Everything seemed pretty normal when Private First Class Nathaniel Bongcayao boarded the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) last Sunday, July 4. He was even caught filming a "Tiktok" video prior to their boarding, perhaps adrenaline rushing into his body out of excitement.
Little did he know that moments later, that same adrenaline would force him to make the biggest jump of his life as cries of agony and pleas for help from his comrades drowned the sound of a burning aircraft.
Bongcayao was among the 96 passengers of the C-130 (tail number 5125) that crashed in Patikul, Sulu on that fateful day where 53 individuals died, including 50 of his colleagues.
Most of the passengers were new "Privates," like Bongcayao, who have just finished their military training and were on their first deployment for counter-terrorism operations in the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)-infested Sulu.
Still reeling from his head and body injuries, Bongcayao bravely recalled his experience during the flight which he described as "okay" until they landed at the Jolo airport in Sulu.
"Pagsakay namin sa C-130, okay pa naman. Okay pa naman ang lipad sa ibabaw tapos pagdating namin sa Jolo, Sulu parang iba na ang takbo (When we boarded the C-130, everything was okay. Our flight was okay and but when we reached Jolo, Sulu, it felt different)," he said in an interview over GMA News on Wednesday, July 7.
"Parang hindi talaga normal, parang maano talaga kami noong araw na 'yun (It felt really abnormal, it felt that we were bound to encounter an accident that day)," he said.
After making the initial landing, Bongcayao said the plane bounced which sent him and his colleagues flying inside the plane.
"Na short-landing po ang sinasakyan namin. Malakas ang kalabog ng C-130 namin, bumounce siya so wala na, nakaramdam na kami ng takot (The aircraft short-landed.There was a loud thud inside the C-130, then it bounced so everything went blank, we were afraid)," he said.
According to Bongcayao, the pilot, Major Emmanuel Makalintal, tried to regain power to lift the airplane, possibly turn, and make a second landing but to no avail. He said one of the blades of the airplane hit a coconut tree which dragged the entire aircraft on the ground.
"Pinapalipad niya ulit ang C-130 kasi babangga kami sa pader. Noong pinapalipad na niya, hindi na nakayanan kaya bumagsak kami sa mga puno ng niyog. Doon na kami nagpanic. Sumabog na ang harapan ng C-130 (He tried to lift the C-130 because we will slam into a wall. When he lifted it, the plane had no enough power so we crashed into a coconut plantation. That's where we all panicked. The front part of the C-130 exploded)," he said.
He said the plane was split into two due to the impact of the crash. The pilot's cabin was the first to burst into flames, followed by the tail of the plane.
Leap of faith
While the plane was burning, Bongcayao said he and some of his colleagues found an exit through the tail of the plane. He said he jumped from as high as a coconut tree to save himself from the burning aircraft.
"Tumalon ako sa pwetan ng eroplano kasi sumabog na 'yon so nakakita kami ng butas. Ako 'yong last na tumalon doon kasi tutulungan ko pa sana ang iba kong tropa kaso hindi na kaya dahil sobrang init talaga sa ilalim (I jumped from the tail of the airplane because it had an opening after it exploded. I was the last one to jump since I was supposed to help my comrades but I couldn't do it anymore because it was too hot underneath)," he said.
Upon landing, Bongcayao saw his comrades lying on the ground, some of them with burnt body parts.
"Pagtalon ko, nakita ko lang sa paligid 'yong mga kasama ko na nakatihaya, nakahandusay sa gilid (After I jumped, I saw my colleagues lying on the ground," he said.
"Sunog ang katawan. Gusto ko sana silang tulungan pero wala naman akong magagawa kasi wala na, sunog na rin ako (Their bodies were burnt to crisp. I wanted to help them but I could not do anything, I was also burned)," he added.
Bongcayao said he sustained burns and injuries on his head, face, and arms.
In seventh heaven
Bongcayao's partner, Sky-Shine Padilla, was in seventh heaven upon learning that her "palangga" or darling survived the fatal crash.
"Salamat sa imong kaayo Lord wala nemu gepasagdan akong hubby sa gitna na ng kamatayan iniligtas niyo pa rin siya. Thanks, God! (Thank you so much, Lord, that You did not leave my husband alone, even in the middle of death you still saved him. Thanks, God!)," she wrote on Facebook Tuesday, July 6, two days after the incident.
As of writing, Bongcayao was still recuperating from an undisclosed hospital.
Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), vowed to extend all the necessary support to the wounded in action (WIA) and killed in action (KIA) in the plane crash.