Power firm: Cloud seeding was to raise Magat Dam level

By Charlie Lagasca

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya   – A cloud seeding operation, which turned tragic when a light plane crashed May 4 was meant to raise the water level in Magat Dam, said SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP), owner and operator of the dam’s power facility.

SNAP said the aircraft used for the cloud seeding operation crashed in a cornfield in Bagabag town here, killing all four passengers on board.

“We wish to convey our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who died in the incident. We have coordinated with the agencies involved and the aviation company has started to facilitate assistance to the families,” said lawyer Mike Hosillos, SNAP spokesperson.

Aside from pilot Philip Jubane, the other fatalities were identified as Leilani Naga, Christopher Evan Borja and Melvin Simangan, all employees of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) of the Department of Agriculture.

The three BSWM workers were supervising the cloud seeding operation when the Baron fixed-wing light airplane crashed around 2:30 p.m.

The families of the victims, Hosillos said, have been notified of the incident.

The clouding seeding was a joint effort by SNAP; the National Irrigation Administration, which operates the dam’s irrigation facility; and BSWM.

The incident happened on the second day of the operation,  Hosillos said.

The cloud seeding for Magat Dam, he said, was supposed to last for 30 days.

Aside from irrigating some 80,000 hectares of farmland in Isabela and parts of Quirino and Cagayan, the dam generates at least 380 megawatts of power, making it the second biggest power provider among Luzon’s dams.