LUCENA CITY, Philippines?President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited the wake of Quezon Governor Rafael Nantes at the Quezon Convention Center here at noon Wednesday and condoled with the family of the late provincial chief executive.

Wearing a black dress, Arroyo arrived at around 11:45 a.m. and headed to the sealed casket of Nantes below a huge poster of the late governor.

After a few minutes, Arroyo sat beside Nantes? widow, Betty, and offered her deep condolence to the family.

Arroyo stayed for 15 minutes with the bereaved family and proceeded afterwards to the wake of another crash victim, Rowena Navales at the Funenaria Constantino in the central part of the city.

The President shook hands with the family of Navales as a gesture of her sympathy and immediately motored back to Camp Nakar on the outskirts of the city to continue her journey to Bicol aboard the presidential helicopter.

Nantes perished along with four others on Monday afternoon when their private helicopter crashed in a subdivision on the outskirts of Lucena City a few minutes after taking off from the Quezon National High School grounds.

In an interview with local newsmen, Betty disclosed that she told Arroyo of her son?s request for the creation of an independent investigating body to look into the cause of the helicopter crash.

The widow also revealed their intention to ask the assistance of US aviation authorities to determine what caused the crash.

Nantes, Liberal Party national treasurer, tasted his first electoral loss in his 12 years in politics from the very candidate he defeated in the 2007 elections.

Last Thursday afternoon, the provincial board of canvassers proclaimed David Suarez (Lakas-Kampi), as the winner of the Quezon gubernatorial race after he overpowered Nantes in the elections last Monday.

Meanwhile, a local police official appealed to the community to remain calm and avoid spreading wild allegations on the real cause of the chopper crash.

He noted the spread of rumors that the crash was an act of ?sabotage? or was ?politically motivated?

?These kinds of baseless political innuendos will not help investigators. Let us all pay our last respect to the late governor and sympathize with his family,? he said.

On Tuesday, investigators from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippine (CCAP) arrived at the crash site and started sorting out crash debris.

?The CAAP investigators will return to retrieve the chopper engine to subject it to a thorough examination in Clark. We?re still waiting for them. We were told that the result of the investigation will be out after a couple of weeks? he said.

When he learned of the accident on Monday afternoon, governor-elect Suarez immediately requested the Air Transportation Office and other concerned agencies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Nantes interment is scheduled on Saturday afternoon in Lucban, Quezon.