Chopper pilot had steady hands, was thinking straight before the crash

The pilot of the ill-fated helicopter that crashed into Mt. Maculot in Cuenca, Batangas, last Sunday was known to have steady hands and was thinking straight, calm, and composed seconds before the crash.

This was revealed by Maj. Francel Margareth Taborlupa, wife of Lt.

Senior Grade Felicisimo “Jun” Taborlupa Jr. who said that despite the fact that her husband was facing death, he was still thinking straight based on a gift that they gave to one another during their 15th anniversary.

“We gave each other Pit-Fit watches that indicate a person’s heart rate and pulse rate. His watch, when it was turned over to me, indicated that he had a heart rate of 118 at the actual time of the crash. This means that he was very calm and composed,” Francel said.

Taborlupa, a rescue pilot for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and who used to be a helicopter pilot for the Navy Air Group, was known to have “steady hands.” He recently returned from the US where he topped the International Maritime Course.

Taborlupa’s wife herself is a Philippine Army major now assigned to the Presidential Security Group as executive officer of the Presidential Communications and Computer Battalion.

She narrated that her husband was a very jolly person and wanted them to be the same way.

She endearingly described him as “sutil”, was not a fan of drama and would often cheer her up whenever she was sad.

Maj. Taborlupa said that she and her husband met at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 2000. She proudly declared that Jun is not only her husband and father to her two sons aged 14 and 12, but is also his “Mistah,” a name that all PMA graduates call each other.

Despite their busy schedules, her husband would always find time to visit her at the living quarters of the PSG in Malacañang.

“He’s the type of person who sacrifices career for the family,” she said.

She explains that often her husband would choose to be assigned to dry docks or to ships that regularly returned to port so that he wouldn’t be forced to spend less time with his family.

Of all the things that her husband was, she said that she would miss the fact that he was very supportive of them.

“He would always wake-up early to cook breakfast for the kids before they go to school.”

In fact, on Saturday, a day before the crash, they even talked to each other about their plans for the following Monday.

“Sino susundo sa mga bata (Who’ll fetch the kids)?” she asked.

Like the responsible father that he was, Lt. Sr. Grade Taborlupa told his wife that he would be back by Sunday and that he would fetch the kids.

A few days before, she recalled that they were talking about the scholarships that will be given to the top 10 graduates of all high schools in state universities.

She revealed that their eldest son told her husband that he will follow in his footsteps. “Talagang idol n’ya ang Daddy n’ya (He really idolizes his Daddy).”

She said that they had planned to engage in business to have more time for their family.

She admitted that she really hasn’t fully accepted the reality that he is gone.

“Iniisip ko parang nasa misyon lang siya pero babalik din (I just keep in mind that he’s only in a mission and he will be back soon).”

But she is comforted with the fact that all his passengers and their families believe that her husband did everything he could to save them.

By positioning the helicopter to nosedive, Lt. Sr. Grade Taborlupa did one last heroic deed to save the lives of others.

“Hangang sa huli, iniisip n’ya pa rin na may pasahero siya,” Maj. Taborlupa said. (At the very end he was still thinking about the welfare of his passengers.)

She sees hope in her two sons, Franz Justin and Fritz Gerald, who, just like their “Daddy Jun” will also make her proud.