Bohol prov’l board commends Jubane pilot in cloud seed crash honored

TAGBILARAN CITY , Philippines — The Provincial Board of Bohol has passed a resolution expressing condolence to the bereaved family of Philip Jubane and commending him for his laudable job in cloud seeding where he died after the airplane he piloted crashed in Barangay Coloma, Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya on May 4.

Provincial Board member Lawyer Tomas D. Abapo Jr., initiated the measure during his short privilege speech during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan presided over by Vice Governor Concepcion Lim on Friday. The said resolution was unanimously adopted and sponsored en masse, Abapo said.

The veteran lawmaker pointed out that it is but worth giving commendation to Jubane, a Boholano, a resident of Barangay Bungahan, Antequera town, for his job in making rain to cushion the impact of El Niño. 

Jubane is survived by his wife, Heidi and a young son, Municipal Kagawad Cecille Rebosura, who is a relative of the deceased, said during his burial at public cemetery last week.

Jubane's companions in the airplane who also died in the crash were Christopher Evan Borja, Melvin Simangan and Leilanie Naga. All were employees of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Department of Agriculture.

Jubane and company flew the RP C1974, a Baron fixed-wing airplane in the cloud seeding expedition when it crashed at past 2 p.m in barangay Villa Coloma, Bagabag,  Nueva Vizcaya.

They flew over Magat River and watershed areas as part of the "flight plan" for cloud seeding from Cauayan City airport, Isabela, a neighboring province of Nueva Vizcaya, the report said.

Reports from Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines in Bagabag airport said the airplane was commissioned by SN Aboitiz Power-Magat Inc.

Cloud seeding, a form of weather modification, is the attempt to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation, according to Wikipedia.

In Bohol, cloud seeding was also employed with the use of an airplane rented by the province as the dry spell hit the province sometime in 2012. /JMD (FREEMAN)