A brush with death: Dela Rosa confirms he was last passenger of chopper before tragic crash in Nueva Ecija

Metro Manila, Philippines – Senator Ronald Dela Rosa has confirmed that he was the last passenger of a helicopter that crashed in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, before the tragedy struck on Saturday night, February 1.

"Yes. Hinatid lang ako sa Baguio tapos dumaan pa raw at nag-gas up somewhere in Pangasinan tapos lumipad then bumagsak sa Guimba," Dela Rosa told reporters on Monday.

[Translation: Yes, they just dropped me off in Baguio, then I heard they stopped for refueling somewhere in Pangasinan before flying again and crashing in Guimba]

The senator said he did not notice anything unusual during the flight.

"I don’t know, pinick-up nila ako sa Imus, Cavite tapos nagpalit ng makina tapos very smooth naman ang biyahe namin going to Baguio," he said.

[Translation: I don’t know, they picked me up in Imus, Cavite, then changed the engine, but our flight to Baguio was very smooth]

He also said that the weather conditions were good at the time.

"Masaya kami doon sa flight, wala ako naramdaman na anything unusual, very good ang weather," he said.

[Translation: We were enjoying the flight, I didn’t sense anything unusual, and the weather was very good]

Dela Rosa added that there were three passengers, including himself, who were flown to Baguio by the ill-fated chopper.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed that the pilot did not survive the crash.

“Initial reports indicate that the helicopter departed Manila at 10:22 a.m. on February 1, 2025, en route to Baguio, where it dropped off a passenger. It then took off from Baguio at 11:51 a.m. for Binalonan, landing at 12:05 p.m. for refueling,” CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said in a statement on Sunday morning.