BY JESS G. DUREZA
I STAYED up almost until dawn monitoring the new tragic airline disaster in strife-torn Ukraine involving yet again another Malaysian Airlines aircraft that claimed innocent lives.
I felt sad for the so-called “collateral damage” of war. The agony of relatives and loved ones cannot be fathomed by us observers, although I was in the middle of that kind of human anguish and grief when I was crisis manager of another plane crash in Mindanao many years ago.
As I went to sleep already almost dawn, something strange struck my mind as I suddenly jumped out of bed to check some data. I found an interesting common thread to those earlier disasters: the number “7”. Consider the following:
* Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashed after being reportedly shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Ukraine a few days ago. It was a Boeing 777 aircraft and flew its first inaugural flight on July 17, 1997. It was exactly 17 years to the day when it crashed on July 17. Strange coincidence.
* Still remember Malaysian Airlines MH307 which is up to now still missing and being searched? It was also a Boeing 777 aircraft. By the way, Boeing 777 entered commercial service on June 7, 1995.
* Many years ago in 1998, it was Cebu Pacific Flight 387 that crashed in the outskirts of Cagayan de Oro City. I took charge of the whole crisis situation when then President Fidel Ramos assigned me to coordinate things. That was one of my unforgettables.
* Then I remember a similar airline incident in September 1983. Korean Airlines flight KAL 007 was shot down when it strayed into Russian territory. All passengers and crew died. It was a Boeing 747 aircraft.
FACEBOOK POSTS
Mere coincidence, I am sure, but this sounds eerie. So I posted my initial take on No. 7 on my Facebook account.
God! I got a flurry of interesting but spontaneous, off-the-cuff comments.
An “FB” friend going by the name Photovisioneers Fotograpinoy simply said: “The ancients said seven is the number of God.”
Another one, Roman Rama Guerrero from North Cotabato posted: “Shouldn’t we alert Malaysian Airlines with these observations, Sec. Jess? It’s time to turn away from No. 7 as we did with the President whose favorite number was seven.”
Another friend, Kumaw Monteclar Sebalda posted an internet-generated fact sheet about MH17 and Boeing 777.
A post from Elton Cerna of Davao City read: “Seven is God’s number. Take this: a) God created the world in six days and rests on the seventh; b) He commanded his people to labor for six days and to rest on the seventh; c) Noah’s ark during the biblical great flood floated for six days and rested on Mt. Ararat on the seventh; d) in Revelation, God warned of the seven last plagues. In fact, there are many other biblical accounts that mention seven as having close association with God.”
A veteran journalist friend Charlie Senase from Cotabato had this to say: “Looks like seven connotes rest and believed to be the number closely associated with the Lord in biblical times. Why not? To rest in peace, indeed; and rest in peace is eternal.”
A university official, Ronnie Amorado from Davao City posted: “Sir Jess, isn’t it that No. 7 is somebody’s lucky number? He hated the unlucky No. 13 but got elected as the 13th ha-ha. What say you, Sir?”
Nimfa Esguerra, a realtor in General Santos City, said: “Those coincidences really sound eerie. And it somehow bothers me because numbers 7, 8 and 13 are my lucky numbers. My sudden reaction was to take a look at my booked ticket if it has No. 7. I think you scared me. Pero okay na. Hirap nyan ha.”
Someone suggested that airline flights change No. 7 to No. 6 or No. 6.5. Then someone suggested we change the infamous unlucky No. 13 to No. 7; that high-rise buildings that skip floor No. 13 also skip No.7.
Well, before this spins off to a more serious discourse, let’s leave it at that. But I would be glad to continue compiling some more coincidental info on the matter. I am sure there are more facts out there. Do let me know.
In the meantime, since I take the plane almost every week, I’ll always be on the lookout for No. 7 in the flight numbers, just like what my FB friend Nimfa said. You can’t blame me!/PN
