The air and underwater search for Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was suspended Sunday evening, but the surface and sonar search will continue through the night, Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II said.

"Diving and air search-and-rescue operations are suspended for the evening and to resume Monday morning," he said in a post on his Twitter account.

He also thanked scuba divers for giving their input on underwater search efforts. He said they have secured the helium and the trimix, a breathing gas for diving, for Monday's dive operations.

The Philippine Coast Guard's decompression chamber is also due to arrive at the site on Monday, said Roxas.

"Please continue with your prayers, this continues to be a search and rescue!" he added.

President Benigno Aquino III arrived in Masbate on Sunday to supervise the intensified search efforts.

Aquino is staying overnight in the area, according to a post on his Facebook page.

Robredo, the pilot, and co-pilot of the small plane they were in remain missing after the plane crashed off the Masbate coast Saturday. - BM, GMA News