Search, rescue ops continue in Angeles building collapse — Jonvic Remulla

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday said search and rescue operations are continuing for missing persons in the collapse of a building under construction in Angeles City, Pampanga.

This came after several officials on Tuesday initially announced a shift to search and retrieval operations after no signs of life had been detected from the rubble since Monday evening.

“We are still going. It is still a search and rescue operation. Hindi pa po tayo nawawalan ng pag-asa na may buhay pa sa loob,” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

(We are still going. It is still a search and rescue operation. We have not lost hope that there is still life inside.)

“Hindi po tumitigil yan. Okay, we will continue. Tuloy-tuloy ang support dito. The mayor, the BFP, the PNP and all the other agencies are working together para matapos lahat ito,” he added.

(It will not stop. Okay, we will continue. Support here will continue. The mayor, the [Bureau of Fire Protection], the [Philippine National Police] and all other agencies are working together so we can complete this.)

Remulla cited cases in which survivors were rescued up to two weeks after being trapped under rubble.

He said authorities would continue using life-detection devices as part of the ongoing operations.

Remulla added that all concerned agencies, including the BFP, the local government unit, and the PNP, are coordinating response efforts.

He also said the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) would summon the contractor and property owner as part of an investigation into possible criminal negligence.

According to Remulla, workers were allegedly allowed to sleep at the construction site, a practice prohibited under Department of Labor and Employment regulations and the National Building Code of the Philippines.

The nine-story building collapsed before dawn on Sunday.

As of Tuesday, four people had been confirmed dead, 16 remained missing, and 26 had been rescued, according to the local government.—MCG, GMA News