Néstor Mata
Encyclopedia
Nestor Mata is a Filipino
journalist whose writing career has spanned six decades. He is perhaps best known as the lone survivor of the 1957 plane crash
that killed the President of the Philippines
Ramon Magsaysay
and 24 others.
as a war correspondent
. In 1953, he was assigned by his newspaper to cover the newly-elected President Magsaysay.
Beginning in the 1980s, Mata penned a regular newspaper column
for the Manila Standard. As of 2008, he writes for the Malaya.
for a speaking engagement. Later that evening, the presidential party took off for the return flight to Manila
. Their plane crashed in Mount Manung-gal in Cebu at around 1:16 a.m, March 17, 1957.
Mata had been seated near the presidential compartment and was half-asleep at the time of the crash. He was initially rendered unconscious after the crash, and came to a few hours later. Mata later recounted:
Mata was rescued by Marcelino Nuya and several other farmers residing near the crash site. He suffered second and third degree burns all over his body and would be hospitalized for the next six months. It took eighteen hours to transport the injured Mata down the mountain. Upon his arrival at a Cebu City
hospital, Mata was able to dictate through a nurse a press dispatch to his newspaper. It began with the sentence "President Magsaysay is dead."
Together with Vicente Villafranca, Mata penned One Came Back (1957), a memoir
detailing the last moments of President Magsaysay and his own ordeal after surviving the plane crash.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
journalist whose writing career has spanned six decades. He is perhaps best known as the lone survivor of the 1957 plane crash
1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash
The 1957 crash of a Douglas C-47 plane named "Mt. Pinatubo" on the slopes of Mount Manunggal, Cebu, Philippines, killed the 7th President of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, and 24 other passengers. The crash is estimated to have occurred at 1:40:00 AM, March 17, 1957, Philippine Standard Time...
that killed the President of the Philippines
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Ramon Magsaysay
Ramon Magsaysay
Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
and 24 others.
Biography
Mata was a reporter with the Philippine Herald newspaper. He covered the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
. In 1953, he was assigned by his newspaper to cover the newly-elected President Magsaysay.
Beginning in the 1980s, Mata penned a regular newspaper column
Column (newspaper)
A column is a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication. Columns are written by columnists.What differentiates a column from other forms of journalism is that it meets each of the following criteria:...
for the Manila Standard. As of 2008, he writes for the Malaya.
Plane crash survivor
On March 16, 1957, President Magsaysay, accompanied by several government officials and journalists, flew to CebuCebu Island
Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
for a speaking engagement. Later that evening, the presidential party took off for the return flight to Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. Their plane crashed in Mount Manung-gal in Cebu at around 1:16 a.m, March 17, 1957.
Mata had been seated near the presidential compartment and was half-asleep at the time of the crash. He was initially rendered unconscious after the crash, and came to a few hours later. Mata later recounted:
I found myself on the side of a steep cliff among dried bushes…. Agonizing with pain, I was completely at a loss what to do. About three meters away from me were parts of the plane. They were still burning. Meanwhile, I heard the distant howling of a dog. It was only then that I felt hopeful of being rescued. Thinking that there were probably people living not far away from where I lay moaning with pain, I made an effort to shout. I noticed that my voice echoed in the nearby mountains.
After that, I began shouting, ‘Mr. President! Mr. President! Mr. President!’ When no answer came, I shouted for Pablo Bautista, the reporter of the Liwayway magazine. ‘Pabling! Pabling!’ Still no answer. It began to dawn on me that there was no other survivor except me.
Mata was rescued by Marcelino Nuya and several other farmers residing near the crash site. He suffered second and third degree burns all over his body and would be hospitalized for the next six months. It took eighteen hours to transport the injured Mata down the mountain. Upon his arrival at a Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
hospital, Mata was able to dictate through a nurse a press dispatch to his newspaper. It began with the sentence "President Magsaysay is dead."
Together with Vicente Villafranca, Mata penned One Came Back (1957), a memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
detailing the last moments of President Magsaysay and his own ordeal after surviving the plane crash.
See also
- 1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crash1957 Cebu Douglas C-47 crashThe 1957 crash of a Douglas C-47 plane named "Mt. Pinatubo" on the slopes of Mount Manunggal, Cebu, Philippines, killed the 7th President of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, and 24 other passengers. The crash is estimated to have occurred at 1:40:00 AM, March 17, 1957, Philippine Standard Time...
- List of sole survivors of aviation accidents or incidents