Last passenger dropped off: Bato dela Rosa avoids fatal chopper crash
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa narrowly escaped death after being the last passenger dropped off before a fatal helicopter crash over the weekend.
The helicopter, piloted by Julia Flori Monzon Po, daughter of aviation magnate Archie Po, crashed shortly on Saturday, February 1 in Nueva Ecija after departing from Binalonan, Pangasinan.
Asked if he was the last passenger to board the ill-fated chopper, Dela Rosa said “yes.”
Dela Rosa said he was picked up in Imus, Cavite, along with two of his security guards, and dropped off in Baguio for an engagement.
"I did not experience anything unusual,” Dela Rosa said in mixed English and Filipino in an ambush interview with reporters. He also noted that the weather was good during his flight.
Dela Rosa said that he learned of the incident through text messages informing that the chopper could no longer be contacted.
The senator that he learned about the crash through text messages informing him that the helicopter had lost contact.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported that the aircraft had earlier departed from Baguio and stopped in Binalonan to refuel. While there, it experienced difficulty starting, delaying its schedule.
The chopper finally took off at 4:30 p.m., but by 5:20 p.m., local police in Nueva Ecija were notified of a crash in Barangay San Miguel, Guimba. Po died in the incident.
The CAAP is conducting an investigation into the crash alongside local authorities.
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