A year after Robredo’s death, police aide recounts plane crash

Senior inspector June Abrazado still gets emotional whenever he recalls the August 18, 2012 plane crash that killed his boss, then-Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, and the Piper Seneca plane's two pilots.

Abrazado was Robredo's police aide and the lone survivor in the plane crash in Masbate. “Ang last muscle memory ko na nagawa [ko sa] kagustuhan kong ma-save ang bossing ko, niyakap ko siya prior to impact,” the police aide recalled.

“Hindi ko nakita si sir noon na nag-panic o naging balisa. Basta patiently waiting lang siya sa upuan niya. Medyo biniro ko pa siya na parang pampakalma, ‘Sir, marami namang cases ng naglanding na single engine, may pag-asa pa tayo,’” Abrazado said in a television report aired on GMA’s “24 Oras” on Wednesday.



Robredo and Abrazado were flying from Cebu, where the Interior Secretary spoke in behalf of President Benigno Aquino III in an event for local police officials. Robredo was supposed to take a commercial plane, but opted instead to take a chartered flight as he was eager to come home to his family in Naga City in Camarines Sur province.

Abrazado recalled that Robredo had just finished calling his wife, when the plane nose-dived towards the sea. The police aide lost consciousness after the plane crashed.

“Naalala ko na naka-seatbelt pa ako tapos humahampas ‘yung alon sa mukha ko. Sa tingin ko ‘yun ang nakagising sa akin,” he said, adding that he did not find Robredo in his seat.

A local fisherman from Masbate found Abrazado.

The plane, piloted by Capt. Jessup Bahinting and Nepali national Kshitiz Chand, took off from Mactan International Airport in Cebu, but about 30 minutes later, the Piper Seneca RP-C4431 started to experience engine trouble.

The plane continued its journey until it reached the Masbate coast, where Capt. Bahinting sent a distress signal to the Masbate airport. However, no one was in the control tower during that time.

Guilt and salvation

Although he was lucky to be alive, Abrazado was still haunted by the memories of the crash. For a while, he suffered what may have been “survivors guilt.” Plagued by nightmares, he regretted not having been able to save Robredo.

“Masyado talagang mabigat, in the first place, kasi ‘yung mga lumalabas sa media very far from what happened… so nagkaroon ng misconceptions ‘yung mga tao, nagkasangay-sangay ang mga kwento,” he said.

But Abrazado found salvation in the Robredo family, which did not blame him for the Interior Secretary’s death.

“Many blamed me but the family did not… S’yempre ang gulo ng isip ko. ‘Ba’t ganun ang reaksyon ng tao? Ba’t di nila alam ang tunay na nangyari,’” Abrazado recalled.

“Nung nakita ko mismo si Ma’am Aica (Robredo's eldest daughter), as if speaking sa akin na ‘Jun ‘wag ka mag-alala. Magpagaling ka,’ ‘yun talaga ang pinakamalaking first step of moving on ko.” — Rouchelle R. Dinglasan/DVM, GMA News