Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa confirmed on Monday that he was the last passenger aboard an ill-fated helicopter before it crashed in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, on 1 February.

The Robinson helicopter, with body number RP-C3424, plunged into a swamp in Purok Arimung-mong, Barangay San Miguel, Guimba, Nueva Ecija, at around 5 p.m. on Saturday, 1 February.

The accident took the life of 25-year-old pilot, Captain Julia Flori Po, daughter of businessman Archibald “Archie” Po, who owns the aircraft.

The elder Po is a friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte, a political ally of Dela Rosa, who served as police chief during the former’s administration.

Dela Rosa said the pilot offered to fly him and his two security personnel to Baguio City for an engagement.

“I was just dropped off in Baguio, then when she returned, that’s when it happened,” Dela Rosa told reporters in an ambush interview in Filipino.

“Our flight to Baguio was very smooth. It was really smooth, and we were happy with the flight. We didn’t feel anything unusual,” Dela Rosa recalled.

Dela Rosa said he requested the pilot to drop him off in Baguio City, as he had another engagement in Binmaley, Pangasinan, later that same day.

The senator said he chose to travel by land to Pangasinan since he did not want the pilot to wait for his event in Baguio to finish and risk the cloud cover closing in the mountain city, making it dangerous to fly.

Dela Rosa said he was informed through text messages that communication with the chopper had been lost. Duterte, along with Dela Rosa and Senator Bong Go, visited the pilot’s wake on Sunday night.

“It really breaks my heart. I was really heartbroken when I saw the kid with a very bright future. Twenty-five years old,” Dela Rosa lamented.