GENERAL SANTOS ARCHIVE
BIOGRAPHY
MISSING PLANE
- After having given the army authorities a free hand in the
campaign against Muslim outlaws who were entrenched in
their cottas, Major General Santos’ party left Camp Keithley
on December 4 for Cebu where they intended to stop over
briefly before making the flight to Manila. - The group had already taken off when the weather bureau
report came advising against the flight. They were forced to
land in Dumaguete because of bad weather, - First indication that something was amiss at the Army
Headquarters in late evening of December 6 when no news
came from the three planes: with General Santos and Col.
Segundo aboard.
By the morning of December 8, Wednesday the officers had been missing for 48 hours. Search for the transport had gotten underway and intensified. Reports from Infanta, Tayabas that one of the lost bombers was found safe in Lubayat, 7 miles from Infanta. At the time they were rescued, they had been lost 97 hours and 20 minutes. They reported that they had been marooned on Anirong Island and had for hosts a couple, Rafael Durante and his wife, Leoncia Potestades, who shared whatever food they had with the officers. Nichols Field became a scene of rejoicing early afternoon of December 11th.