A party-list lawmaker and his group were slightly injured after the military chopper they boarded crashed Thursday in Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac during a military event.
COOP-NATCCO party-list Rep. Anthony Bravo sustained bruises, according to his chief of staff Rene Buenviaje, who confirmed the news based on the information he got from a staff who accompanied the congressman.
But he could not say if Bravo sustained fractures, but expressed belief the lawmaker was not in a critical condition.
In the past, the Philippine Air Force denounced the branding of their fleets as “widowmakers” and “flying coffins.”
Former House Secretary General Ceasar Pareja, another passenger in the chopper, thanked those who had prayed for their safety.
“Thanks for your prayers. The pilot suffered head injuries and the crew had a broken arm. I have minor scratches along with most of the passengers. The helicopter crashed just as we were about to land in Crow Valley,” Pareja told reporters.
Informed sources said the other chopper passengers included Baltazar Reyes, Col. Arthur Baybayan, the Sergeant-at-Arms at the Commission on Appointments, Daisy de Lima, Romeo V. Almonte, 1st Lt. Melvin Betia, and Edilberto M. Mandap.
The team was invited by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the Training and Doctrine Command when the accident happened.
Reports said that Senator Ralph Recto, a reservist, who attended the event to witness the live fire drill, saw the chopper crash.
