By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
After no signs of life were detected by life locator equipment and rescue dogs deployed Tuesday at the ‘ground zero’ of the collapsed building in Angeles City, Pampanga, responders shifted their attention to the retrieval operations of bodies that remain pinned under the rubble.
Emergency crews from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Special Force, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), emergency medical service teams, and augmentation units from nearby provinces in Central Luzon are set to begin the deployment of heavy equipment to clear debris from the disaster zone and unearth cadavers entombed by the fallen structure.
Authorities have ordered the media and families of those residing in the collapsed building to keep a safe distance to give space for the equipment that will be used to clear the scaffoldings, twisted metal, and crumbled concrete.
BFP Regional Information Office Chief Fire Superintendent Ma. Leah Sajili underscored the delicate nature of the retrieval operations, “Before we could clear that, we also need pa rin ng extra precaution. Siyempre kahit sabihin na natin na wala ng life diyan, there are still bodies [na kailangan pa ring i-retrieve.]”
Authorities also said that the investigation into the cause of the building collapse is already underway to determine the accountability of the building’s owner and the contractor behind its construction. As of press time, both parties have not issued any statements regarding the incident.
Meanwhile, the DSWD Field Office 3 has already distributed an initial humanitarian aid of P464,000 to the survivors and kin of those who perished in the Angeles City building collapse incident.
This, on top of other forms of initial assistance provided to the victims such as family food packs (FFPs), non-food items (NFIs), ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, financial aid, and psychosocial interventions.
DSWD Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in a statement, “Napakahalaga na matulungan itong mga kababayan natin na naapektuhan dahil alam naman natin na nawalan sila ng trabaho, nawalan sila ng pagkakakitaan.
So DSWD comes in to provide the appropriate interventions, including, of course, the psychosocial interventions and yun pong iba pang mga tulong.”
The agency moreover extended transportation assistance for those who opted to return to their place of origin, as well as the provision of livelihood support under the Sustainable Livelihood Program. (with report from JM Thompson | PTV News)
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