Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Friday ordered the Philippine Air Force to "double safety measures," after a helicopter crashed in a northern province, claiming nine lives.

Arroyo said to reporters that the incident should be consideredas a wake-up call for the Armed Forces to check on its air assets to make sure that such a tragedy will not be repeated in the future.

"Our operational readiness must always be backed up by double safety measures and I hope we can achieve this through the effective implementation of the Philippine Defense Reforms initiated during my administration," she said.

The victims of the Huey helicopter crash in Gabaldon town, Nueva Ecija, included experts of the Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), who were on their way to Dingalan town in Aurora province to determine whether the area wassafe for resettlement.

The Phivolcs said Thursday that it shared its "grief and sorrow" with the families of those who died and "mourned this great lossto the Philippine scientific community."

Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. also said at the same news conference that all Huey helicopters of the Air Force have been ordered to be grounded pending the results of the investigation.

However, Cruz defended that the Hueys were "reliable and durable."

Source: Xinhua