Morning jogger saves lives

Department of Interior and Local Government

A mild stroke in October 2002 prompted Rubenal Cabanlong, 59, to take morning jogs to improve his health. It helped that his house was located near the reclamation area in Pasay City, where he jogs.

On Nov. 11 at around 6:30 a.m., Rubenal’s morning jog was interrupted by a most terrifying sight.

"I was jogging at the seawall site when I saw an airplane crash into sea, about 300 hundred meters away from the coast," related the father of four, a front desk officer of the Pasay City police Warrant Section.

"I was shocked. I literally froze when I saw the plane break up into two as it hit the water," Cabanlong said.

Although still in a state of shock, Rubenal pulled himself together and immediately called 117. Using his cellular phone, he reported what he had witnessed to the 117 operator, hoping that a rescue team would be dispatched immediately.

Operator Ma. Cristina Vista called up Baclaran Police Station-6 to verify the incident. When it was confirmed that an airplane crashed into Manila Bay near the reclamation area and Macapagal Boulevard, the 117 operator relayed the information to the Emergency Assistance and Response Network (EARnet) and the Tactical Operations Center of the Southern Police District.

Minutes after the crash, the rescue team arrived at the site, where initial operations were being conducted by the Coast Guard and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and several fishermen who fortunately were in the area to provide assistance.

Laoag International Airline (LIA) Flight No. LJ-585 bound for Basco, Batanes Island via Laoag City departed from the Domestic Airport at about 5:58 a.m. The Fokker plane was carrying 29 passengers and five crewmembers. Several minutes from take-off, it crashed and plunged approximately 45 feet beneath the waves of the Manila Bay.

While rescue operations were being conducted, a Rescue Operation Center was established near the seawall to serve as communication nerve center for gathering vital and updated information regarding the incident, providing linkage to the media and relatives of the crash victims, and maintaining the unity among rescue teams from different government and private entities.

Through the combined efforts of the fishermen in the area and the rescue teams from the BFP, Department of Health, and Coast Guard, 14 people were rescued. The survivors were immediately transported to the Ospital ng Maynila and San Juan De Dios Hospital for proper treatment.

When no more survivors were sighted, the rescue teams shifted to the retrieval of fatalities at about 11:45 a.m. At 7 p.m., 15 fatalities were recovered and brought to the Philippine Coast Guard headquarters for proper identification by their relatives. The next day, Nov. 12, the remaining five fatalities who were reported missing were finally recovered.

The timely rescue operations were attributed to Cabanlong’s prompt call to 117. On Nov. 16, 2002, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the government agency responsible for the creation of 117, honored him with a plaque of commendation for his heroic act.

Also cited were Fire P/Superintendent Rash Roque, chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection, and JO1 Ma. Cristina Vista, the 117 operator who immediately relayed the incident to responding units.

On Nov. 19, President Arroyo also commended the fishermen who were responsible for saving at least three passengers during the initial rescue operations. Given with plaques of appreciation and cash rewards were brothers Crispulo and Edgar Naga, Edgar’s 12-year-old son Elorde, and his adopted son, Rico Cayabyab.

While it was not only a tribute to a few men or women, it was a symbol of recognition to all citizens who champion the cause of heroism.

"No doubt that this experience has somehow changed my outlook in life. I’ve realized that one can be of help anytime; that don’t ever hesitate to give your support knowing that you can do something. It doesn’t take a special occasion to show an act of heroism. You can choose to be a hero every day," Cabanlong said.