A Filipino police officer, Colonel Pergentino Malabed, was among the 67 victims of a catastrophic collision between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner near Washington, D.C., the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Friday. Colonel Malabed, who served as the head of the Supply Management Division within the PNP’s Directorate for Logistics, was on an official trip when the accident happened on Wednesday night, US time.
Before the tragedy, Malabed and his team had traveled from Manila to India on January 22 to evaluate vests intended for acquisition by the PNP. After testing six out of 2,675 vests, they left one in India and took five to the US for further testing. Malabed then proceeded alone to Washington, D.C., to meet with Colonel Moises Villaceran, the Philippine police attaché there, while his two colleagues returned to Manila on January 27.
The PNP has reached out to Malabed’s family and is working with the police attaché in Washington, D.C., to facilitate the repatriation of his remains. PNP information chief Colonel Randulf Tuaño expressed the organization’s deep condolences and pledged full support to Malabed’s family during this challenging period. He also paid tribute to Malabed’s dedication and service, emphasizing that his contributions to the PNP and the country would be remembered.
According to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega, no other Filipinos or Filipino-Americans were reported among the passengers or crew of the doomed flight. The Department of Foreign Affairs awaits an official embassy report on the incident involving the Filipino officer.
The collision occurred as the American Airlines plane was nearing Ronald Reagan National Airport, and a US Army helicopter inadvertently crossed its path. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew members, while the helicopter had three soldiers on board.