Final rites for Jesse Robredo

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MANILA, Philippines—A man for everyone, that’s how the late Secretary Jesse Robredo was described by Fr. Kulandairaj Ambrose of the Missionaries of the Poor, one of the officiating priests in the recently ended concelebrated funeral Mass late Tuesday morning in Naga City.

“Secretary Robredo has time for everybody. He could take breakfast in Manila, lunch in Cebu and dinner in Naga. He was there for you. He was there for everyone,” Fr. Ambrose said in his homily.

The Jamaican priest said Robredo is a true friend and he had mixed emotions upon learning he was the one to officiate the funeral Mass. “If you feel the ground is shaking, it’s not because there’s an earthquake, it’s because my knees are shaking,” he said.

He enumerated the good deeds the late secretary shown as mayor of Naga.

“In his presence, we felt no worry, he gives hope to everybody,” he said.

In the end, he said Robredo died doing what he loved the most.

Tuesday marks the final day of national mourning for Robredo.

Based on a bulletin from the government official website, the Mass will be followed by the conferment of the Philippine Legion of Honor (posthumous) on Robredo to be followed by the eulogy of the President and the State Funeral proper

“The casket bearing the remains of Secretary Robredo will be escorted from the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia to the Funeraria Imperial. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police will render departure and arrival honors,” the bulletin said.

Divers from Cebu found Robredo's plane

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 CEBU CITY—The three technical divers from Malapascua Island, a popular diving spot in northern Cebu, succeeded in locating the ill-fated Piper Seneca plane used by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, because of their training and experience, according to their associate.

Matt Reed, 35, a British partner in a dive resort called Evolution in Malapascua, was diving with Anna Cu Unjieng, 37, a Filipino, and Shelagh Cooley, 29, an American, when he found the plane’s fuselage and Robredo’s body Tuesday morning at a depth of 50 meters in Masbate Pass.

In a text message sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer Tuesday night, Reed declined to be interviewed. “Once the recovery effort is completed, then I will be happy to discuss it. Thanks for your understanding,” he said.

His Irish partner, David Joyce, 39, said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon, that he would have wanted to join the Evolution team. “I discussed it with my wife, Emma, who is to deliver our baby anytime and I decided not to join them.”

Chief Supt. Vicente Loot, a Cebuano police official assigned to Eastern Visayas, said he contacted the three technical divers on Monday and asked for help in the search-and-rescue mission. He said he had been directed by police headquarters in Central Visayas to locate the divers.

Technical diving

According to the Evolution website, technical diving goes beyond the limits of recreational diving—a maximum depth of 130 feet or 40 meters, no decompression and always having direct access to the surface. This requires proper training and specialized equipment to be able to dive deeper, Joyce explained.

The divers must bring four tanks containing different gases, rebreather units and regulators (some for decompression use), he said. A rebreather allows the gas a diver exhales to be processed so it can be inhaled again.

Joyce said that returning to the surface should be precise and slow, taking 90 minutes to two hours or three meters per minute.

Loot said he assisted Reed, Unjieng and Cooley in carrying their diving equipment and facilitated their flight to Masbate at noon of Monday on an Air Force plane.

German volunteer

A volunteer German technical diver, however, fell ill during the deep-sea search operations. He was identified as Danny Brumbach, a consultant in a coral reef restoration project of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development.

An engineer by profession, Brumbach designs underwater turbines that help depleted corals multiply, according to Raymund Liboro, information director of the Department of Science and Technology.

Liboro said Brumbach and his fellow divers from the Boracay Scuba Schools Association volunteered for the Masbate search.

Reed started recreational diving at the age of 17 and has been into technical diving since he was 21, according to Joyce. He became a certified diver in 1990 and completed his open water course in the Mediterranean on Gozo Island, his website said.

Passionate

The London native went to Southeast Asia because of his love for diving and has over 6,000 logged dives and hits the water almost every day. He also teaches wreck diving, cave diving, mixed gas and rebreather courses.

“Both Matt and I are passionate technical divers,” Joyce said. “Matt is probably the most experienced technical diver in the Philippines.”

Early this month, Evolution technical divers performed search dives at 330 feet, which was a good preparation for the Masbate mission, he said.

The Evolution website reported that its exploration unit undertook the search for a wreck thought to be the lost MV Pioneer Cebu.

The vessel, which reportedly had 262 passengers on board, was lost somewhere near Malapascua when Typhoon “Klaring” struck on May 16, 1966.

The Pilot in DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo crash aimed for the sea

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MANILA, Philippines – The pilot of the ill-fated Piper aircraft boarded by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo reportedly aimed for the sea, according to a witness’ account.
Jojo Sancho, a resident of Masbate City, told DZMM on Saturday that he saw the Piper Ceneca PA 34-200 carrying Robredo flying low before it plunged to the sea.
Sancho said the plane’s pilot may have decided to land on water where they have a greater chance of survival.
“Lumipad sa tapat ng dagat, parang inilagpas ng airport. Talagang itinantya niya na kung babagsak siya sa airport, talagang sasabog [sila],” said Sancho.
Robredo was onboard the plane together with his aide, Capt. Jun Abrazado, pilot Capt. Jessup Bahinting, and Nepalese co-pilot Kshitiz Chand, when it crashed at 4:30 p.m.
Abrazado has been rescued from the crash site.
Search and rescue operations for Robredo and the two pilots are ongoing.
Masbate Vice Governor Vince Revil earlier said Bahinting made a call to the Masbate City Airport where they planned to make an emergency landing.
“Nag-emergency call that they are going to have an emergency landing sa Masbate City Airport pero nag-crash ang plane about 150 meters away from the airport , nag-crash sa dagat,” Revil told “TV Patrol: Weekend.”
Robredo’s plane came from Mactan, Cebu and was headed to Naga City.
Sancho said the plane’s engine died down even before the crash.
“Wala namang usok, talagang eroplano lang na k’wan pero walang naririnig na andar ng makina,” he said.
He also narrated that he ran toward the beach after hearing the loud splash created by the crash.
What he saw at that point was the plane rapidly sinking into the sea.
“Nakita ko na lang 'yung dulo ng pakpak, pero pawala na… tapos may nakita akong mga bangkang maliliit na palapit po doon.”

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo still missing

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MANILA, Philippines –   Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo is still missing even as parts of the ill-fated  plane that was supposed to bring him to Naga City  have been found,  the head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Sunday.

“There has  been no report that he (Robredo) has been found,” NDRRMC executive director  Benito Ramos  told Radyo Inquirer 990 AM in  Filipino.

This was contrary to reports that  he had  been  rescued   by a fisherman.

Ramos also said that the fuel tank of the plane was recovered  Saturday night.

When asked whether this meant that the  plane broke into pieces on impact,   Ramos said, “It’s possible. Only the fuel tank was found so this means that the plane could have broken into pieces.

Robredo and three others were onboard a six-seater Piper Seneca plane when it crashed Saturday  afternoon in the  waters off  Masbate.  His aide, P/Senior Insp. Jun Abrazado, survived while the rest remained missing.

US will help in search for DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo

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MANILA - Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Mar Roxas said the United States Geological Survey (USGS) team will help in the search for missing Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo and two others.
"(As of 9 p.m., we) received and accepted an offer of help via US Naval Attache Capt. Jack Sutherland; the USG [USGS] has a Fleet Survey team," he said on his Twitter account.
Roxas said the USGS team is now heading towards the crash site of the small plane carrying Robredo and pilot Capt. Jessup Bahinting and student pilot Kshitiz Chand, a Nepalese.
Actually, Robredo’s aide Jun Abrazado was also on board of the plane but he reportedly jumped off the light plane before it crash in the sea off the Masbate City or 500 meters away from the Masbate airport.
The DOTC chief said the search and rescue operations are still ongoing at the crash site.
"Diving search resumed using compressors. They have obtained compressors from the area," Roxas said.

Pres. Aquino at crash site of DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo in Masbate

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MANILA, Philippines –   President  Benigno  Aquino  III  arrived  in  Masbate as the  search  and rescue operations (SaR)  for   Interior   Secretary Jesse Robredo   and two  others  resumed  early Sunday.

Transportation Secretary Manuel Mar Roxas  posted  on his Twitter account that he and Aquino, along with  other  government  officials, on  board PAF C-130   were at the  crash site “to lead the  SaR  efforts.”

“At the location, crash site within sight of beach, 500m & also within sight of end of runway,” Roxas said.

“Water’s calm, sky (is) clear, which will help in (the) ongoing  SaR,” he added.

Robredo, and three others were onboard a six-seater Piper Seneca plane when it crashed  in the waters off the shoreline of Masbate City at about 5 p.m. Saturday.

Robredo’s aide, P/Senior Insp. Jun Abrazado, survived but the Interior Secretary and the pilot and  co-pilot of the plane –Capt. Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese copilot Kshitiz Chand, remained  missing.