The beach house in Ginatilan town, south Cebu where he was preparing to retire is the scene of busy prepartions for a vigil wake for Captain Jessup Bahinting.
Ginatilan, the hometown of his widow Margarita, was considered his hometown as well although the pilot was born in Siquijor.
Bernabela Matas, a sister-in-law of the pilot, said several people have come by to ask for the schedule of the wake and funeral.
Some came from Siquijor.
Matas, who has diabetes and hypertension, lives in the Bahinting family property. She said the pilot would spend for the treatment of her illness.
Aside from the house, the Bahinting couple were developing a small resort and would visit on weekends to check on the progress because it was almost finished.
“He loved the fresh air. He loved to relax by the sea,” said Matas. The beach resort is almost finished.
Nilo Ambos, caretaker of the resort, said the pilots last request was to finish construction of the resort as well as repair of a pumpboat by the end of September and that he wanted a party there when it was done.
“I promised to have the resort done, this time not for the party but for his wake. I will do this for him for the last time,” an emotional Ambos told Cebu Daily News.
Workers are preparing the recreational hall of the resort for a one-night vigil wake before a Monday funeral.
“The family told us that there will be a lot of people, and they want the rooms in the resort ready for their visitors,” said Marcelino Hesing, a carpenter.
Laborers talked about how kind-hearted Bahinting was.
Ambos remembered how Bahinting brought his children to the hospital when they had fever and diarrhea.
“He paid for everything and he did not ask me to pay him back. He was a good person,” said Ambos.
Hesing also said that whenever they had problems, they could easily approach Bahinting to tell him about it.
“He never disregarded any problem that you tell him. He always had a solution for it. He was always willing to help,” said Hesing in Cebuano./with Reporter Rhea Ruth V. Rosell