Malabed’s widow to fly out, identify his body after US crash

The widow of Police Colonel Pergentino Malabed Jr., who was among the casualties of the collision of a military Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial plane in Washington, D.C. has left for the United States to identify and retrieve his body.

According to a "24 Oras Weekend" report by JP Soriano on Saturday, the Philippine Embassy in the United States is already on standby to extend assistance with the repatriation of Malabed’s body.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said that when the collision was reported, they immediately coordinated with authorities regarding Malabed, who was on official travel.

“We knew that he was going to be in the aircraft and so immediately, our [Police] Attaché Colonel Moises Villasiran checked right away with his contacts, and they were able to inform them that the body of Colonel Malabed was found,” said Romualdez.

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had already sent a letter to US President Donald Trump to extend his condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson also issued a statement on Saturday to mourn the loss of the Colonel Malabed.

"We mourn the loss of Police Col. Pergentino Malabed, who died in the recent Washington, DC plane crash. His service and commitment to upholding peace and security will never be forgotten," Carlson said.

"Our hearts go out to his family and (PNP) colleagues at this time of great loss," she added.

US authorities have since ordered the suspension of helicopter flights near Regan Washington International Airport as the National Transportation Safety Board continues their probe of the incident.

The U.S. named the crash as the deadliest U.S. disaster in over 20 years as 67 people on board both aircrafts died.

Trump blamed federal diversity efforts as a factor leading to the crash, but authorities clarified that there was still no clear reason as to why the crash occurred. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/BAP, GMA Integrated News