Navy to honor ‘hero’ in Cebu Pacific plane mishap

A Cebu Pacific Airbus A320 plane sits on the grassy part of the landing strip at the international airport in Davao after it overshot the runway during a rainstorm Sunday night. AFP/Karlos Manlupig

MANILA, Philippines – A Navy reservist will be honored by the Philippine Navy for his “heroic deeds” after he helped calming down passengers in a Cebu Pacific plane 5J 971 that missed the runway of the Davao International Airport and landed on mud and grass at the side on Sunday.

Marine Colonel Edgard Arevalo, the Navy’s Civil Military Operations Group spokesman, identified the “hero” as Lieutenant Marlon Bo, a Navy reservist and a graduate of Philippine Merchant Marine Academy in 2003.

“We are formally documenting his heroic deeds so the Navy, as Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano, the Flag Officer in Command if the PN also desires, can honor the hero of that Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 971,” he said Wednesday.

Bo was one of the passengers in the Cebu Pacific plane when the incident happened.

Nino Alinsub, also one of the passengers, recalled how Bo helped the passengers to safety.

“It took the courage of one person, whom we only know as Captain Bok from the Philippine Navy, to stand up and calm everyone down. He knew what he was doing, and he was in control when even the cabin crew looked like they were really at a loss on what to do. Capt Bok gave clear instructions for everyone to sit down, so that we could leave row by row to prevent the plane from tilting over. He was the clear definition of a “guiding voice,” he said in his blow-by-blow account.

The stricken Cebu Pacific Manila-Davao flight plane was removed from the runway of the Davao International Airport late Tuesday night.