3 Pinoy plane crash victims in Angola honored

A memorial service was held for three Filipinos and 20 other United Nations Peacekeepers killed in plane crashes in Angola in 1998 and 1999, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

Ambassador Virgilio Reyes Jr. represented the Philippines at a memorial service at the East Cemetery in Pretoria, South Africa on Thursday.

Among those killed in the plane crash were Filipinos Ramon Dumlao, Benjamin Montefalcon and Bernabe Vicarme.

Present at the dedication ceremonies were UN Assistant Secretary-General Hedi Annabi; Lt. Gen. Gaye, Force Commander of MONUC; Dr. Christian Halle, project manager of the Angola Recovery Project and representatives of the victims’ families, including the daughter of Dumlao.

Flights UN 806 and UN 806A crashed on Dec. 26, 1998 and Jan. 2 1999 in Wambo, Angola while carrying 23 staffmembers on a UN peacekeeping mission. 

It was only recently possible to identify the remains of 13 victims from their DNA profiles with the assistance of the South African government. 

In a simple non-denominational ceremony, a prayer and the names of the victims were read, with a citation from the Katipunan manifesto, describing the equality of the victims in their common sacrifice for humanity.

The unidentified remains were buried in a common grave with a memorial stating the names and nationalities of all 23 victims and marked, "They gave their life for peace." – Pia Lee-Brago