Pilot’s wife of 37 years recalls the kiss he forgot to give on Saturday

By: Noreen Tormis, News5 Contributor
August 21, 2012 6:49 PM

Margie Bahinting speaks to News5 at the family home in Talisay. The captain's body was espied by divers in the plane stuck nose down at the bottom of Masbate Sea, but they were having problems retrieving it Tuesday. PHOTO BY NOREEN TORMIS

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TALISAY CITY, CEBU - Margie Bahinting, the widow of Capt. Jessup Bahinting, was emotional when she faced the media the first time on Tuesday, hours after authorities announced the discovery of the fuselage of the family-owned plane her husband had piloted, and which crashed into Masbate Sea with Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo on board.

When she became composed however, Margie recalled that fateful day of August 18, when her husband failed to kiss her goodbye, as he always does in their 37-year marriage, each time he boards a flight. On hindsight, she thinks it might have been a sign.

She said it is really hard to accept the death of her husband, but considers it God’s will and she lifts it all up to Him. She continued to ask for prayers that she and her family be given the strength to carry on the things her husband left behind.

She described her husband as a very thoughtful and sweet person who always kisses her every time he leaves and never fails to text her just to say “I love you.” Last Saturday she found it odd that the Captain forgot to kiss her before he boarded the plane.

Margie and Jessup Bahinting were married for almost 37 years and have three children. Jemar their eldest daughter and Dan, the only son who is also a pilot, are both living in the United States and are expected to arrive within the week. The youngest who works for their company the Aviatour Fly’n Inc. is in Masbate to help in the retrieval operations.

Capt. Bahinting has been a pilot for almost 40 years and before his accident he was the pastor of their church the Grace Communion International.

Cebuanos remember Robredo

Meanwhile, the regional office of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) immediately went to their regional office Tuesday morning, despite the day being a holiday, to start their memorial service for the eternal repose of the soul of Secretary Jesse Robredo.

“The entire DILG Region 7 laments the sudden death of our beloved secretary. We think of him as a family member and a parent of our department,” said DILG 7 Regional Director Ananias Villacorta.

On Wednesday they will be celebrating a mass along with other provincial officers, to be followed by the first prayer for their 9-day novena.

“We are saddened by the death of Secretary Jesse Robredo. He was a very nice leader, hardworking, and transparent, and a very responsible father. All those qualities rolled into one person, in the person of Jesse Robredo,” said Elias Fernandez, DILG 7 Assistant Regional Director.

Fernandez was one of those who escorted Robredo to the hangar of Aviatours Air last Saturday. He said he feels so privileged to be among the people Robredo spent his last moments with. “I’m honored to have served him at least in a small capacity here in Region 7,” he said.

They described Robredo’s leadership as focused on good governance and transparency.

He did not bring in new rules, but rather strengthened existing provisions in the local government code (LGC).

“Walang bagong batas, nandiyan na iyan sa local government code. Kailangan lang iyang i-implement. He would always tell us that,” recalled Villacorta.

Among the LGC provisions Robredo took seriously was the policy on full disclosure, requiring local government units to submit regular reports on their budget and list of expenditures.

Villacorta said such strict implementation of the full disclosure policy even caused his unpopularity among some local government officials who thought he was giving them a hard time. Robredo, however, did not mind the criticisms.

He could not recall a time when he saw Robredo idle. He would fly from one place to another and whenever he arrived at a venue, he was also always on the phone.

“He was so busy. Maybe it was because of his desire to accommodate everything and everyone” narrated Villacorta.

Villacorta hopes that whoever will replace Robredo will have the same passion for service.