3-day vigil, city award, aerial salute for Capt. Bahinting

When the remains of Capt. Jessup Bahinting arrive today in Cebu, his family will grieve but will  also find out what impact the pilot had made in many lives with his kind ways.

Honors for the Siquijor-born pilot, who had flown several mercy missions to typhoon-stricken areas and made his home in Cebu, are being lined up during the three-day vigil ahead in Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes in Imus Street, Cebu City.

His remains will then be transferred to southwest Ginatilan town for burial on Sunday or Monday, said his widow Margarita.

“Without your help, I would not have a second life,” said Ronron Aventurado, the Cebu zoo keeper who was discharged yesterday from the city hospital after surviving a bite from a wild King Cobra, an ordeal that was reversed by a timely dose of anti-venom serum flown in from Camiguin on one of Bahinting’s planes. (See story on page 4)

Cebu city officials are arranging a Mass on Friday at the Metro Cebu Cathedral for the late pilot.

If plans push through, they will let the 34-year-old zoo keeper hand a posthumous “Life Saver” award to Bahinting’s family, recognition that Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama had earlier wanted to give the founder of Aviatours Fly’n Inc. during the Charter Day celebration in February next year.

FLOWER DROP

Aviation colleagues will do their own tribute with an aerial drop of flowers.

The “fly by” to be conducted at least three planes and a helicopter will take place during the funeral cortege, said Citom chief Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, who spoke with the plane owners.

Yesterday, the Cebu City  Council yesterday passed a resolution expressing their sympathy to the families of Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Bahinting and honoring them as “great men.”

The pilot was recognized for his “heroic deeds” as a volunteer, and the most recent episode that saved the zoo keeper’s life.

SECOND BODY

Anxiety levels rose yesterday when a second body was recovered at 5:15 p.m from the cash site in Masbate, where their ill-fated Piper Seneca went down.

Divers found only one, not both pilots, and it wasn’t immediately clear who was actually found – Bajinting or his Nepalese co-pilot Kshitz Chand.

A ring and watch were eventually recognized by the pilot’s daughter Sarah Lynn as articles belonging to her father.

“Only one was found. There was only one body,” said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, earlier, as he reported to the media here that the second dive, which began at 3:08 p.m., was successful.

At that time, Gazmin could only say that the recovered  remains was wearing “a Fossil watch, wearing blue shirt with stripes, and he was seated on the right side of the aircraft and firmly strapped (with) his seat belt.”

Gazmin said divers will continue looking for the last missing pilot,  whose father flew from Nepal to follow the search.

“Well, we still hope. And we will go as far as where we can if only to locate the body. Maybe it will be scaled down a bit if we do away with the retrieval (operations) in that particular area. We will have to expand (the search) left and right and ask the communities in the coastal areas for information,” said Gazmin.

He said search and retrieval operations would resume today.

Bahinting’s body was removed from the light plane at a depth of 21 meters.

The light plane had to be pulled up first from a depth of 54 meters using ropes tied to a Coast Guard vessel.

There is no more need to pull up the plane, which will be  brought nearer to the shoreline, he said.

Mayor Rama visited the Bahinting residence in Talisay City late Monday afternoon.

Rama said he learned that the ill-fated Piper Seneca which crashed en route to Naga City was Bahinting’s “baby”.

“He often flew that plane,” said the mayor.

The Talisay city government also plans to commend Capt. Bahinting for his heroism and good deeds in sharing with those in need.

Vice Mayor Alan Bucao said he will propose this in the city council session next week.

Capt. Bahinting  was born in Siquijor but settled in a modest bungalow with his family in barangay San Isidro, Talisay city in 1991 as a Christian pastor before later retiring and focusing on his aviation school and tour service.

Yesterday,  Eugene Gozon, national director of  their church, the Grace Communion International, arrived and led a praise service in the house.

The family chose to stay silent and not issue statements while waiting for the body of the late pilot to be removed from the sea and brought back home.

The Bajinting couple were building their beach resort as a  retirement residence in Ginatilan where they often spent the weekend.

They have three children. Eldest daughter Jemar is arriving from Texas while the son, Captain Dan Bahinting, a pilot, will follow from California.

According to the Aviatour website, the school has a  fleet of 54 aircraft, operates six  hangars and employs 35 flight instructors. They also offer charter flights to key tourist destinations.

They operate in Lancaster, Texas and Long Beach, California in the US, in Cebu and Clark in the Philippines. /INQUIRER and Correspondents Edison A. delos Angeles,  Gabriel Bonjoc and Fe Marie Dumaboc

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