NEW PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28231, 20 March 1957, Page 15

NEW PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT

Dr. Garcia Takes Office (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) MAN®aA, March 18. The former Vice-President, Dr. Carlos Garcia, was sworn in as President of the Philippines today. The new President has proclaimed a national one-month state of mourning for President Ramon Magsaysay, who was killed in an airliner crash on Sunday. In his first proclamation after he was sworn in today as President, Dr. Garcia fixed next Friday for the funeral services.

The Presidential press tary (Mr J. V. Cruz) said tonight that investigations of the. crash so far had found “no evidence of sabotage.” He said that Cebu airport officials had told him there seemed to be “absolutely nothing wrong” with the engines before the takeoff on Sunday morning. A group' of three airmen, led by a test pilot, Captain Rivera, made a trial flight from Cebu airport today in an aircraft similar to that of President Magsaysay. They reported that the Presidential aircraft was right on top of a 3000 ft mountain ridge and might have avoided disaster by a slight turn to the right or left. They said the pilot, Major Pobre, possibly under-estimated his load and climbed straight up the mountain face instead of first gaining height. But Colonel Milina, acting commander of the Air Force, said his official investigation team had reached no conclusions by late tonight.