Filipino cop’s death in U.S. mishap mourned

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Saturday said he and the Philippine National Police mourns the tragic loss of P/Col. Pergentino Malabed Jr. who was among those on board the American Airlines flight that collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in Washington D.C. and crashed into the Potomac River, Thursday (30 January).

Malabed Jr. was the chief of the PNP Supply Management Division, who was on official travel at the time of the incident and “fulfilling his duty as a dedicated police officer — committed to the service of protecting and securing both the PNP and the nation.”

“His untimely passing is a profound loss to the PNP, where he served with honor, integrity and dedication throughout his career,” the PNP said in a statement.

“We extend our deepest condolences to his bereaved family, loved ones, and colleagues. The PNP is committed to providing them with all necessary support during this difficult time,” the PNP said. 

The collision occurred Thursday night when an American Eagle passenger flight from Wichita, Kansas, carrying 60 passengers and four crew members, struck a military helicopter with three personnel aboard. The impact sent both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River just three miles from the White House.

Initial reports have not included details on the cause of the crash. Transport officials said both aircraft were on standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility.

Separate crash

Meanwhile, a medical jet with six Mexican nationals onboard crashed into a busy Philadelphia neighborhood Friday, authorities said, marking another US aviation disaster after a passenger plane and a military helicopter collided midair in Washington earlier this week.

Video footage appeared to show the twin-engine plane descending at a sharp angle towards a residential area, sparking a huge fireball upon impact and showering wreckage over homes and vehicles.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the aircraft was a Learjet 55 — an American-French business jet — that had taken off shortly before from Northeast Philadelphia Airport bound for Branson, Missouri.

The crash happened just after 6 p.m. (2300 GMT).

There have been no confirmed Filipino casualties in the separate small plane crash in Northeast Philadelphia according to the Philippine Consulate General in New York on Saturday.

In a Facebook post, the Consulate said it is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Filipino community organizations and local authorities to determine if any Filipino national was affected. The crash occurred near Cottman and Roosevelt Boulevard.

Malabed Jr.’s family, has arrived in the United States to identify his remains.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega confirmed this on Saturday, 1 February.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Public Information Office acting chief, Police Colonel Randulf Tuaño, confirmed in a press conference on 31 January that Malabed was among the fatalities in the crash. Malabed served as the chief of the PNP Supply Management Division.

According to Tuaño, Malabed was granted foreign travel authority with a non-commissioned officer and a non-uniformed personnel on 22 January for a pre-delivery inspection of armored vests in India. He later traveled to the United States to visit the company supplying the vests for testing.

He was also instructed to pay a courtesy exit call to Police Colonel Moises Villaceran, the police attaché in Washington, D.C., which he did alone. The police colonel was originally scheduled to return to the Philippines by 2 February, he decided to make a side trip to South Carolina to visit his brother.

The PNP has assisted Malabed’s wife in securing a ticket to the US and assisted by police attachès upon arrival.

Dozens of emergency workers were on the scene outside Roosevelt Mall, a strip mall in Northeast Philadelphia with retailers and food outlets.

US President Donald Trump posted Friday on his Truth Social platform that he was “sad” to see “more souls lost” in the Philadelphia tragedy. He praised first responders, adding: “God Bless you all.”

Witnesses told local TV crews that they saw body parts in or near the wreckage, as Philadelphia City Council member Mike Driscoll said he feared residents or others on the ground may have been killed.

“It doesn’t look good. And it’s a sad situation here,” he told CNN.

The FAA said it was launching an investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board.

Washington tragedy

Both agencies are already probing the deadliest US air disaster in almost a quarter century, after a passenger jet operated by an American Airlines subsidiary collided with a Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday.

The airliner with 64 people onboard was landing at Reagan National Airport in Washington — just miles from the White House — when it collided with the US Army helicopter on a training mission.

Divers were scouring Friday for the remaining bodies in the frigid Potomac River, after having pulled at least 41 from the water.

Investigators on Friday found the helicopter’s black box after having already retrieved the cockpit voice and flight data recorder from the Bombardier jet operated by an American Airlines subsidiary.

Officials are confident data can be fully extracted from the recorders, said NTSB member Todd Inman, adding an investigation was still being carried out.

However, the lack of clarity over the accident’s cause did not deter Trump’s politicized commentary.

He appeared to place blame on the military helicopter in a post on the Truth Social platform, saying it was “flying too high, by a lot.”

This followed a news conference Thursday where the Republican pinned the blame for the crash on his Democratic predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama, claiming without evidence they had hired the wrong people due to non-discrimination initiatives.