Snake caught at Villamor Air Base hours before Marcos' India flight

A snake was caught at Villamor Air Base on Monday morning, just hours before Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. departed for his state visit to India, according to officials.

The snake was spotted slithering in a shrub-covered area only a few meters from the aircraft designated to transport the President. Before Marcos arrived, Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel captured the snake and placed it in a sack.

According to PAF commander Lieutenant General Arthur Cordura, a personnel was bitten, but immediate medical attention was given to him and is now in stable condition.

“He was just administered [with] anti-tetanus because it (the snake) is not venomous,” Cordura told reporters.

Cordura said the snake may have entered the air base due to the recent rains and the 'porous' nature of some areas around the facility.

“It's highly possible that it migrated from one area to another. Good thing it was discovered earlier,” he said.

The PAF chief added that the military will inspect drainage and other access points that may have allowed the reptile to enter the base.

“It is not unusual, but it is preventable. So, we need to reinforce it (our measures) to stop it (the snake) from entering here,” he said. “When we do excavations, we can really find large snakes in the periphery.”

Cordura stressed that the incident was handled swiftly and should not raise alarm.

“I hope we do not make a big deal out of this because it was addressed outright,” he said. “It is not a cause for concern.”

President Marcos left for India on Monday for a state visit from August 4 to 8, upon the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Philippines seeks to leverage India's booming economy — currently the world's fourth largest — to unlock new growth opportunities.