The Japanese government, through the Ministry of Defense is set to turnover the UH-1 helicopter spare parts and maintenance equipment to the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in a ceremony in Pampanga on Tuesday morning.

Major Aristides Galang, PAF spokesman, said the acceptance, turnover and blessing ceremony led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will be held at the Haribon Hangar, Air Force City, Clark Air Base.

Galang said the spare parts and maintenance equipment arrived in the country via C-130 on March 13.

In a previous statement, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the UH-1 helicopter spare parts and maintenance equipment is worth 5.309 billion yen.

Galang stressed the importance of helicopter spare parts and maintenance equipment for the Philippine Air Force units doing ''humanitarian assistance, disaster response and airlift operations”.

“The items will be very much useful to PAF units with UH-1 helicopters such as the 505th Search and Rescue Group, and the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing that conducts humanitarian assistance, disaster response and airlift operations,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS