MANILA, Philippines – Technical divers have found and recovered the
body of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Transportation and
Communciation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas said on Tuesday.
The body of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was found some 800
meters from shore and a depth of 180 feet off the waters of Masbate
Tuesday by three foreign technical divers, the government announced.
He said Robredo's body was brought up to the surface at about 8:40 a.m. Roxas said the search and retrieval efforts for the two pilots that remain missing would continue.
Robredo and his two pilots went missing after their plane attempted an emergency landing but crashed into the sea off Masbate Saturday afternoon. Robredo's aide, meanwhile, escaped from the plane.
Aquino, accompanied by a number of his cabinet officials, flew to Masbate to direct the search and rescue operations and has remained in the province since Sunday.
The 54-year-old Robredo was a Naga City mayor since 1988 before being appointed by Aquino to his cabinet.
