SEN. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa yesterday said he was the last passenger of the Robinson helicopter before it crashed in Guimba, Nueva Ecija Sunday, killing the female pilot.
He told reporters the pilot volunteered to fly him and his two security escorts to Baguio City to attend an engagement. He said the pilot’s father is a very close friend of his and former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“It (helicopter) brought me to Baguio. As it returned, the crash happened. It also went somewhere in Pangasinan, Binalonan, before it took off and crashed in Guimba, Nueva Ecija,” he said in Filipino.
“They picked me up in Imus, Cavite and the engine was okay and our flight was very smooth. We did not see or feel anything unusual,” he added.
Dela Rosa also said it was not the first time he rode that chopper, adding he used it several times during the campaign period in the previous election.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines earlier said the female pilot did not survive the crash.
Dela Rosa said the pilot was young but “very skilled, very competent, and very experienced.”
Dela Rosa also said he, Duterte and Sen. Christopher Go visited the wake Sunday night.
The CAAP said it is still investigating the incident.
