Senatorial candidate and former senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan was forced to make three emergency landings during a helicopter flight from Camarines Sur to Quezon Province on Monday after encountering zero visibility due to bad weather.

Pangilinan was en route from his weekend campaign in the Bicol Region to Tiaong, Quezon, when the helicopter pilot made the decision to abort the flight after multiple emergency landings. The former senator shared that poor weather conditions caused “180-degree zero visibility” along the flight path, prompting the unscheduled landings.

“The pilot really had to work hard today — he definitely earned his salary,” Pangilinan said in Filipino.

After the final landing in Candelaria, Quezon, Pangilinan and his team continued the remainder of the journey by land to reach Tiaong, where he was scheduled to speak before students of Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) and meet with local supporters. He also briefly interacted with farmers who witnessed the helicopter’s landing and took a photo with them before resuming his trip.

“I first thank the Lord for His protection, and I’m also grateful to our skilled and brave pilots who stayed calm in the face of danger,” Pangilinan said. “I sincerely apologize to our kababayan in Quezon for the delay and thank them for their patience.”

“Despite what happened, I decided to push through with my scheduled activities because the people of Quezon are important to me,” he added.

Pangilinan performed strongly in Quezon Province during the 2022 vice presidential race, where he placed second with 359,239 votes.