The remains of a young Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilot who died in a C-130 military plane crash in Patikul, Sulu last week have been brought home by his mother on Saturday night, July 10.
Dr. Daisy Hintay, the mother of 25-year-old First Lt. Karl Joseph Hintay, carried the urn of her son as she disembarked from an NC212i light transport aircraft that flew them from Mactan, Cebu to their hometown in Davao City around 8:17 p.m.
A full military honors was accorded to Hintay by the Tactical Operations Wing Eastern Mindanao led by its deputy wing commander, Colonel Jesus Nelson Morales during their arrival at Davao Air Station in Barangay Sasa, Davao City.
According to Morales, Hintay's remains will be brought to the Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao, Camp Panacan in Davao City starting Sunday for a three-day wake. The interment ceremony will be held at Forest Lake Memorial Park in Maa, Davao City.
A graduate of BS Biology at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Mindanao, Hintay took the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) entrance exam in 2012, according to Daisy.
Daisy said her son gave up his dream of being a doctor to pursue his studies at the premier military training institution.
Hintay successfully passed the entrance exam and entered the PMA at a tender age of 18, she said.
Five years later, Hintay graduated as a member of the PMA "Salaknib" Class of 2017 and joined the PAF to become a pilot.
In October 2018, Hintay finished his studies at the PAF Flying School in Lipa, Batangas where he officially became a full-pledged PAF military pilot. He was assigned at the 220th Airlift Wing based in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
His short career as a PAF military pilot ended when a C-130 cargo plane he was co-piloting crashed in Patikul, Sulu last July 4.
Fifty-two individuals died while 51 others were injured in the incident which was described by officials as one of the worst air disasters in the history of the military.
Hintay was described by his colleagues and friends as a "happy," and a "very approachable person."