The latest sea tragedy off the coast of Zamboanga peninsula last Sunday once again highlighted the readiness of Philippine Air Force to respond to distress calls involving the lives of innocent civilians. This has been the pattern seen by news watchers after the PAF exhibited, albeit sans fanfare, daring rescue operations during the Compostela landslides, Cotabato and Cagayan de Oro floods, the Chemtrad Islander plane crash in Sierra Madre and the Typhoon Frank devastation in Panay.

At exactly 4:30 in the morning that fateful Sunday, the operations center of PAF’s 3rd Air Division in Zamboanga received the request of the Philippine Coast Guard for an airborne support in an emerging search and rescue operation for the ill-fated Super Ferry 9, a northbound passenger ship that sank off four (4) hours earlier in shark-infested waters off Siraway, Zamboanga del Norte. On or around this time, the commander of PAF’s Tactical Operation Group 11 (TOG 11), Colonel Rossano Briguez, based in Davao has also began receiving information about the tragedy.

Inclement weather notwithstanding, the 3rd Air Division, PAF’s major command covering the entire Mindanao region under Major General Butch Lacson, began mobilizing its personnel and prepping them up for another immediate disaster response operation.

While the pilots in Zamboanga are being briefed by 3rd Air Division’s Chief of Staff Colonel Isagani Silva as to what is the exact area to search, where to bring the rescued passengers, where to gas up, what radio frequency to use and what is the danger at hand, Lieutenant General Oscar H Rabena, PAF’s commanding general, was directly informed of the emerging situation in Zamboanga.

Shortly before sunrise, two UH-1H helicopters lifted off from Edwin Andrews Air Base in Sta. Maria, Zamboanga City. An OV-10 bomber plane joined the tandem, clearing the Zamboanga airport’s runway at exactly 5:50 in the morning. The three rushed towards the tragedy zone, with the OV-10 Bronco, being the first to reach the area, immediately performing an assessment of the area and relaying the picture to sea-borne responders who by now began scouring the waters without the benefit of a high altitude picture.

The Hueys assumed the same role upon reaching the area, directing all volunteer responders to specific locations where passengers were haplessly being tossed by an angry sea amidst a hazy sea visibility condition.

On the interim, PAF pararescuers from Davao, pumped up by adrenalin and loaded with scuba tanks, compressors, fins, ropes, life vests and other sea-borne search and rescue gadgetries, were already on board a Nomad plane enroute a staging area nearest to the scene. Their mission is to provide a clearing operation to assure that no passenger is left behind after all other responding volunteers have pulled out of the area.

On the first day, Sunday, the search and rescue operation was finished smoothly. With the guidance of PAF helicopters, boats and other sea crafts were able to maximize their efficiency, contributing to an early recovery of all passengers.

After the first day operation was terminated, the PAF pararescuers, who were now equipped with a dedicated search and rescue helicopter that soon followed them from Davao, scoured the area for a final sweep before terminating the operation. It was now the second day of the latest sea tragedy to hit the country, an almost impossible time to find survivors but nevertheless the passion of “rescuing the unrescuable in the most daunting situation” burned hot in every pararescuer’s heart. This is, after all, what they trained for.

That Monday’s final sweep rescued the last surviving passenger, 37-year old Iloilo native Lita Casunlum, who was spotted by PAF Search and Rescue pilot Captain Dennis Rommel Hindang four (4) nautical miles from the location of the sunken Super Ferry 9. It was almost next to impossible to be found alive one hour and 15 minutes of flying time away from shore and being tossed by an angry, shark infested sea for 36 hours in a cold, hazy and turbulent sealane.

Upon setting up the helicopter’s boom hoist, Captain Hindang sent out pararescuer Staff Sergeant Ricardo Maymay to pick up the hapless victim who received her life’s warmest hug from rescuing PAF soldiers on board the Bell rescue helicopter.

After a late Sunday lunch, after PAF paramedics had given Casunlum immediate attention, all three PAF helicopters, after calling off the operations, did an hour more of search in the area enroute from Siraway, Zamboanga del Norte to Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City. This produced negative sightings as all passengers of the sunker vessel were efficiently plucked from the sea a day before until the last of them was rescued around lunchtime of Monday, thanks mainly the readiness of PAF, its men and its machines.