The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has ordered the temporary grounding of all Piper Seneca aircraft in the country after one of them carrying Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed in Masbate City.
Robredo and company were on board a four-seater Piper Seneca from Mactan on their way to Naga City in the Bicol Region when the plane crashed Saturday afternoon while trying to make an emergency landing around 4:30 p.m.
Robredo is still missing together with pilot Captain Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese co-pilot Kshitiz Chand.
The twin-engine Piper Seneca aircraft, according to Cebu City Traffic Operations Management chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, belonged to the pilot, Captain Bahinting of Aviatours Mactan.
The Mactan Control Tower of the CAAP said the plane left at 3:07 p.m. Saturday.
The Piper PA-34 Seneca is an American twin-engined light aircraft, produced by Piper Aircraft since 1971 and still in production in 2011. It is primarily used for personal and business flying.
The CAAP issued an order asking all private owners of Piper Seneca small aircraft not to fly their planes until an investigation was conducted to determine the cause of the crash.
The order, the CAAP  said, is to prevent similar accidents. The order will only take effect at least a week, a CAAP source said.
Robredo, 54, was in Cebu last Saturday morning to address a national summit of volunteers working with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. They held the summit at the Cebu International Convention Center.
Robredo was scheduled to take a Cebu Pacific flight to Manila, but decided to take a private plane instead to Naga. Reports quoted Naga City Mayor John Bongat as saying the secretary wanted to be there when his daughter received an award.
Robredo was mayor of Naga when he won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for governance in 2000.
He said the crash site was 200 to 500 meters from shore and that the search was being done both on the surface and under water.