Sarmiento, Gazmin’s visit to Aurora postponed due to bad weather

Interior Secretary Mel Sarmiento and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin postponed on Tuesday their aerial inspection in Aurora province due to bad weather brought by tropical storm “Lando.”

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Sarmiento and Gazmin were supposed to leave Manila at 10 a.m. via C130 but strong winds hindered their flight.

“Kanina handang-handa na kaming pumuntang Aurora. Magkasama kami ni Sec. Gazmin at in fact nasa C130 na kami, punung- puno ng supply na ating dadalhin sa Baler para maihatid sa ating mga kababayan, kasama na ang Casiguran,” Sarmiento said in an interview.

(Awhile ago, we were ready to go to Aurora. Sec. Gazmin and I were together and in fact, we were already on board C130, which was full of supplies to be brought to Baler. [These goods] will be brought to [the typhoon victims], including those in Casiguran.)

Aside from aerial inspection, the two officials were supposed to bring relief goods in the typhoon-stricken province but the C130 carrying the supplies were not also allowed to fly.

“Ready na kaming lumipad kaso nga lang nag-advise ung Armed Forces dun na mahirap mag-risk,” Sarmiento said, adding that the runway was only 1.1 kilometers, which is too “risky” for the pilot.

The DILG chief said they would resume the aerial inspection as soon as possible.

But he said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already conducted relief operations.

“Hindi tayo nagsayang ng oras, nabigyan ng instruction ang response cluster na pinangunahan ng DSWD na pwede na silang magproceed by land papunta doon para makapagdala ng tulong na kailangan ng ating mga kababayan sa Aurora Province,” he said.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Lando has downgraded to a tropical storm.

Pagasa said it was last spotted 125 kilometers west of Calayan, Cagayan.

The weather bureau said Lando had a sustained maximum wind of 85 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph.

It said it is moving slowly at 4 kilometers per hour and could become a low pressure area before it exits the Philippine Area of Responsibility. TVJ