Philippines ready to help search for AirAsia plane

MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is ready to deploy air and naval assets to help in the search for the AirAsia plane that went missing over the Java Sea last Sunday.

AFP spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said military troops in Mindanao have been alerted in case Indonesian authorities make a request for additional assets.

“The secretary of national defense and the chief of staff directed the armed forces to alert all its units down south especially in areas close to the borders where the missing aircraft may be possibly found,” Padilla told reporters in an interview on Monday.

“The intent is to provide appropriate feedback to Indonesian authorities,” he added.

Padilla said military units have been instructed to be on the lookout for “possible unusual sightings.”

Philippine Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Enrico Canaya said their C-130 cargo planes may be suitable for a large area search due to their long endurance.

Padilla and Canaya, however, clarified that they have yet to receive a request for additional assets.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 from Indonesia and bound for Singapore lost contact with air traffic control Sunday afternoon over the Java Sea.

A total of 162 passengers, including 16 children and an infant, were in the plane, which disappeared midway into the flight without sounding a distress call. There was no Filipino passenger in the said flight.

The Airbus A320-200 departed Juanda international airport in Surabaya, Indonesia at 5:20 a.m. and was expected to arrive in Singapore at 8:30 a.m.

Indonesian authorities said the plane may have crashed into the sea.