Pilots in Bukidnon crash honored
AIRMEN IN CRASH HONORED The remains of Maj. Jude Salang-Oy and 1st Lt. April John Dadulla, the two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots who died when their FA- 50 jet fighter crashed in Bukidnon province on March 4, are blessed and given full military honors upon arrival at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, on Saturday. The PAF said the aircraft crashed while in a tactical night operation, with the wreckage and the pilots’ bodies later found on Mt. Kalatungan. —Photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — The two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots who died after their FA-50 fighter jet crashed at a mountain in Bukidnon were honored at the Villamor Air Base on Saturday afternoon.
The flag-draped caskets of Maj. Jude Salang-oy and 1st Lt. April John Dadulla arrived at the Villamor Air Base via a C-130 aircraft at about 3 p.m.
READ: PAF fighter jet pilots’ remains extracted from Bukidnon crash site
The families and relatives of the pilots were present for military honors led by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and PAF chief Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura.
President Marcos was not able to attend the arrival honors due to “an urgent matter,” according to Malacañang, but Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr. represented the Chief Executive.
The two slain pilots were awarded the Distinguished Aviation Cross for the aerial operation that led to their deaths in a nighttime operation past midnight on March 4. —Nestor Corrales
