Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog emotionally faced the media on Thursday, denouncing reports and statements made by some calling the PAF fleet as "widowmakers" and "flying coffins," three days after a C-130 Air Force plane crashed in the Davao Gulf.

"That is ruthless, reckless, brainless, and heartless. And I will describe him or her as a wild animal," Cadungog said.

He called on the public not to believe these statements, explaining that for the past 14 years since the last C-130 crash in the country, the Hercules plane has been flying everyday delivering troops, ammunition and flying mercy missions during calamities in various parts of the country.

"It is not true, and I will fight for the last airman and the last pilot surviving in the Air Force. I will not allow any pilot, I will not allow any crew to fly an aircraft in our inventory because it is a flying coffin," he said.

In frustration and anger, he said that he is ready to engage in a fistfight against any commentator or columnist destroying the dignity and credibility of the Air Force.

"Ipaglalaban ko talaga. At kung makikipagsuntukan ako, makikipagsuntukan ako kung sino man ang maglakas ng loob na sabihin yun sa harap ko," he said.

Based on the latest information from the investigation on the C-130 crash, the Air Force is now ruling out the angle of sabotage, saying that the enemy has no capability to attack the aircraft while on air.

Cadungog also revealed that they have found the location of the fuselage of the aircraft 600 meters underwater in the Davao Gulf. 

The Air Force is now trying to look for equipment that can go down that deep and has asked assistance from the United States to help in the retrieval operations. Jay Ruiz, ABS-CBN News