Philippine National Police chief Archie Gamboa and seven police officials were injured after the helicopter they were riding plummeted shortly upon take off in a vacant lot in San Pedro, Laguna Thursday, shortly after 8 a.m.
Gamboa only suffered bruises while two of his ranking colleagues, Police Major Generals Mariel Magaway and Jose Maria Ramos, chiefs of comptrollership and the intelligence branch, respectively, suffered serious injuries and were in critical condition at separate hospitals.
Deputy Chief for Administration Gen. Camilo Cascolan was appointed officer-in-charge of the PNP until Gamboa returns to “full duty status,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
Eyewitness accounts said the Bell 429 chopper took off from the Laperal Compound, in Barangay San Antonio, San Pedro, Laguna, the temporary site for impounded motor vehicles that Gamboa inspected, but kicked up sand and debris as it was lifting off, creating poor visibility.
As the chopper rose, one of its landing skids got entangled with power lines, causing the pilot to lose control. It crashed landed on its side.
Policemen in charge of security at the site rushed to the chopper and pulled out the occupants, including Gamboa, who was seated on the right side behind the co-pilot. The PNP chief was taken to West Lake Hospital in Pacita, San Pedro, Laguna.
Gamboa was conscious while being transported to the hospital and had no serious injuries, except for a swollen right hand.
The twin-engine Bell helicopter was procured in 2017 when Gamboa was still head of PNP logistics, at a time when the national police chief was Ronald dela Rosa, who is now a senator.
PNP community relations chief Maj. Gen. Benigno Durana Jr. said both Ramos and Magaway were “responding well to… treatment.”
The other injured police officers were PNP Public Information Officer chief Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, Lt. Colonels Zalatar and Macawili, the pilot and co-pilot respectively, Senior Master Sergeant Estona and Capt. Gayramara, Gamboa’s aide-de-camp.
Gamboa’s entourage was supposed to fly to a command visit at the PNP’s regional headquarters in Camp Vicente Lim.
In a radio interview, Dela Rosa said the procurement of the helicopter had undergone the proper bidding procedure.
The PNP has grounded its entire aircraft fleet pending the result of an investigation. Durana said both the pilot was experienced and had undergone training not only in the Philippines but also in France and the United States.
“Even a very good world-class training cannot foresee any accident,” he said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government and PNP will conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash.
President Rodrigo Duterte was “glad” that Gamboa and other police officials survived the crash.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo welcomed reports that Gamboa suffered no serious injury and expressed hope that the police chief and other police officials onboard the helicopter will have a swift recovery.
“We were shocked and sad to hear about the chopper crash but at the same time, we are glad only minor injuries were suffered by the passengers,” Panelo said.
He added the Palace would wait for the results of the investigation into the helicopter crash. He also asked the public to avoid speculation about the incident until the probe is complete.
The incident would not stop President Duterte from riding choppers to events, he added.
“The President always says, ‘If it’s my time, it’s my time.’ He’s fatalistic,” Panelo said.
Currently, the PNP maintains a fleet of Airbus H-125, Bell-429 and Robinson R-44 multi-role police helicopters.
Durana said the Bell-429 chopper which carried Gamboa and seven others was durable and fully functional.
Durana said Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, PNP Deputy Chief for Operations, will lead the special investigation task group Bell 429 to probe the incident.
Dela Rosa, who visited Gamboa, confirmed that the chopper carrying him and members of his delegation was bought in 2018 during his term.
The chopper is worth P435 million.
“That was the first chopper procured during my time,” Dela Rosa told reporters in a chance interview.
