Vilma Santos: ‘Thank God for keeping Ralph safe’

Batangas 6th Dist. Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto has expressed hopes those hurt in a helicopter crash in Capas, Tarlac on Thursday afternoon would recover soon.

BREAKING: Chopper carrying solon crashes in Tarlac

The 65-year-old movie star-turned-politician also said she was relieved to find out her husband, Senator Ralph Recto, was safe from harm. The senator earlier said he was supposed to be in the helicopter that crash-landed on a ravine in Tarlac.

READ: Recto: ‘I was supposed to be in that chopper’

“Ralph informed me about the incident, and I thank God for keeping him safe from harm,” she told INQUIRER.net.

“It is also good to know that there were no fatalities in the crash,” she added.

Among those injured in the incident were Coop-NATCCO party-list Rep. Anthony Bravo; former House Secretary General Cesar Pareja; Baltazar Reyes; Col. Arthur Baybayan, sergeant-at-arms of the Commission on Appointments; Daisy De Lima; Romeo V. Almonte; 1st Lt. Melvin Betia; and Edilberto M. Mandap.

“I pray that they, as well as their co-passengers, the pilot and crew who may have been hurt or injured will feel better and recover fully soon. God is good!” Santos-Recto said.

The helicopter – a PZL W-3 Sokół – was reportedly descending on the landing deck when the pilot lost control of the chopper and fell on the nearby ravine.

In a DZBB report, Baybayan said they were to attend an “AFP legislative stakeholders’ engagement” at the Crow Valley military reservation camp.  /kga