About 100 tourists and local travelers were scheduled to fly out from the island province of Batanes on Tuesday on board a mercy flight arranged by the Philippine Air Force when it was postponed due to high winds.
Occupants of the PAF C-130 plane l, who were stranded in Batanes for days, were sent back to their lodging places because gusty winds and rain exceeded standard safety limits for planes, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
The southwest monsoon and typhoons dumped more than two weeks of rain, resulting in the cancellation of commercial and government-chartered flights to Batanes.
Air Force officials told disaster responders that pilots adhere to the rules to ensure safe flights.
PDRRMO officials said C-130 seats allotted for the tourists and residents would still be honored once good weather allows flights to resume.
The provincial government earlier asked for mercy flights to bring home stranded island guests who are under the care of the Provincial Heritage and Tourism Office (PHTO).
The Batanes provincial government continues to provide relief goods, household kits and lodging amenities to the stranded tourists and visitors.
The provincial government has also been distributing maintenance medicines, first aid support, and medical monitoring to people in need