The body of one of the two Air Force pilots who went missing after an SF260 aircraft crashed along the waters of Mariveles town in Bataan was recovered Sunday evening, three months after the air mishap.
Air Force spokesman Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol yesterday said that the body of Maj. Neil Tumaneng was fished out from the waters of La Monha Island, between the waters of Corregidor and Mariveles.
Okol said the recovered human remains were processed by the police’s Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) and subsequent post-mortem examination confirmed it was Tumaneng, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Masikhay” Class of 1999.
“The remains appear to be in pilot uniform and with gear. The human remains were duly processed by the PNP-Soco and post-mortem examination reveals it to be that of Maj. Neil Tumaneng. He is now in a certified funeral parlor pending identification of relatives,” said Okol.
“Full military honors will be accorded at Villamor Air Base as soon as his body arrives,” added Okol.
The local police reported that Tumaneng’s body was discovered by fishing boat FB Bakery, skippered by Apolinario Felix, at around 3 p.m. while venturing into the waters between Corregidor in Cavite and La Monha Island, Mariveles.
The police subsequently turned over the body to the Air Force’s 15th Strike Wing, the mother unit of the pilots.
There were reports saying that the body was recovered headless.
Meanwhile, Okol said that search operations are still ongoing for Tumaneng’s co-pilot, Lt. Michael Arugay.
The Air Force pilots were on a proficiency flight aboard an SF260 trainer plane last May 18 but failed to return to Sangley Point in Cavite as scheduled. It was found out later that the plane crashed along the waters of Mariveles town.