Magpale vows to study safety measures in extreme sports

Curious onlookers mill around the Cessna plane which crashed in Sta. Fe last Saturday. (Contributed Photo)

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes A. Magpale yesterday said the emergency landing of a private plane in Sta. Fe town over the weekend may adversely affect  tourism  in Cebu, but only for a brief period.

Magpale said she was confident that skydiving will continue to draw tourists to Bantayan island.

“The kind of tourists who come are the more adventurous type and they understand that accidents happen,” she said.

But she said the province will now closely monitor extreme rides to ensure that accidents are avoided.

“We will continuously study and then take the necessary precautionary measures to ensure that facilities are well-maintained,” she told reporters yesterday.

A four-seater Cessna plane used for skydiving by tourists  nosedived in an open field.  It sustained damage on its front  and propeller after its front landing gears collapsed upon touchdown at the Sta. Fe airport on Bantayan Island at 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

The pilot, Capt. Alvin Boyd Loreno, was unhurt. He was tightlipped about the identity of his passengers or whether he was carrying tourists at the time.

READ: Despite accident, Sta. Fe mayor sees skydiving as a major tourist attraction

“These things happen. In as much as dili unta ta gusto pero aksidente man, wa man tay mahimo maybe mo-affect kadiyot. Kadiyot tingali (We don’t want this to happen, but it was an accident. There’s nothing we can do. It will probably impact on the tourism industry briefly),” she said.

A report on the incident has been sent to CAAP Manila. Mactan Flight Service Station supervisor Allan Pangilinan said a team from Manila will  investigate the incident, he said.

Despite the accident, Sta. Fe Mayor Jose Esgana told Cebu Daily News that the town  will continue to offer skydiving as their newest attraction.

Skydiving has been drawing tourists, who are willing to pay P18,000 each to enjoy for an extreme adventure.