In an interview, Bato Dela Rosa confirmed he was the last passenger to board the chopper.
Senator Bato Dela Rosa revealed in an interview that he was the last passenger who boarded the helicopter before it crashed.
Over the weekend, one person died in a helicopter crash in Guimba, Nueva Ecija which was confirmed by the authorities. According to Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Eric Apolonio, the lone fatality was the chopper’s female pilot.
“Na-confirm ng PNP Guimba Police Station na doon bumagsak sa kanila ang nasabing aircraft. Isa po ang laman or ‘yung pilot in command lang ho. It was a lady pilot. Unfortunately, hindi po nag-survive,” Apolonio said.
The body was retrieved but already lifeless. The Robinson helicopter has the registration number RP-C 4324. It departed from Manila at around 10 AM en route to Baguio where it dropped off a passenger.
It left Baguio at 11:51 AM and around 12 PM, the chopper landed in Binalonan, Pangasinan to refuel. However, it was reported that the chopper did not start immediately after the refueling. It took off at 4:30 PM.
The young pilot was Captain Julia Flori Po and the last passenger that boarded the chopper was Senator Bato Dela Rosa. The senator confirmed this information in an interview and shared that the father of the pilot was a very close friend of him, hence, the generous offer to bring him to Baguio that he did not refuse.
According to Dela Rosa, the flight to Baguio City was “very smooth”. He did not notice anything wrong or anything unusual. He also had another engagement in Binmaley, Pangasinan on the same day but chose to travel by land.
For him, it was a blessing in disguise. He already visited the wake of the 25-year-old pilot.
“It really breaks my heart… Heartbroken ako ngayon nakita ko ang bata na very bright ang future. Twenty-five years old,” Dela Rosa said. He described the pilot as “very skilled”, “very competent,” and “very experienced”.
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