Philippine Coast Guard ends search for 2 pilots

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday officially terminated its search for the Air Force training plane with its two pilots that crashed in Bataan last Friday.

Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Commander Algier Ricafrente said they terminated the search and retrieval for the missing plane and would shift focus to coastal areas.

“We terminated today the search for the two pilots and the PAF plane so we would just intensify our information and dissemination in the coastal barangays and coordinate with the fishermen,” Ricafrente said.

The Coast Guard in Bataan yesterday no longer dispatched its search and rescue team after six days of searching for Maj. Neil Tumaneng and 1Lt. Michael Arugay.

Ricafrente said days of searching and two dives yielded negative results.

“There is a small chance that we would find anything in the water. We have also been searching for a long time, but we have not found them,” he said.

Ricafrente, however, gave assurance they would continue to issue Notice to Mariners to alert vessels passing by the crash site to be on the lookout for the two missing pilots, or any debris from the SF-260 plane that crashed in the area.

Ricafrente added he does not know if the Philippine Air Force (PAF) has also ended its search for the two missing pilots.

He said the Coast Guard would be informing the PAF of the decision to stop the search.

The Warrior Cessna trainer plane reportedly left Sangley Point, Cavite at 6:52 a.m. last May 18. It crashed off La Monja island in Manila Bay near Mariveles, Bataan.

On that day they only found a helmet, fuel tank and plane seat. Since then, no other debris has been recovered.