TOW West honors air force pilot with military hero gallery

From the Palawan News (Jan 19, 2024): TOW West honors air force pilot with military hero gallery (By Gerald Ticke)

[Updated] The Tactical Operations Wing West (TOW West) opened a collections gallery on Thursday, January 18, in honor of Lt. Col. Antonio M. Bautista, a Philippine Air Force pilot after whom the air base’s headquarters was named.

The unveiling of the gallery was held as part of a series of activities for the celebration of the 51st anniversary of TOW West on March 2 and the commemoration of the 49th anniversary of the naming of the air force base in Palawan as Antonio Bautista Air Base on March 21.

TOW West said the gallery aims to honor the sacrifice and selflessness “of our heroes, especially Bautista, and serve as an inspiration for military personnel to continue fulfilling their duties in promoting peace and progress in the country.”

Other members of the late pilot’s family and other TOW West personnel were present as Brigadier General Erick Escarcha, the commander of TOW West, and Alice Jane Bautista, her widow, led the unveiling.



“Kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa inyo sa pagbibigay sa amin ng opportunity for this afternoon na mabigyan natin ng honor si sir. Grabe ang kuwento ni sir. Nakakabagbag damdamin nakaka-antig ng puso,” Escarcha said.

The gallery features Bautista’s uniforms, photographs, and other personal belongings from his time as an air force combat pilot.

During the ceremony, Bautista’s son, Anthony James, recalled the time when his father was still with the Philippine Air Force, recounting how he courageously fought rebels in Parang, Jolo, Sulu, on January 11, 1974, while flying an F-86 Sabre fighter plane.

In the course of the engagement, he executed multiple low-attack runs, putting both himself and his aircraft in the line of intense rifle fire. Following two bombing runs and five strafing passes, he eventually disengaged, but by that point, his fighter had sustained severe damage.

“My mom asked my dad, ‘Why do you need to fly low?’ Yong answer niya, and I am not making this up because these are actually from a series of letters between my mom and my dad, and I read these letters—nakita ko—my dad said, ‘Sweetheart, the Philippines is not a rich country. Everything we have is like scrap—yong natatanggap lang natin [galing] sa US. If I drop from a height and I miss my target, I’m only wasting valuable resources that the country could hardly afford,'” James spoke about his father.

Even though he successfully ejected from the aircraft, Bautista touched down in enemy territory, where insurgents fatally attacked him before rescue helicopters could reach his location.

In recognition of his extraordinary bravery and unwavering determination in the face of overwhelming odds, the Armed Forces of the Philippines awarded Bautista the Distinguished Conduct Star posthumously on April 29, 1974, as per General Order 519. Alice Jane accepted the honors from Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippine President at the time, on behalf of her late husband.

To remember his sacrifice, the PAF designated the airbase in Puerto Princesa as the Antonio Bautista Air Base.

Bautista’s gallery is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday (except holidays).

https://palawan-news.com/tow-west-honors-air-force-pilot-with-military-hero-gallery/