It was the evening of March 29 when an Agusta WW24 aircraft carrying 8 individuals (6 medical evacuation crew members and 2 passengers) caught on fire while taking off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
One of them is 33-year old doctor from Mandaluyong City Medical Center, Dr. Cenover Nicandro “Nicko” Bautista.
Dr. Benito Atienza, Vice President of the Philippine Medical Association announced last March 30 that Dr. Bautista iwas part of the medical evacuation flight and was assigned to one of the patients bound to Haneda, Japan.
“He was assigned to one patient coming from the province. The patient wants to be transferred to Japan because there is a COVID-19 patient in the previous hospital where the patient was admitted. Kapag nag-transfer tayo ng patient, dapat may isang doctor, nurse,” Atienza explained.
Dr. Bautista worked at the Surgery Department of Mandaluyong City Medical Center.
Before the fatal accident, Dr. Bautista posted his thoughts about the pandemic.
“I can’t wait to not think about if I’m going to be sick or not. If I’m going to be another number on the census board. I can’t wait for this terrible disease to end. But before that time comes, let me do this for you guys,” he wrote.
Dr. Bautista was one of the three members of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) community who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. The two others were Dr. Israel Bactol and Mr. Domingo “Menggie” Cobarrubias.
In a video call meeting organized to honor fallen PLM alumni, PLM President Noel Leyco said, “Sa ngalan ng PLM, makakaasa kayo na ang kanilang ginawa ay hindi masasayang. Ngayon pa lang ay nagsisilbi na silang inspirasyon sa ating mga kaguruan at mag-aaral… Ang ginawa nila ay magandang halimbawa, bawat araw ay gugugulin namin para makapaglingkod”
Bautista’s sister, singer-songwriter Ria Bautista, also posted a tribute to the young doctor.
“I lost my brother on that flight. No words can describe how devastating it is to lose a family member in such a horrific way. How do you process something like this. How. All I know is that he fought like a hero and I can only hope that his fight would not be in vain. RIP, Nicko. I love you my brother. I will honor you forever,” she wrote on Facebook.
The country continues to grapple with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in South East Asia, with over 6,459 reported as of April 20. Healthcare workers continue to demand Personal Protective Equipment as well as mass testing to help curb the spread of the highly-contagious disease.
