Wednesday, August 27, 2008 (Philippines)

President Arroyo awarding PAF Maj. Manuel Zambrano as officer of the year field grade during the 61st founding anniversary of PAF observed in Cebu. Zambrano was pilot of the ill-fated plane which was bound for Iloilo City. (Sunstar photo/Allan Cuizon) TWO Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots and seven crew members are missing after their C-130 plane “lost contact” five minutes after it took off from Davao City last Monday night. The nine PAF personnel are stationed at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base’s 220th Heavy Airlift Wing in Cebu. Body parts, torn uniforms, military boots, personal items like wallets, photos and identification cards, and an operation manual for a C-130 Hercules Lockheed plane were recovered yesterday morning from seaside villages of Davao City. [full story]