventing the entry of tourists near the military station on their way to the Mt. Pinatubo crater lake.

Camagay said the PAF team assigned at Mt. Pinatubo often had conflicts with Catacutan over the issue of tourist access to the area when live-ammunition firing exercises are conducted during the RP-US Balikatan joint military exercises or when there is bad weather.

“He (Caparas) would accuse us (PAF) of being anti-development,” Camagay said.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said Capas local officials might be held liable and face criminal charges for negligence after they allegedly allowed the tourists to climb Mt. Pinatubo despite typhoon “Kiko” last Thursday.

The storm dumped heavy rains that caused mudflows at the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo that swept the three jeeps of the tourists, killing three foreigners and two Filipinos.

The fatalities were identified as French tourists Martine Cholet, a female, and Thierry Chailot, Belgian Walter Steylian, barangay tanod Fidel Reila and tourist guide Orlando Fernando.

Search and rescue teams recovered five French and three South Korean tourists.

Catacutan said his municipal tourism officer Say Velasquez did not give permission to the tourists and their guides to drive to the volcano’s crater.

He said that the tourists initially hired guides from the Angeles City 4x4 Club, which provided three four-wheel drive jeeps to the group.

Catacutan said club members brought the tourists to the Pinatubo Development Corp. (PDC), a Korean firm accredited by the Capas municipal government to operate tourism facilities in Barangay Sta. Juliana.

The tourists later registered at the PDC office for an expedition to the Mt. Pinatubo crater lake.

Catacutan said the foreign tourists registered at the PDC in Sta. Juliana at about 7 a.m. last Thursday. They were reported to have earlier checked in at Fiesta Garden Hotel in Angeles City and arrived on board three jeeps driven by members of the Angeles 4x4 Club.

“After PDC registered them, the tourists were supposed to obtain the signatures of the barangay and municipal tourism officers, although the guests reportedly skipped on (getting permits from) the local tourism officials,” he added.

Catacutan said that according to the survivors, their group reportedly reached the crater lake before noon, but the Filipino drivers decided to drive down the mountain at about noontime after the weather deteriorated.

The jeep of the three Koreans went first, followed by another jeep with four French tourists. Three other French tourist, including a woman, and the Belgian boarded the third jeep, said Catacutan.

Catacutan said the route to the crater that the group took was an old trail, which existed before the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. The trail was rehabilitated by the PDC to cut travel time between Sta. Juliana and the volcano’s summit.

He said that at the time of the accident last Thursday, the PAF checkpoint was headed by a certain Lt. Layan who was also hospitalized after he was swept by floodwaters while assisting in search and rescue operations for the tourists.

Catacutan said during RP-US Balikatan joint military exercises at Crow Valley, the PAF team at the checkpoint prohibits the entry of tourists, even those that got permits from the PDC and local tourism officers.

While saying he and his tourism officer were not aware of the tourists’ trek to Mt. Pinatubo last Thursday, Catacutan insisted that weather was fine last Thursday morning.

“I remember there was no storm signal (raised) anymore as typhoon Kiko was supposed to be on its way out of the country somewhere in Batanes.”

Catacutan said he has a “standing policy” of not allowing anyone to climb Mt. Pinatubo during bad weather or if there is any announcement from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) of any expected weather disturbances.

Brig. Gen. Camagay, however, explained that Mayor Catacutan would get angry whenever the PAF team at Crow Valley stops tourists from trekking to the volcano.

“The Crow Valley area is part of a military reservation and is the only way up to Mt. Pinatubo from Capas. When I was head of the 600th Air Base Wing (until last July), the mayor even wanted us out of there because we did not always allow his tourists access through the valley,” Camagay recalled.

Camagay said Catacutan even reminded PAF officials that Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and President Arroyo were the mayor’s wedding sponsors.

Chief Superintendent De la Cruz ordered Tarlac provincial director Senior Superintendent Rudy Lacadin to investigate the possible negligence of Capas officials over the tragedy.

Landslide hits tourists

Catacutan reported that the typhoon’s rains caused floodwaters that swept the already swollen O’Donnel River.

The drivers of the three jeeps, which were some 50 to 100 meters apart, asked their passengers to walk amid fears their vehicles could slide into the river. The passengers of the third jeep were already walking ahead of the jeep when a landslide buried their vehicle, although its driver and their two guides were able to jump off to safety.

The three foreign tourists on the third jeep —two French and a Belgian —were swept away while attempting to cross the O’Donnel river, he said.

Catacutan said local tourist guide Orlando Fernando drowned while trying to rescue one of the French tourists. The other guide was able to save the other French tourist, but the Belgian also drowned.

The other tourists who went down ahead were trapped by the strong currents but were rescued later.

Catacutan said Defense Secretary Teodoro and Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), sent rescue helicopters to the area.

The mayor said French Embassy officials have expressed gratitude for the rescue of the other French tourists.

“I was told the survivors were thankful for our rescue efforts and our bringing them immediately to the hospital for check-up after they were rescued,” he added.

He said the remains of the three foreigners remained at the Mallari Funeral Parlor in Capas.

Catacutan said insurance companies would arrange for the repatriation of the bodies of the foreign victims to France and Belgium.

Meantime, the emergency units of the PNRC and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), along with some medical staff, will continue assisting evacuees from 11 flooded barangays in Botolan, Zambales.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, who is also a governor of the PNRC, conferred with Botolan Mayor Rogelio Yap last Friday and the SBMA and PNRC rescue teams have set up their command post at the Porac Elementary School in Botolan. – With Bebot Sison Jr.