MISSING PAF FIGHTER JET FOUND IN BUKIDNON, 2 PILOTS DEAD

THE missing Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50PH fighter jet was found Wednesday in Mt. Kalatungan, Bukidnon, with two  of its pilots confirmed dead.

The fighter jet, with its pilots Maj. Jude Salang-oy and 1Lt. April John Dadulla, was 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 Mt. Kalatungan range near the border of Pangantucan and Talakag towns, as confirmed by Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Salvacion Evangelista.

According to Lt. Col. Francisco Garello, chief of the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, 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.

The death of 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.

Following the crash, the PAF has grounded its FA-50 fleet as it vowed a thorough investigation into the accident.