The remains of Philippine National Police (PNP) Director for Logistics Col. Pergentino Malabed Jr. will arrive in Manila this week, the PNP confirmed on Monday.
Malabed was among the 64 passengers onboard the ill-fated American Eagle Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas, which collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington D.C. last January 29, 2025.
His widow, Rio Malabed, said she will fly back to the US to bring her late husband’s personal belongings and uniform, which will be used to bring his body back to the Philippines.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, she announced that a funeral will be held at the PNP Mortuary in Camp Crame from February 21 to February 23.
Malabed’s remains will then be moved to the Manila Memorial Park at Manila South Road, Barangay Dita, Santa Rosa City, Laguna, on February 24. Cremation is scheduled on February 25 and inurnment will be held in the afternoon of February 27.
Washington, D.C. Consul General Donna Rodriguez said the family of late Col. Malabed requested privacy regarding the incident and that no additional information be released out of respect for the grieving family’s wishes.
“The last time I spoke with the family of Col. Malabed, they asked for privacy, and so, to respect their wishes, I don’t think I would be able to give out that information,” Rodriguez said.
Meanwhile, the PNP is poised to give a posthumous award to Col. Malabed, who was on official travel at the time of the incident. He will also be given full honors upon arrival.
An investigation by the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the reasons behind the crash is still ongoing.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that the Black Hawk helicopter’s altimeter malfunctioned, resulting in it failing to detect the alert from the Reagan National Airport control tower seconds before it crashed into the commercial plane. There are a total of 67 fatalities from this incident.