Full military honors for fallen airmen

Manila, Philippines – Six personnel of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) killed in a helicopter crash were given full military honors on Thursday, Nov. 6.

The PAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules carrying the caskets of pilot Capt. Paulie Dumagan and co-pilot 2Lt. Royce Louis Camigla, Sgt. John Christopher Golfo, and airman First Class Ericson Merico landed on the Villamor Air Base on Thursday night.

Their families – including their children – wept as they received the fallen airmen’s remains.

Two of the six fallen heroes were flown early Thursday to their hometowns in Mindanao: Sgt. Yves B. Sijub to General Santos City in South Cotabato, and Ameer Khaidar T. Apion to Zamboanga City.

The C-130 aircraft came from Davao Air Station, where a separate tribute was earlier held by the Tactical Operations Wing Eastern Mindanao (TOWEASTMIN) of the air force.

The fallen airmen were posthumously awarded the Distinguished Aviation Cross “ïn recognition of their extraordinary bravery and selfless service,” the PAF said.

“Their heroism stands as a lasting testament to the PAF’s core values of integrity, service above self, and excellence,” it said in a statement.

“The Philippine Air Force extends its deepest condolences to the families of the fallen heroes,” the statement read.

The six airmen’s UH-1H Super Huey helicopter en route to a humanitarian mission for Typhoon Tino victims in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte crashed in the mountain slopes of Agusan del Sur on Nov. 4.

The PAF said it grounded two of its remaining UH-1H Super Huey helicopters pending a probe on circumstances behind the Nov. 4 crash.

Other aerial assets, namely, the S-70A Black Hawks and W-3A Sokol, were dispatched for humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions.