Marcos orders probe on fighter jet crash

National

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered an investigation into the fatal crash of FA-50 fighter jet.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President wants to know what caused the crash and how to prevent such an incident from happening again.

"Talaga pong pinamamadali po ng ating Pangulo ang maagarang pag-iimbesitiga po dito kung saan nagkamali at kung ano pa ang maaaring maging remedyo sa mga ganitong klaseng pangyayari (The President is truly rushing the immediate investigation into this matter to determine where the mistake occurred and what remedies can still be applied to this kind of situation)," Castro said in a Manila Bulletin report.

The fighter jet went missing during a tactical night operation past midnight on March 4.

On Wednesday, March 5, the ill-fated jet was found in the vicinity of Mt. Kalatungan Complex in Bukidnon.

According to Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom), the two pilots onboard the fighter jet were found dead inside the crashed aircraft by dispatched search and rescue (SAR) teams from the Special Forces.

The pilots’ identities were withheld pending notice to their families.

"Ang ating damdamin po patungkol diyan ay nakakalungkot po kapag nangyayari sa atin ito (We are saddened by these kinds of incidents)," Castro said in the same Manila Bulletin report.