MANILA: The remains of two pilots aboard a missing FA-50 fighter jet were found on Wednesday (March 5) inside the aircraft, which crashed in the Kalatungan mountain range in the Bukidnon province.
In an interview, Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Eastern Mindanao Command, confirmed that the pilots were found around 11 a.m.
“Yes,” Bergante said when asked if the pilots were inside the aircraft.
Bergante said they had already deployed search and rescue teams from the special forces to retrieve the pilots’ remains.
In a separate statement, Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo confirmed the deaths of the pilots.
“The Philippine Air Force FA-50 aircraft reported missing has been located by ground troops in the vicinity of the Mt. Kalatungan Complex, Bukidnon, today, March 5, 2025,” Castillo said.
“With deep regret and profound sadness, the PAF announces the loss of the two pilots aboard,” she also revealed.
“The PAF has grounded its FA-50 fleet and will ensure a thorough investigation into the accident,” she added.
According to Castillo, PAF has sent its condolences to the bereaved families and will provide necessary support “during this difficult time.”
“We also request the nation’s prayers for the eternal repose of our fallen pilots, whose service and heroism we deeply honour,” she concluded.
Earlier, the PAF official reported that the FA-50 fighter jet went missing during a tactical night operation shortly after midnight on March 4.
Castillo said the FA-50 carrying two pilots was supposed to land at Mactan Airbase in Cebu, but the jet lost communication with one of its fellow aircraft “minutes before reaching the target area.”
PAF currently has 11 remaining FA-50s in its arsenal after retiring some of its fighters in 2005.
All the FA-50s were acquired from Korea Aerospace Industries for P18.9 billion (US$0.33 billion) during the administration of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino Jr.
Over in Davao City, Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Eastern Mindanao Command, held a separate press briefing on Wednesday morning about the tragedy.
For his part, Lt. Col. Francisco Garello Jr., spokesperson of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said the jet crashed in the mountains of Barangay Miarayon in Talakag town.
“Also, (we confirm that) the bodies of two pilots were found near the wreckage of (the) FA-50 (jet),” Garello said in a Viber message.
Garello added that the troops of the 1st Special Forced Battalion under the Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade reached the crash site on Wednesday morning.
The ill-fated jet was part of a mission called in on Monday night to provide air support to government troops battling communist rebels in Bukidnon.
The PAF said the jet, which flew out of the Benito Ebuen Airbase in Mactan, lost communication past midnight on Tuesday as it was nearing the target area.
Amid gloomy weather, soldiers brought in by a military chopper and civilian volunteers scoured the Kalatungan range on Tuesday in search of the missing aircraft and its pilots. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
