Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana on Wednesday said 19 out of the 49 military troops who perished in the July 4 crash of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) C-130H “Hercules” cargo plane in Patikul, Sulu have been identified.
In an interview with GMA’s morning show “Unang Hirit”, Sobejana said these include the two PAF personnel whose remains were transported to Clark Air Base in Pampanga Tuesday afternoon, and two others that were transported by land to Mindanao.
The military deaths include eight members of the PAF, nine Army soldiers, a doctor and a nurse.
The latest military fatality was a soldier confined at the West Metro Medical Center, Zamboanga City who succumbed to chemical burns on Monday night, Sobejana said.
Meanwhile, 46 soldiers and four civilians were wounded in the incident.
Sobejana also said DNA testing and dental records matching are used in identifying the victims who were burned beyond recognition.
A scene of the crime team from the Philippine National Police is also helping in identifying the fatalities.
Sobejana thanked burn specialists sent by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte who are now helping in the treatment of the injured military personnel and Tausug residents in Barangay Bangkal, Patikul who were among the first to help the crash victims.
In a TV interview, Sobejana said the black boxes from the Lockheed C-130 plane would be sent to the United States where experts would open and analyze them.
The United States has committed to help extract information from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders that could shed light on the crash that killed 53 people in the southern province of Sulu.
The Philippines, Sobejana said, has no such capability, but gave no timetable for when the data would be extracted and analyzed.
The AFP on Wednesday said the death toll in the crash was 49, not 50 as earlier reported.
In a statement, Sobejana said there was a case of double counting.
“This is a very hard task since the cadavers were beyond recognition, but we have experts supporting our efforts. We are doing our best to expedite the identification and the ongoing investigation without compromising its credibility,” Sobejana said.
Killed in the crash were Maj. Emmanuel Makalintal, Maj. Michael Vincent Benolerao, 1st Lt. Joseph Hintay, T/Sgt. Mark Anthony Agana, T/Sgt. Donald Badoy, Staff Sgt. Jan Neil Macapaz, Staff Sgt. Michael Bulalaque, and Sgt. Jack Navarro, all from the Philippine Air Force.
Also killed were Capt. Higello Emeterio from the AFP Medical Corps and 1st Lt. Sheena Alexandria Tato from the AFP Nurse Corps.
From the Philippine Army, identified were Sgt. Butch Maestro, Private 1st Class Christopher Rollon, Private 1st Class Felixzalday Provido, Privates Raymar Carmona, Vic Monera, Mark Nash Lumanta, Jomar Gabas, Marcelino Alquisar, and Mel Mark Angana.
The AFP has transported the remains of Emeterio, Maestro, Agana, Rollon. Provido, Gabas, Alquisar, Lumanta, Angana, Carmona, and Monera to their hometowns.
The remains of Tato were being transported via C-295 aircraft while seven of the identified cadavers were being prepared for air and land transport.
Sobejana said 30 more cadavers, which are still in Zamboanga City, have yet to be identified.
The PAF, meanwhile, denied rumors that the C130 Hercules cargo plane was overloaded.
“The said C-130 was not overloaded. It was well within the operational limits and capacity when it left Laguindingan Airport with 96 passengers compared to its maximum capacity of 120 passengers; this is contrary to the circulating rumor that the aircraft was overloaded,” PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano said in a statement late Tuesday night.
In a separate message to reporters, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana urged the public to wait for the official results of the investigation on the incident.
On Monday, Mariano said search-and-recovery teams recovered the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the ill-fated C-130.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III on Wednesday extended his condolences to the Filipino people and the families of the victims of the deadly C-130 crash in Jolo, Sulu that resulted in the death of 52 people, 49 of them from the military.
In a media readout issued by the Pentagon, Austin said he spoke over the phone with his counterpart, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and they discussed critical medical evacuation support provided by US personnel for the crash victims.
Austin also conveyed to Lorenzana that the US will provide any additional assistance that is possible.
Two senators on Wednesday called for the modernization of the AFP following the Sulu plane crash.
Senators Christopher Go and Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri underscored the importance of efforts to modernize the AFP.
Go, who is vice chairman of the Senate committee on defense, said he supports AFP modernization efforts so that troops are appropriately equipped to protect their safety.
Go also called for a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
Zubiri cited the need to hasten the country’s aircraft modernization.
“I am appealing to the DBM to find the budget necessary for the Air Force to replace their aging fleet, particularly their workhorses, which are their overused and extremely old C-130s,” Zubiri said, referring to the Department of Budget Management.
On Tuesday, a congressman from Southern Mindanao and a party-list nominee to the House of Representatives promised to donate P5 million to the victims of the Sulu crash.
Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte and ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap in a statement said the amount will be “immediate financial assistance to the families of the military troops and civilians who died in the Sulu plane crash, as well as those injured in the tragedy.”
The donation will be turned over to the Armed Forces leadership at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, on Monday.
“This is a small amount as compared to the sacrifice and service that they rendered to the country. Upon hearing of the incident, Congressman Duterte called up to plan the donation,” Yap said.