One year ago today, businessman Levy P. Laus died in a chopper crash somewhere in Bulacan province leaving behind an economic legacy that can still be felt up to this day.
Laus was on his way to Pampanga province aboard a chopper with body number RP C8098 when it crashed at around 12:30 noon in a fishpond in Barangay Alinao, City of Malolos, Bulacan.
Read: LPL dies in Bulacan chopper crash
Laus and his group reportedly left the hangar at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) bound for the City of San Fernando. He along with another two – the helicopter pilot and his driver — never made it home.
Laus is a chopper pilot himself and regularly takes the controls during his business meetings in nearby provinces.
Laus rose from the business ladder to become the moving force behind the highly successful Laus Group of Companies, selling Mitsubishi cars and other US and European car brands. Laus later ventured into the media launching DWRW 95.1 FM during the reconstruction efforts after the Mount Pinatubo eruptions and later acquired the daily newspaper Sun Star Pampanga, the former Sun Star Clark.
Laus served as President and CEO of the state-run Clark Development Corporation. He is also chairman emeritus of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is well respected in the business circle.
Read: Senate honors late Kapampangan business tycoon Levy Laus
During one his meetings with the Pampanga media particularly during Christmas season, he described himself as a “probinsiyano.”