By Nef Luczon
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) honored the fallen pilots of the ill-fated Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50PH fighter jet on Wednesday, after the wreckage and their bodies were found in Bukidnon province.
Maj. Jude Salang-oy and 1Lt. April John Dadulla, the jet’s pilots, were reported missing shortly after midnight Tuesday, after the aircraft lifted off from Mactan, Cebu, to support ground troops against communist rebels.
The wreckage was found in the Mount Kalatungan range, near the border of Pangantucan and Talakag towns, as confirmed by Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista.
Lt. Col. Francisco Garello, chief of the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, said the 1st Special Forces Battalion of the 403rd Infantry Brigade was tasked with retrieving the remains.
“From the crash site, the troops will carry the bodies to a nearby landing zone, and a PAF helicopter will airlift them,” he said.
Salang-oy, a delegate at the 2023 International Aerospace Symposium in South Korea, and Dadulla, a native of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, were mourned by their families and colleagues.
The PAF has grounded its FA-50 fleet and vowed a thorough investigation into the accident. (PNA)
