25 nabbed for looting relief goods at Villamor Air Base

Families airlifted from the calamity areas hit by ‘Yolanda’ have been arriving in batches at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Air Force has reported 25 persons accused of looting relief goods for Yolanda typhoon victims at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Air Force spokesman Colonel Miguel Ernesto Okol on Wednesday said that these cases were documented by the Pasay City Police.

Some of the evacuees of typhoon-battered Yolanda, the strongest storm to make landfall, were flown to Villamor Air Base.

“The Air Force has arrested about 25 persons posing as survivors and evacuees or volunteers,” Okol said.

He added that the arrested persons were not included in the manifest to be considered as evacuees and these persons also admitted that they were not evacuees themselves.

“Some of the volunteers who distribute relief packages set aside goods for themselves,” Okol said.

In a separate incident, Okol said that three of the volunteers that looted goods did not know they were being watched.

“We closed the gate and called for an investigation. They were caught with about 15 bags of relief goods,” he said.

In a TV news report, a red-plate vehicle containing relief goods was also apprehended.

“I cannot substantiate that. I did not see the report and it was not the ‘main meat’ of the report. What is important was they were also arrested at the gate and they were turned over to the police,” Okol said.

The looting incidents were recorded a few days after the start of the operations at Villamor last Nov. 16.

Related stories

UP to send medical, technical teams to E. Visayas campuses hit by Yolanda

3-day-old girl dies in Yolanda-wrecked hospital

780 more bodies recovered in Leyte

US military ‘godsend’ to ‘Yolanda’ victims

China ready to send medical teams to Philippines

New York artists to auction works for ‘Yolanda’ victims