‘He Was The Best Of Us’ — The Farm Fresh Executive Killed In The Philippines Who Started As An Intern 13 Years Ago
Jacob Mathan spent 13 years building his career at Farm Fresh Group — from intern to Farm Director — before a helicopter crash in Pililla, Rizal, on Tuesday took his life and injured four others.
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A top executive from one of Malaysia’s biggest dairy companies is dead after a helicopter went down in the Philippines Tuesday morning.
Jacob Mathan, the Farm Director of Farm Fresh Berhad, was killed when his helicopter crashed in Pililla, Rizal Province — about an hour east of Manila — at around 7:20 AM on Tuesday (3 March)
He was 35 years old.
The group was on a routine scouting trip — flying out to check on a potential new farm site. Nothing unusual. Just another business day.
Then the engine failed.
A Bell 505 helicopter carrying five people crashed onto an open field in an emergency landing, killing two — Jacob and a Filipino national on board.
The company’s Philippines CEO, identified only as Shawn, was injured but is now in stable condition.
Who Was Jacob?
Jacob wasn’t some corner-office executive who never got his hands dirty.
He started at Farm Fresh 13 years ago as a university intern and worked his way up to one of the most senior roles in the company.
His boss, Farm Fresh Group CEO Loi Tuan Ee, said he still remembers the day Jacob first showed up at Mawai Farm — young, eager, and hardworking.
He showed a high sense of responsibility, a great desire to learn and most importantly, he was a genuinely good person, Loi said.
By all accounts, Jacob was the kind of guy everyone liked.
Colleagues, contractors, government officials — they all respected him.
Jacob, who holds a degree in Agricultural Science, had built strong working relationships with Malaysia’s Department of Veterinary Services and the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC).
A Loss That Went Far Beyond the Office
The grief didn’t stay inside a boardroom.
Loi said he was still struggling to process the news hours after being informed.
He asked staff, friends, and the public to pray for Jacob’s wife Amy and their family, and for Shawn’s full recovery.
Today, we suffered a tremendous loss. Our hearts are broken and we grieve along with his family.
“Time will soften the blow,” he added — but no matter how much time passes, he wanted Jacob to be remembered always as an exemplary and invaluable member of the Farm Fresh family.
SEMENTARA itu identiti seorang lelaki warganegara Persekutuan Malaysia yang meninggal dunia ekoran helikopter terhempas di Pililla, Wilayah Rizal, Manila adalah Jacob Mathan, seorang Pengurus Ladang di Syarikat Farm Fresh
— Legendkiddo (@mohd_escobar) March 4, 2026
Negara kehilangan bakat besar dalam industri ternakan pic.twitter.com/hGGgyFO3ji
The Man the World Called Jacob, His Family Called ‘Deepu’
But perhaps the most heartbreaking words came from his older brother, Matthew Benny Mathan, who posted a tribute on Facebook just hours after the crash.
My baby brother passed away yesterday in an unfortunate accident. He was the best person I know, loved and cherished by everyone who knew him.
Matthew described Jacob — known to family as “Deepu” — as someone who “made everyone around him feel seen.”
He spoke of a man who built something extraordinary not for personal glory, but out of pure passion and love.
Jacob leaves behind his wife — and a one-year-old son, David Nathaniel.
“To his son, David Nathaniel — just one year old — he was the first smile, the first embrace, the first proof that the world could be good,” Matthew wrote.
He ended his tribute simply: “Rest well, my brother. You were the best of us. You are loved. You are missed. You are eternal. Amen.”
Parts of this story have been sourced from Sinar Harian.
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