Palace assures swift probe on presidential chopper crash

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Thursday guaranteed that the government will expedite its inquiry on what could have caused the crash of the Bell 412 presidential helicopter whose eight passengers were all killed. “We will have to determine conclusions on the explosion. We can tell you, the chopper was a total wreck. [The] chopper will be brought into probe. For that, you can be sure we will do it as fast as we can," Presidential Management Staff head Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told reporters. Esperon said that the report on the incident will be coursed through the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The ill-fated aircraft took off from the Loakan Airport in Baguio City late Tuesday afternoon and was supposed to go to Ifugao province as advance party for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s inspection. However, it never reached its destination. On board the aircraft were Press Undersecretary Jose Capadocia Jr., senior presidential military aide Brig. Gen. Carlos Clet, Undersecretary for Presidential Engagements and Appointments Malou Frostrom, Presidential Management Staff assistant director Perlita Bandayanon, Navy Petty Officer 1 Demy Reyno, and Air Force Sergeant Roe Gem Perez. The pilots were identified as Major Rolando Sacatani and Captain Alvin Alegata. The wreckage of the chopper was found Wednesday at a heavily forested mountain along boundaries of Benguet and Ifugao provinces. The bodies of seven of the victims were likewise recovered Wednesday while Perez’s remains was recovered only Thursday morning, authorities said. No sabotage At a press conference Wednesday, PAF chief Lieutenant General Oscar Rabena said that before the crash, a passenger phoned authorities to say they had to return to the Loakan Airport because of poor visibility brought by the bad weather. On Wednesday night, GMA News’ Saksi quoted Rabena as saying that they are ruling out the possibility that the trip to Ifugao might have been sabotaged. The Bell 412, a twin engine helicopter, was purchased brand new and delivered in 1996. Its latest certificate of airworthiness was issued last February 10 and is set to expire Feb. 10, 2010. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said the chopper was equipped with a global positioning system, navigational and weather instruments, and an on-board radar. It also had an emergency locator transmitter and is rated for day and night instrument flight rating. In Thursday’s interview, Esperon said that the helicopter was well-maintained and was manned by seasoned pilots. “Repairs were done in December. The pilots went efficiently in training regularly, and so the weather was a lot on this incident. There are many things we have to find out," he said. Esperon also reiterated that the remaining five Bell 412 helicopters will be grounded. “That’s normal standard operating procedure to take during incidents such as these," he said. - Sophia M. Dedace, GMANews.TV