Flames in the sky

Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and terrestrial sightings associated with ethereal events and celestial phenomena are a global subject that has drawn attention from the most conservative scientific community. Testimonies of alien abductions, sightings of flying machines, and reports of contact with strangers from the otherworld thrived, many generating bizarre interpretations.

In missionary chronicles, similar reports can be found. On February 24, 1891, Jesuit priest Fr. Juan B. Llopart was surprised during an evening trip in the eastern seaboard when his crew shouted: ‘Flames in the sky!’ At the time, they were travelling from Burutburut harbor, west of Cape San Agustin, and were sailing towards Sigaboy (Gov. Generoso), Davao Oriental.

The priest, in his May 31, 1891 letter to the Mission Superior while in Mati, said he hurried outside the banca and asked where the flames were. He was directed to a portion up in the sky and saw ‘two shining disks on the eastern horizon, at a sufficient distance from each other, one in the north, the other in the south,’ adding:

‘We sailed on, watching the phenomenon. About 30 0r 40 minutes later, we suddenly heard two loud explosions from the east, one after the other. It seemed as though the meteors had exploded, not in the upper sphere, but on the slopes of those mountains close by. I thought hey cold have been aeroliths.’ (An aerolith is a ‘meteorite consisting mainly of stony matter.’)

The explosions were not only heard from where they started their trip. Upon reaching Sigaboy where they took a brief respite, the residents, who were also scared at what they heard, told the padre about what they had experienced. Fr. Llopart wrote:

‘In Sigaboy, the frightened people described the same phenomenon, although some said they had heard three detonations, others four, and still others two. They added that after the explosions, a loud heavy noise reechoes through the mountains. It could be the echo of the same detonation. We ourselves heard two explosions, nothing more. Here in Mati, people also noted the same detonations from the same direction.’

Over half a century later, Davao Oriental would again experience a similar phenomenon.

Early in January 1956, the sightings were about planes hovering around the town of Baganga and disappearing without a trace. Davao Sentinel, in its January 14, 1956, article reported that the ‘whole town of Baganga, Davao, was thrown into panic for two nights… when planes of unidentified origin hovered around town and disappeared without a trace.’

The presence of the mysterious flying objects, mistakenly labeled as planes, was promptly reported to Lt. Col. Vicente Luna, then PC provincial commander, and to Gov. Alejandro Almendras by Arturo Pareñas, the postmaster-operator of Baganga.

The first sighting took place in the evening of January 10, a Tuesday. People saw some planes flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet, almost stationary. The planes hovered for ten minutes before disappearing. The following evening, the planes returned to town, again hovering and vanished.

Similar incidents of celestial phenomenon can be found, albeit in briefs, in other missionary narratives, chiefly eyewitness accounts, many related to flying objects manifesting in the skies and happening mostly on the eastern seaboard of Davao region.

On July 7, 2014, a similar incident was reported again online.

The phenomenon, which occurred in Davao City, was witnessed by fifteen persons and the object had a disk shape. At the time of the occurrence, the weather condition was partly cloudy. Of course, the list of ‘eyewitness accounts’ from other reported incidents is long. Most of the extraterrestrial sightings were associated with round discs, strobe lights, high speed, and disappearance. It was only in the priest’s experience that blasts were reported. With the UFO phenomenon accepted globally as a ‘real’ marvel, does it have any preternatural significance? (25)