Motel king’s heir dies in crash
A motel mogul’s heir and the pilot of a helicopter died when their aircraft crashed in Batangas in stormy weather at past noon yesterday.
Archimedes “Archie” King, owner of the Victoria Court chain of motels, and pilot Felicisimo Esteban Taborlupa died at the crash site on Mount Maculot near Taal, police said.
King was the son of billionaire Angelo King, dubbed the “Motel King” whose fortune was built on Anito Lodge. Archimedes’ brother Wyden inherited control of the Anito Hotels Inc. and founded the Kabayan Hotel chain.
Despite the presence of Tropical Storm Egay in the Luzon area, Archie King and six other passengers along with the pilot decided to push through with their flight yesterday from Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental to Manila.
The other passengers were King’s wife Lingling; Christopher Chilip, president of Dunlop tires distributor Tyremart and his wife Patricia EchauzChilip, Standard Insurance president and daughter of former Far Eastern University head Lydia Echauz; entrepreneur Ricardo Ocampo and his model-designer wife Tina Maristela-Ocampo; and Anton San Diego, editor-in-chief of
the Philippine Tatler magazine. They were rushed to the Martin Marasigan Hospital for first aid treatment.
According to Cuenca police chief Senior Inspector Joel Laraya, the survivors said the weather seemed bright where they departed, but they encountered zero visibility during the flight aboard a helicopter with registry number RP-C2726.
A source told The STAR that Taborlupa, 38, tried to land the aircraft nose down in San Jose, Batangas to save lives.
However, the Augusta 109E helicopter crashed into a forested area between stations 6 and 7 of Mount Maculot in Barangay Pinagkaisahan, Cuenca, Batangas around 12: 45 p. m. yesterday, according to
Inspector Hazel Luma-ang, spokesperson for the Batangas police.
Around 6: 30 p. m. yesterday, the remains of Taborlupa and King were brought to the Heritage Park in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig by their relatives, Laraya said in a text message to The STAR.
He added that investigations into the crash site will continue today.
The six survivors sustained minor injuries, including bruises and fractures, according to Ronald Generoso, administrator of the Philippine Red Cross Batangas chapter that responded to the incident.
They were immediately transferred to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig “for further management and advance care,” Generoso said.
According to one of his closest friends who refused to be named, San Diego was able to talk to his mother, Tessie OcaPrieta, after the incident.
Oca-Prieta is the daughter of Roberto Oca, founder of the transport workers’ union.
The STAR source said San Diego and Ricco Ocampo were able to walk away from the crash site, while Ocampo’s wife had to be carried on a stretcher.
King, meanwhile, had “three cracked ribs” and likely succumbed to severe internal injuries, the source said.
Recovered possessions from the crash site remained intact, while the aircraft incurred undetermined amount of damage, according to the Batangas provincial police.
The St. Luke’s Medical Center yesterday imposed a news blackout on the survivors of the crash.
Staff at the emergency room confirmed that the six victims were admitted at the hospital but declined to disclose further details.
The incident happened as Tropical Storm Egay was estimated by the state weather bureau to be in the vicinity of Flora, Apayao with maximum winds of 95 kilometers per hour and gusts of 120 kph.