THE CRASH OF MAGSAYSAY… By the mid-1950s President Ramon Magsaysay took a personal interest in the development of Mactan… He made regular flights to conduct inspection trips together with a presidential party in a C-47 transport piloted by the Chief of the Air Force GENERAL BENITO EBUEN (A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1937)… During such trips political rivalries in the area prevented him from staying overnight and there were instances he arrived back to Manila late at night, well into midnight… On one such late-night return trip from Cebu, President Magsaysay met then COLONEL EUSTACIO D OROBIA, the former Chief of the Air Force (A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1936) and later designated Liaison Officer to the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO) at Bangkok, Thailand at the Mactan Base Operations... He was cautioned by COLONEL OROBIA from flying that night and recommended to go back to Manila the next day, President Magsaysay then asked GENERAL EBUEN what he thinks of the recommendation and he replied it can be done (fly back to Manila in the night)… GENERAL EBUEN failed to do his promise, on 17 March 1957, the Presidential C-47 transport plane “MOUNT PINATUBO” slammed on the peaks of Mount Manunggal at Cebu… The crash site overlooked the wind-swept project site of Mactan Air Base and it claimed the lives of Magsaysay, Ebuen and 25 others aboard the plane… Neither Magsaysay or Ebuen would see the later development of their project as their deaths provided sympathy and support for the Mactan Airfield Committee, in addition to the 2.5 million pesos for initial funding an additional 8 million pesos was made available and the Mactan runway was completed on 12 January 1961… In addition to his victories over the Huk and Kamlon rebellions in the early 1950s, the completion of Mactan airfield can be considered another one of President Magsaysay’s legacies, considered by many historians as one of the best Philippine Presidents… As for his Chief of the Air Force GENERAL EBUEN, he was honored by naming the PAF base in Mactan BENITO EBUEN AIR BASE… (Reference: The PAF Story by GENERAL NEMENZO and COLONEL MOLINA JR III) From the PAF HISTORY BIT of PAFAcer Francis Karem Elazegui Neri PAFFS CL95
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 04:26:47 +0000
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