Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa confirmed on Monday that he was the last passenger on the helicopter that tragically crashed in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.
In an ambush interview, Dela Rosa shared that the pilot had volunteered to fly him and his two security personnel to Baguio City for an engagement. He noted that the pilot’s father was a close friend of his and former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“She just dropped me off in Baguio. After that, the incident happened,” Dela Rosa said, recalling the events before the crash.
The senator described the flight to Baguio as “very smooth” and said they noticed nothing unusual. After his engagement in Baguio, Dela Rosa chose to travel by land to Binmaley, Pangasinan, instead of reboarding the helicopter. He later received messages informing him that the chopper could no longer be contacted.
Dela Rosa, Duterte, and Senator Bong Go visited the wake of the 25-year-old pilot, whom Dela Rosa described as “very skilled, very competent, and very experienced,” despite his young age.
The Robinson helicopter (registration RP-C 4324) had departed Manila on February 1, dropped off Dela Rosa in Baguio, and stopped in Binalonan, Pangasinan, for refueling. However, after initial difficulties restarting, it eventually took off at 4:30 p.m. before crashing later that afternoon. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has launched an investigation into the incident.