The identities of three more Philippine Army (PA) personnel who perished in a devastating military plane crash in Patikul, Sulu last month have been confirmed by the authorities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) disclosed Tuesday, August 10.
Colonel Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesperson, said the three fatalities were Corporal Jemmar Mondido, Private First Class Lester Al Lagrada, and Private First Class Bensheen Sabaduquia.
All three were aboard the ill-fated C-130 cargo plane of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) that crashed in Barangay Bangkal on July 4. Fifty out of 96 AFP personnel aboard the plane as well as three civilians on the ground were killed in the plane crash.
The identities of Mondido, Lagrada, and Sabaduquia were validated by the Regional Crime Laboratory Office of the Philippine National Police in Zamboanga Peninsula (PNP CL-9) on August 8 -- more than a month since the incident happened, Zagala stated.
"The AFP has already informed the families of the identified personnel as the remains are now being prepared for transport," he said.
All three soldiers were reportedly from Mindanao. Mondido was a native of Tambulig, Zamboanga del Sur; Lagrada hailed from Bacolod, Lanao del Norte; and Sabaduquia was from Iligan City.
With the development, a total of 40 cadavers have now been identified while 10 more are still undergoing the tedious process of identification of the cadavers.
Zagala said the AFP has been coordinating with the PNP to identify all the bodies, some of them almost charred beyond recognition, "to ensure that they are reunited with their families as soon as possible."
"The AFP condoles with the families of our deceased comrades in this time of grief. We shall continue to exhaust all efforts in order to identify the remaining victims and bring them to their final resting place," he noted.